STAFF OPINION

World Baseball Classic

The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international tournament that takes place once every four years. Many base ball fans consider this to be their version of the World Cup as it allows players from all over the world to prove to ev eryone their skills and represent their home countries. This tournament ranges from many different backgrounds. Ranging from multi-time all stars to a starting pitcher whose main source of income was from his job as an electrician. This tournament has rapidly been growing in popularity in the last decade and is becoming more and more important to players and fans alike. But alongside this growth, there has been multiple mentions, mainly from U.S. coaches and fans, to bring this whole tournament to a close in order to save players for their official regular season in the Spring.

Personally, I think that bringing this tournament to a close is a horrible idea. Although this tournament may seem irrelevant to a typical USA baseball fan, to other countries, it means a ton more. For example, Puerto Rican catcher, Yadier Molina, stated in an interview that winning this tournament was more important than winning the World Series.

In Asia, the 2006 WBC, was one of the most watched live television events in its history. Proving how much this event meant to their country. But in the USA, this tournament has seemed to fly under the radar because many of the MLB star players choose to not play in the tournament in prior years because they didn’t find it necessary and see it as more of an exhibition match. But finally in the 2023 WBC tournament, the USA finally put together a powerhouse team and arguably one of the best lineups in the whole tournament. This includes a first time appearance from the three-time American League MVP Mike ent, the USA took down both Venezuela and Cuba to advance to the championship where they fell short to the powerhouse Japanese team led by MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani. Despite this loss, this year’s tournament has proven to be moving in the right direction. Players from all countries are enjoying the experience a lot more each year.

In conclusion, the World Baseball Classic has proven to be a worldwide entertainment and has shown signs of growth throughout multiple nations. The continuation of this tournament will bring more attention to the sport of baseball and the tournament overall.