The World Baseball Classic starts this week, and I’ve always enjoyed watching it. I have attended games in 2013 and 2023. It will never be as big as the FIFA World Cup is for soccer, but it really doesn’t have to be. For people like me who love baseball, the World Baseball Classic is a big deal in its own way. One thing I really appreciate is how the World Baseball Classic has helped grow the game internationally. Baseball usually felt like it was mostly centered in the United States, Japan, and parts of Latin America, but this tournament shows how global the sport has become. When players put on their country’s uniform instead of their Major League uniform, it just feels different. You can see how much pride they take in representing where they come from. I will admit teams from other countries show far more pride rooting for their countries than we do in the United States, but I think the passion grew a lot for American fans in 2023. It was just a different feel in the stadium in 2023 than it was in 2013 when I watched the United States play Mexico in both of those tournaments. The drama of the World Baseball Classic has also been great for the sport. The intensity of the games has grown. The fans are louder, the players are more emotional, and every game seems to matter a little more. It started feeling more like the Major League Baseball postseason than it had in the past. I’m also glad the World Baseball Classic helped bring baseball back as an Olympic sport for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Baseball being part of the Olympics just feels right. If I end up going to any Olympic events when the Games are in Los Angeles, that would definitely be the one I would want to see in person.
