Can Revamping Baseball Boost US Leadership?

When it comes to baseball, the United States is in a league of its own. No other professional association comes close to attracting the world’s best pitchers and sluggers more than the  Major League Baseball, and the financial rewards that MLB players can command is heady enough to lure in the best players from anywhere. Yet the sport that is supposedly so ingrained in American popular culture is facing challenges in reflecting the values and identity of the future of the United States, not unlike U.S. foreign policy.

In fact, there may be lessons both the MLB and U.S. foreign policy experts can learn on and beyond the field this summer.

First, baseball is preaching more to the choir of existing fans and not widening its fanbase. Often described as a thinking man’s game, where each pitch, throw, and hit by individual players can be tabulated, it can make for a slow game in an impatient world. Perhaps not surprisingly, the average age of baseball’s fans is high, with the average American fan being 57 years old. Efforts to bring the game more in line with the attention span of a 21st century audience have had mixed results, especially when adherence to tradition and nostalgia for the great players of yesteryear loom large in baseball’s ethos.

Similarly, by its very nature of focusing on precedents and acting upon historical developments, U.S. foreign policy too remains an older person’s game. More focused on U.S. values of the past, it may not necessarily reflect that of the present majority. As the Biden administration promotes a return to U.S. leadership and focuses on democracy as a glue that binds like-minded countries, the reality is that the playing field has shifted both at home and abroad, especially in Asia. Within the United States, there is greater awareness of the deep systemic and societal divide in the country, which COVID-19 has only made more acutely apparent. In Asia, meanwhile, more countries, including some of the staunchest U.S. allies, no longer expect Washington to be the teacher, nor do they position themselves as students of the U.S. approach to governance, economic stability, and security.

Second, anti-Asian hate is biting into the love of baseball as well as faith in U.S. leadership. For all the outpouring of admiration for Los Angeles Angels pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, for instance, the racist taunts against the Japanese player have hardly been muted. As a two-way player, Ohtani draws comparisons to the legendary Babe Ruth as a result of his achievements as a pitcher and hitter, in addition to his home run record. But the hatred toward him because of his nationality is never too far away either, with even prominent commentators such as ESPN’s Stephen Smith attacking him for his lack of English proficiency. That is reflective of a broader dichotomy within the United States, as Washington pushes for U.S. democratic values to prevail worldwide even as the country continues to struggle to tackle injustices within its own borders, not least racial tensions.

Third, it’s still an uphill battle for baseball to have worldwide appeal. Granted, there are 12 professional teams in Japan, 10 in South Korea, and five in Taiwan. But in the rest of the world, the game faces stiff competition from the likes of soccer internationally, and in Asia, the equally slow-paced cricket is baseball’s biggest rival. India is home to 30 cricket teams, and Australia has eight, while Pakistan has six teams. Indians and Pakistanis in the United States have not only kept their love of bowlers and batsmen, but they are passing that passion on to their offspring too. The result is that even though the number of cricket players in the United States remains tiny, the sport’s popularity is rising, while the number of American baseball players and fans continue to fall steadily.

That’s a cautionary tale for Washington as it expects its allies and partners to follow its lead after four years of largely bypassing multilateral engagement. In trade relations in particular, the prospect of returning to U.S.-led initiatives seem unlikely, not only because of domestic political considerations within the United States, but also because Asian nations have already established new networks and opportunities for engagement. That isn’t about abandoning Washington or siding with China instead. Rather, just as sports fans are expanding their options, so too are Asian governments, especially as they navigate systemic challenges posed by the rivalry between China and the United States.

Of course, the strength of U.S. baseball is that it can attract the best players in the world, which makes for exciting viewing for fans around the globe. During the Tokyo Olympics, there will be a total of six national teams competing for medals, namely Japan, South Korea, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Israel, as well as the United States. Team USA is without doubt the favorite to win gold, but the fact remains that many of the players representing the five other countries have ties to the MLB and the U.S. market remains the most attractive for players, regardless of citizenship.

That doesn’t mean American baseball can rest on its laurels and bask in the glory of its past. The game will have to understand the needs of its fans, learn from its competitors, and also redefine itself as a sport that transcends national borders. It’s a lesson that U.S. foreign policy experts should take heed of, too.