BASEBALL IN THE UK Sport examines whether America’s past-time is on the rise in the UK. Featuring a Q & A with the Birmingham Maple Leafs manager James Moran. 18 | 31 March 2014 | Sport
Great British public. Baseball in the United Kingdom actually has a history dating back to 1890. Albert Goodwill Spalding, an American sporting goods businessman and Francis Dey introduced the game in Derby after a trip to the United States. Now a minority sport, Baseball’s peak popularity was the years preceding World War II. Sides shared grounds with football teams and were run to professional standards; amassing around 10’000 spectators per game. The players were no amateurs, either. In the inaugural Baseball World Cup in 1938, Great Britain ran out victors against USA. 70 years later however, it’s a little different. In the recent 2012 World Baseball Classic they had to watch from home as they failed to make it through qualifying after being thumped by Canada and Germany, while an extra inning playoff defeat to Greece sealed their fate. The sport was withdrawn from the 2012 London Olympic games, where many believed it was finally going to get a platform to build interest from the British public. It would’ve also meant for better facilities in the country’s capital. As a result, funding for the sport was reduced. The national side, Team GB, receives no funding from the government, relying on donations and fundraising to reach annual trip budgets. Currently there are 40 baseball teams across the BBF leagues with 875 adult and junior players. Four tiers make up the structure; The National Baseball League is the highest standard followed by AAA, AA and lastly A. The season runs from April until August with matches played on Sundays. I sat down with James Moran, manager of the Birmingham Maple Leafs, to get a scope on the sport and the problems it faces.
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he popularity of American football in the United Kingdom has soared in recent years. In 2007, the NFL brought the lights, camera and action of the sport and franchises over here. The game sold out, fans were ecstatic and the league saw an opportunity to expand the interest by staging a game every season at Wembley Stadium, London. A further second game was added as a result for the 2013 season and now a third is scheduled for the upcoming 2014 season. Following the rise of American football, I investigate if baseball is the next import to interest the
To start off, can you give us a brief insight into the Birmingham Maple Leafs and what do they do? “We are a local baseball team that plays in the BBF central division. We have been around for 10 years now and the Maple Leafs allows people who enjoy the sport to try and play it regardless of experience or ability.” Is joining the club open to anyone? “Yes. Everyone can join the club. However, you must be 14+ to play in the adult team. Slowly there are more kids teams entering the leagues. We hope to build a youth program soon.” What is the biggest obstacle you face as a grass-roots club? “With baseball being a minority sport, it’s difficult to the raise the profile of the club to attract more people. People always
laugh us at by referring baseball to rounders. Lack of support means it’s harder to gain sponsorship and help from the council when it comes to a ground. The players generate all of the money.” How would you like to see the team develop in the near future? “The aim is to have a team full of committed guys who will help make the club grow and do their part in raising awareness of the sport. Ideally I would like to see a kids team start and then, in the future an, an under 8’s T-ball team.” Personally, how did you get into the sport? “I was born in America and played little league in the states. When I moved here my dad was looking for a team to play on and I came along to his games. Even though I was under 14, I was still training and playing practice games with the team.” The popularity of American Football has increased at an exponential rate here in the United Kingdom. Is baseball next? “American football has a slight advantage in that their games on a Sunday start at 6pm our time. Most baseball games that are televised start at midnight, making it harder to grow the profile of the sport.” What can be done to expand the awareness and popularity of the sport within the UK and the West Midlands area? “I feel we have to rely an awful lot on word of mouth. Getting radio recognition and using social networking will help us grow the team and the sport.” Have you seen an increase in the popularity of baseball since you arrived in the UK to now? “It has improved over the years but really lacks behind the other American sports.” Retail outlets JD Sport, New Era and Urban Outfitters satisfy the common hipster’s need for the latest American sports apparel. Walking through the town center, the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and the LA Dodgers are just some of the MLB teams represented. Unfortunately for the sport in the UK they are, in large part, for fashion purposes only. The caps and jerseys they wear may inspire them to look into the team or sport and find an interest in baseball. But for now, the future progression of the game in the United Kingdom looks stagnant.
The Maple Leafs train on Thursdays at 5:30pm at the Marston Green Ground, B37 7EL. Sikander Najib
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