Informal Play

With more and more players coming into Major League baseball from foreign countries we have to ask ourselves why. Basketball sees a high amount of overseas talent and is played more throughout the world, but the highest level of professional athletes being from outside the US is not even close to being in the same ballgame as baseball. According to ESPN the number for foreign baseball players in the MLB hovers in the 28 percent range (46 percent in the minor leagues), while basketball, even with a growing global demographic market, is around 15 percent.

Those numbers point to the fact that percentage wise there are half as many professional players from outside the USA in the NBA versus the MLB. Why is it that NBA basketball can retain its USA roots while MLB baseball is slipping to a foreign market, which unlike basketball, is not played all over the world.

Basketball is played more in areas such as Africa, Europe, South America, and Australia, while baseball is dominant only in the Latin and some Asian countries. Although baseball has picked up steam internationally with events like the World Baseball Classic it is not revered as much throughout the world.

The conclusion we have drawn from the question of why does the US retain its basketball stake hold at the highest level is the power of pickup games. Basketball is a game that is played in gyms, blacktops, and backyard hoops all over the country while baseball is hardly ever played without an umpire and coach.

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