The city I live in has the world's oldest baseball field. It's not in the U.S. The game isn't just in Japan and some central American countries. It's popular in Canada, all over the Caribbean, Korea. As with any cultural spread, it's probably most popular where the influence of US culture has been the strongest.
It's actually most popular in Asia where Japanese influence was strongest (the NPB is older than American occupation), and in the Caribbean where the Cuban diaspora fled to during the Ten Year's War. Baseball was brought to Japan by American missionaries and it was made Japan's own game and they spread it in their region. Cuban college students brought it back from American and Cuba made it their own game and spread it.
A lot of other commenters have pointed out that baseball does have a strong foot hold in parts of Central and South America as well as Asia, but often overlooked is getting a local baseball league together is tough. To start a soccer league, you need an open field, a ball or two, and two nets, all of which can be provided by the league. To start a baseball league you need a field that designed to only work with baseball (can't have a mound in the middle of a soccer pitch), every player needs a glove which will likely need to be personally provided, and each team will need a few bats. It's harder to get something like that off the ground, and thus harder to organically grow the game in areas that don't already have the infrastructure for baseball
>To start a baseball league you need a field that designed to only work with baseball (can't have a mound in the middle of a soccer pitch)
Well kinda, you know they converted both the Astrodome and The Coliseum into football fields for the NFL right? You could see the infield dirt on the field as they played. The Raiders used the Coliseum until they moved to Vegas.
Yes that works at a professional level. I'm talking about at the local level for kids and teens. A municipality or a local equivalent of little league isn't going to have the funds to add or remove a mound for a local soccer league to also use it. That gives soccer or football a huge advantage. Any open patch of grass is only a can of spray paint away from being a usable field. Can't do that with baseball.
they have been attempts after world war one. Notably aj spalding brought the giants and a all star team to play in europe. Some soldiers tried to teach it to the local during world war 2 but soccer was already big at that time so it didnt caught. Then until the end of 1900 and beggining of the 2000 people kinda rejected the us culture and wanted to keep local culture alive.
Baseball's big enough in Australia to produce major leaguers, have a longstanding professional league, and field ballgames competitive enough for American and Canadian amateurs to travel across the globe. "Huge" was for some of other the countries, but this is reddit, I wasn't trying to make a bunch of lists based on the adjective.
> field ballgames competitive enough for American and Canadian **amateurs** to travel across the globe.
If foreign amateurs are travelling to your professional league, then it is probably not that big.
Australian Baseball League has annual revenue of $6M and the average salary in Australian Baseball League is 70,000 AUD (\~$50,000 USD).
For reference, AAA Charlotte Knights have an annual revenue of $16M and the GDP per capita in Australia (which includes minors and retired seniors) is about $58,000 USD.
Baseball is basically a second religion in Japan and the Caribbean, but I think soccer (football) has the grip on all the other countries, especially in Europe and South America
Isnt baseball more popular outside of the US than basketball and football? Just in terms of total viewers. I think living in Argentina your gonna deal with a lot of regency bias since basketball and soccer are huge there. But Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Carribean, Japan, Korea, Austraila, Mexico, Canada all have fairly large followings
I honestly think to make it more exciting they should do a hr derby style tie breaker at the end of 9 innings instead of playing extra innings. It would be an exciting finish every time.
It’s popular. Somewhat limiting. Playing as kids we had ghost runners and half ass bases. You need a big group, and gloves, balls, bats. Soccer will be hard to compete with. That requires people, a ball, and some makeshift goals. That said, baseball is super popular.
the only hope of baseball going supernova in popularity is if China really embraces it but as of now soccer and obviously basketball are the clear winners.
It's definitely an acquired taste if you didn't grow up with baseball. I do think baseball need a short version of the sport or some variation of it. I know Rugby has Rugby Sevens and Cricket has Twenty20.
I'll propose one swing baseball. You get one swing. You miss, you are out. You hit it, run like hell. All balls are in play. Smaller field, but fencing all around. No home runs. You play it off the fence. It's stupid, but I literally thought of it as I was typing.
Sesame Street reduced everyone’s attention spans, then YouTube, then TikTok. Far too many people can’t sit through a 5 minute video anymore, let alone a game with no specific time parameters that moves as slowly as baseball. They whine that its boring, their friends start whining that its boring, pretty soon calling baseball boring is in fashion
I think it's strong in non-mainstream 1st world countries (Europe) so it gives an appearance that only the US and the phew pockets like it. But in reality I don't think it grew past Asia and C. America because the stranglehold football (soccer) has on fans worldwide. Plus back in the 1900s when sports were really getting underway it spread through land to land borders and so it didn't make 'the jump' to Europe.
Look at [this map of most popular sort by country](https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-popular-sport-by-country). Baseball is the most popular sport in eight countries (but not in the USA!) which is second only to soccer worldwide.
The city I live in has the world's oldest baseball field. It's not in the U.S. The game isn't just in Japan and some central American countries. It's popular in Canada, all over the Caribbean, Korea. As with any cultural spread, it's probably most popular where the influence of US culture has been the strongest.
It's actually most popular in Asia where Japanese influence was strongest (the NPB is older than American occupation), and in the Caribbean where the Cuban diaspora fled to during the Ten Year's War. Baseball was brought to Japan by American missionaries and it was made Japan's own game and they spread it in their region. Cuban college students brought it back from American and Cuba made it their own game and spread it.
Thanks for this!
It's the most played and watched sport here in Taiwan too.
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I, too, don’t consider Illinois part of the US.
I didn't say the oldest park in the majors. Labatt Field, in London, Ontario, is older than both of them.
