Will European’s Ever Take Baseball to Their Hearts?
Baseball has never been very popular in Europe due to a few reasons. Despite huge coverage in the USA and always showing up near the top of most people’s favourite sports lists, it has never really gathered much of a serious fan base across the Atlantic. People who wish to play face challenges from other popular sports, and people who wish to watch the MLB in America face a few obstacles.
While there is an organized season schedule with regularly held games, fans can find it hard to get involved. Awkward time differences of games being held all over a massive country can put off the most avid supporter. Sports held and broadcasted in Europe make for much more easy participation from the people. So, if viewing is so difficult, is it possible at some stage that Europeans may grow to play and love this game that Americans love so much?
Plenty of other Popular Sports in Europe
Europeans love a wide variety of sports, and different sports are more popular than others depending on the region. It’s fair to say that similar to being globally popular, soccer gets the nod here as the number one sport. In recent years soccer has been growing in popularity in America, however, it may be a while before it passes baseball. Basketball, another big sport in the USA, has a firm foothold in Europe, played and enjoyed in most countries.
Sports like tennis also have a big following in Europe, and there have been quite a few top American players involved over the years. Cricket seems to be mostly played in England and amongst other reasons this makes it hard for baseball to make a breakthrough there. But being a good team sport, there is plenty of room for expansion throughout Europe. The list of rival sports could go on and on.
Where are Baseball’s Roots?
A lot of these sports have some sort of roots in Europe and thus have been around for quite some time. While baseball seems to hold very little interest in Europe, it is believed to have developed from the English game Rounders. Americans appear to have made some tweaks to the game, thus developing their form, known as baseball. It went as far as having a commission of inquiry to try and discover the true beginnings of baseball.
It appears that countries which seem to have taken baseball to their hearts have some sort of connection to America, taking in colonisation, invasion or just general lifestyle influence as a few factors to take into account. This has resulted in the game being mostly played in the continents of the Americas, including the Caribbean area. It also seems to have made its way to the Far East, with Taiwan, South Korea and Japan seeing interest in the game.
So, Who Does Play Baseball in Europe?
The game appears to be quite popular in countries like Italy and Holland who have dominated organized competitions in European baseball. There are now 39 registered countries in the Confederation of European Baseball so interest is rising dramatically. Competitions ranging from underage level to seniors level are scheduled to take place throughout the year.
The highlight this year is the men’s European Baseball Championship, which will take place in Italy. Consisting of games spread out over only a week, who would bet against either Italy or Holland taking the crown home again. If you fancy otherwise, simply have a look at any casino online as they have the widest range of markets available to bet on.
Tarnished by Scandal
European sport in the majority has never been hit with scandals. The people love a variety of sports and do not wish to see anything happen that would hurt the reputation of the sport. Baseball in America has been hit with several shameful episodes that could maybe explain why not as many Europeans have warmed to the sport. The latest scandal involves players smearing substances on the ball itself to make their pitch even better. While not a new occurrence, the fact that it has resurfaced again is troubling to players, fans and the authorities of the game.
Court cases involving one of the best players of all time, Barry Bonds, who got caught using performance-enhancing steroids shone a very bright spotlight on an ugly hidden part of the game. This abuse has seen him excluded from the baseball Hall of Fame, with arguments for both sides still raging. While some fans seem to love him, some just can’t forgive that while he was such a good player before using steroids, he had to resort to usage to stay at the top.
A Notorious Moment
A betting scandal over 100 years ago still resounds to this day. It very much affected the reputation of baseball and cast serious doubt on the honesty of the sport. Players were involved with gamblers in an attempt to fix the result of the biggest game in baseball, the World Series. Known as the 1919 Black Sox Scandal, it resulted in court cases and lifetime bans from the sport as the truth emerged.
Europeans don’t like the idea of a sport being tampered with and this was just the start of a long list of bad moments in baseball. It is not the easiest game to bet on but with many people liking to have a wager at online casinos, the prospect of games being rigged does not fill them with trust.
Summary
The main challenge to the popularity of baseball throughout Europe is the presence of so many established sports.
There are many team games in place already that promote fitness and social interaction between groups of people. While the likes of NFL and NBA stars seem to be household names, baseball and the MLB has never grasped peoples love or attention that much.
But the fact there are now organisations set up in Europe may pique the interest of some. The love of America and to try all things American is something close to European hearts. If the next generation of kids grows up on baseball, maybe Europe will see a surge in the numbers watching or playing and change the sporting landscape of the continent.
