There are many sports which are very strongly associated with America. The “big four” in the USA are, in no particular order, what we would call American football (and they simply call football); what we would call ice hockey (and they typically call just hockey); plus basketball and baseball, for which we can all agree on the names. However, of those sports, it is baseball that is often referred to as America’s Pastime. Equally, the phrase “as American as baseball and apple pie” is common, suggesting that more than the other three, it is baseball that is the “most American” sport.
That may or may not be true, but in the modern, globalised world, few sports are played exclusively in one place or even region. It may surprise some to learn that Iran has an international rugby union side (ranked 92nd in the world, well above Greece in 112th!). Rwanda are ranked 61st in the ICC T20 cricket rankings, with Croatia 94th!
And just as these sports are played around the world, so too is baseball. However, while there may well be clubs and even international baseball teams in countries that many might struggle to point out on the map, in this article, we will not seek to list every single country where anyone has ever put on a mitt or tossed out a pitch. Instead, we will focus on the nations other than the USA where baseball is genuinely considered a major sport and attracts widespread media attention and public interest.
Japan
Baseball is huge in Japan, with the sport’s association with the country beginning as early as the 1870s! Professional baseball in the Land of the Rising Sun also has a long history, beginning in the 1920s and really becoming established in the 1930s. Various leagues, competitions and governing bodies have come and gone over the years. While football is now probably the most popular sport in Japan, baseball is certainly not far behind. In fact, some sources claim that baseball is more popular, though on balance, we feel it is more accurate to list football as the nation’s number one sport.
There are different ways to measure these things, but either way, baseball is huge in the land where sumo wrestling is generally considered to be the national sport. One recent survey saw 21% of people name baseball as their favourite sport, while research in 2022 suggested that, with 46% of respondents having watched the sport in the past year on TV, it was Japan’s number one.
The highest level of the sport these days is the NPB, or Nippon Professional Baseball. Founded in 1949 this sees 12 teams compete, with games hugely popular both in person and on TV. In terms of revenue generated by global sports leagues, it is the second most lucrative baseball league in the world, behind the MLB. However, overall it sits 12th, meaning it generates higher revenues than cricket’s IPL or England’s Championship (football).
Canada
It is perhaps less of a surprise to mention Canada given they neighbour the US. Indeed, MLB has often featured two teams from Canada, though that is currently just one, the Toronto Blue Jays. Minor League Baseball is also very big in Canada and while the sport cannot rival (ice) hockey, it is certainly very popular.
South Korea
It may surprise some to learn that South Korea also has a thriving domestic baseball league, the Korean Baseball Organization League, or KBO League. It was only founded in 1982, but the sport has a much longer history in the country. Given South Korea’s proximity to Japan, this isn’t as surprising as it might first seem, and baseball reached South Korea early in the 20th century, probably through American missionaries.
Professionalism came with the creation of the KBO League, which now sees 10 teams compete. The standard of play is considered to be very good, with the best players not far shy of the level needed to play MLB. Indeed, like Japan, Korea has produced many players who have gone on to play in the top US league over the years.
Mexico
Mexico does not have a team in MLB but like America’s northern neighbours, it is no real surprise that the sport is very popular there. Football will always be Mexico’s most popular sport and the nation will become the only one to have hosted the FIFA World Cup three times when it shares the honours with the United States and Canada in 2026.
The Mexican Baseball League features 20 teams, and while baseball is most popular in the northwest and southeast of the country, overall it probably ranks behind only football and boxing in general popularity. The main league dates back to 1925, and while it lost triple-A status some years ago, once again, the standard is high, with the best players dreaming of a lucrative move north.
Dominican Republic
Baseball may have spread to the far east, but in general, the nations where it is most popular tend to be closest to the US. It is huge in many Caribbean nations, and the Dominican Republic is probably top of the list in that regard.
Baseball is easily the number one sport in the nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. It is thought that Cuban immigrants brought the sport to the island in the late 1800s. A full summer league was established in the 1950s, and the popularity of the sport in “Dom Rep” is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that the tiny nation has provided more MLB players than anywhere apart from the USA.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is technically an “organized and unincorporated US territory” and while there has been talk of it becoming the 51st state, that has not happened yet. Nonetheless, baseball is the island’s number one sport by a long way. Puerto Rico has produced hundreds of MLB players over the years, including Hall of Famers such as Roberto Clemente, the Puerto Rican GOAT with over 3,000 MLB hits and Roberto Alomar, winner of 10 Gold Gloves.
Cuba
Cuba is another nation where baseball reigns supreme. The sport has a very long history in the island, with the sport popularised there through US sailors and Cuban students returning from studying in the States. That was in the 1860s, and since then, the land of the mojito has produced some wonderful players, including the “Cuban Comet”, Minnie Minoso, who played for the White Sox and was a seven times all-star; 1997 World Series MVP Liván Hernández; and José Abreu, who is still active today and was named the American League MVP in 2020.