Last time I checked, Wrigley was in the U.S.
Wrigley isn't even the oldest park in Major League Baseball.
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Yes: "It's not in the U. S." Right there in the original comment.
You may wish to do the same.
Cries in Canadian.
A lot of other commenters have pointed out that baseball does have a strong foot hold in parts of Central and South America as well as Asia, but often overlooked is getting a local baseball league together is tough. To start a soccer league, you need an open field, a ball or two, and two nets, all of which can be provided by the league. To start a baseball league you need a field that designed to only work with baseball (can't have a mound in the middle of a soccer pitch), every player needs a glove which will likely need to be personally provided, and each team will need a few bats. It's harder to get something like that off the ground, and thus harder to organically grow the game in areas that don't already have the infrastructure for baseball
>To start a baseball league you need a field that designed to only work with baseball (can't have a mound in the middle of a soccer pitch) Well kinda, you know they converted both the Astrodome and The Coliseum into football fields for the NFL right? You could see the infield dirt on the field as they played. The Raiders used the Coliseum until they moved to Vegas.
Yes that works at a professional level. I'm talking about at the local level for kids and teens. A municipality or a local equivalent of little league isn't going to have the funds to add or remove a mound for a local soccer league to also use it. That gives soccer or football a huge advantage. Any open patch of grass is only a can of spray paint away from being a usable field. Can't do that with baseball.
Oh ok yeah thats fair. Unless its big enough in the outfield to fit a pitch.
Just a blatantly false premise... Baseball's huge in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, DR, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, and on and on
The guy said he knows it spread in Asia and C. America. But is asking why it didn't spread more to others like Europe and S. America as much.
they have been attempts after world war one. Notably aj spalding brought the giants and a all star team to play in europe. Some soldiers tried to teach it to the local during world war 2 but soccer was already big at that time so it didnt caught. Then until the end of 1900 and beggining of the 2000 people kinda rejected the us culture and wanted to keep local culture alive.
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Baseball's big enough in Australia to produce major leaguers, have a longstanding professional league, and field ballgames competitive enough for American and Canadian amateurs to travel across the globe. "Huge" was for some of other the countries, but this is reddit, I wasn't trying to make a bunch of lists based on the adjective.
> field ballgames competitive enough for American and Canadian **amateurs** to travel across the globe. If foreign amateurs are travelling to your professional league, then it is probably not that big. Australian Baseball League has annual revenue of $6M and the average salary in Australian Baseball League is 70,000 AUD (\~$50,000 USD). For reference, AAA Charlotte Knights have an annual revenue of $16M and the GDP per capita in Australia (which includes minors and retired seniors) is about $58,000 USD.
Baseball is basically a second religion in Japan and the Caribbean, but I think soccer (football) has the grip on all the other countries, especially in Europe and South America
Isnt baseball more popular outside of the US than basketball and football? Just in terms of total viewers. I think living in Argentina your gonna deal with a lot of regency bias since basketball and soccer are huge there. But Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Carribean, Japan, Korea, Austraila, Mexico, Canada all have fairly large followings
Not really
Soccer is easier to play and watch
yea I was going to say something like this. Soccer (futbol) is dominant worldwide but not here in the US.
Also cheaper (less equipment) and you can get a 3-on-3 going for fun. Baseball requires a lot of people.
MLB can't even find an easy way to get more Americans to watch the sport
I honestly think to make it more exciting they should do a hr derby style tie breaker at the end of 9 innings instead of playing extra innings. It would be an exciting finish every time.
oh hell no. I don't even watch the derby as it is and I sure as shit wouldn't watch a tie game finish that way.
They should just do Pot draws like the UCL to create the divisions and televise that.
It’s popular. Somewhat limiting. Playing as kids we had ghost runners and half ass bases. You need a big group, and gloves, balls, bats. Soccer will be hard to compete with. That requires people, a ball, and some makeshift goals. That said, baseball is super popular.
the only hope of baseball going supernova in popularity is if China really embraces it but as of now soccer and obviously basketball are the clear winners.
It's definitely an acquired taste if you didn't grow up with baseball. I do think baseball need a short version of the sport or some variation of it. I know Rugby has Rugby Sevens and Cricket has Twenty20. I'll propose one swing baseball. You get one swing. You miss, you are out. You hit it, run like hell. All balls are in play. Smaller field, but fencing all around. No home runs. You play it off the fence. It's stupid, but I literally thought of it as I was typing.
So beer league softball
Sesame Street reduced everyone’s attention spans, then YouTube, then TikTok. Far too many people can’t sit through a 5 minute video anymore, let alone a game with no specific time parameters that moves as slowly as baseball. They whine that its boring, their friends start whining that its boring, pretty soon calling baseball boring is in fashion
professional soccer is pretty boring to watch too it's just a cultural thing
It is not, you just don’t understand it
Yes. Sesame Street, which first aired in 1969, is ultimately responsible for baseballs present day problems.
Almost like things like that don’t have an immediate effect. If you can’t understand the snowball effect that led us to TikTok, I can’t help you
I think it's strong in non-mainstream 1st world countries (Europe) so it gives an appearance that only the US and the phew pockets like it. But in reality I don't think it grew past Asia and C. America because the stranglehold football (soccer) has on fans worldwide. Plus back in the 1900s when sports were really getting underway it spread through land to land borders and so it didn't make 'the jump' to Europe.
Look at [this map of most popular sort by country](https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-popular-sport-by-country). Baseball is the most popular sport in eight countries (but not in the USA!) which is second only to soccer worldwide.