why in baseball is it called the world series,when only two countries compete?

Answer 1

Origin of the Name "World Series"
One baseball myth that just won't die is that the "World Series" was named for the New York World newspaper, which supposedly sponsored the earliest contests. It didn't, and it wasn't.

In fact, the postseason series between the AL and NL champs was originally known as the "Championship of the World" or "World's Championship Series." That was shortened through usage to "World's Series" and finally to "World Series."

This usage can be traced through the annual baseball guides. Spalding's Base Ball Guide for 1887 reported the results of the 1886 postseason series between Chicago, champions of the National League, and St. Louis, champions of the American Association, under the heading "The World's Championship." As the editor noted, the two leagues "both entitle their championship contests each season as those for the base ball championship of the United States," so a more grandiose name was required to describe the postseason showdown between the two "champions of the United States."

But the Spalding Guide -- which, after all, was published by one of the world's largest sporting goods companies, with a vested interest in bringing baseball to other lands -- had grander ambitions. By 1890, the Spalding Guide was explaining that "[t]he base ball championship of the United States necessarily includes that of the entire world, though the time will come when Australia will step in as a rival, and after that country will come Great Britain; but all that is for the future."

This didn't happen, but the name "World's Championship Series" stuck. Reporting on the first modern postseason series, the Red Sox-Pirates battle of 1903, the 1904 Reach Guide called it the "World's Championship Series." By 1912, Reach's headline spoke of the "World's Series," while editor Francis Richter's text still referred to the "World's Championship Series." The Reach Guide switched from "World's Series" to "World Series" in 1931, retaining the modern usage through its merger with the Spalding Guide and through its final issue in 1941. The separately-edited Spalding Guide used "World's Series" through 1916, switching to "World Series" in the 1917 edition.

The Spalding-Reach Guide was replaced as Major League Baseball's semi-official annual by the Sporting News Guide, first published in 1942. The Sporting News Guide used "World's Series" from 1942 through 1963, changing to "World Series" in the 1964 edition.

Moreover, the New York World never claimed any connection with postseason baseball. The World was a tabloid much given to flamboyant self-promotion. If it had been involved in any way with sponsoring a championship series, the fact would have been emblazoned across its sports pages for months. I reviewed every issue of the World for the months leading up to the 1903 and 1905 World's Championship Series -- there's not a word suggesting any link between the paper and the series.

Answer 2

there aren't 2 countries competing in the World Series. There are 2 leagues within MLB competing. It is called the World Series, for a couple reasons: 1) When the thing started, there was no other professional baseball leagues in the world 2) The best players in the world play in MLB. I think the fact that the MLB all-stars just totally ripped the Japan League all-stars 5 game to 0 proves that fact. 3) No team in MLB is made of players from a single country. There are players from every corner of the world in MLB and that is what gives them the right to call it the World Series.

Answer 3

The World Series was NEVER sponsored by a newspaper called the World. That's one of those myths that just keeps getting perpetuated.

It's called the World Series because, when it began in 1903, the US was the only place in which professional baseball was played at a high level. They needed a name, and World Series sounded good. Furthermore, there was no doubt then, and there should be none now, that the winner of MLB's World Series is the best baseball club in the world. Other countries might have leagues, but everyone's best players (except Cuba) come to play in the US.

This is such a silly question.....it's like the Brits and their European brethren have nothing better to do sports-wise than to worry what Americans call their sporting events.

Answer 4

International impact, and explanation of the term "World" Series

The title of this championship is confusing to some international readers, because the World Series is confined to the champions of two baseball leagues that currently operate only in the United States and Canada.

The explanation is that when the term "World's Championship Series" was first used in the 1880s, baseball was almost exclusively confined to North America, especially at a highly skilled (and paid) level. Thus it was understood that the winner of the major league championship was the best baseball team in the world. The title of this event was soon shortened to "World's Series" and later to "World Series".

The United States continued to be the zenith of professional baseball some decades into the 20th Century. The first Japanese professional baseball efforts began in 1920. The current Japanese leagues date from the late 1940s. Various Latin American leagues also formed around that time.

By the 1990s, baseball was played at a highly skilled level in many countries, resulting in a strong international flavor to the Series, as many of the best players from the Pacific Rim, Latin America, the Caribbean, and elsewhere now play on Major League rosters. The notable exception is Cuban nationals, due to the political situation between the USA and Cuba (despite that barrier, over the years a number of Cuba's finest ballplayers have defected to the United States to play in the American professional leagues). Players from the Japanese Leagues also have a more difficult time coming to the Major Leagues because they must first play 10 years in Japan before becoming free agents.

Early in 2006, Major League Baseball conducted the inaugural World Baseball Classic, to establish a "true" world's championship in the way the term is normally used for other international sports. Teams of professional players from 16 nations participated, and Japan won the first World Baseball Classic championship. Olympic baseball was instituted as a medal sport in 1992, but in 2005 the International Olympic Committee voted to eliminate baseball, and it will be off the Olympic program in 2012.

The World Series itself retains a US-oriented atmosphere. The title of the event is often presented on television as merely a "brand name" in the same sense as the "Super Bowl", and thus the term "World Series Championship" is sometimes used. However, the origin of the term lives on, as with these words of Frank Thomas in the Chicago White Sox victory celebration in 2005: "We're world's champions, baby!" At the close of the 2006 Series, Commissioner Bud Selig pronounced the St. Louis Cardinals "champions of the world". Likewise, the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine for November 6, 2006, features Series MVP David Eckstein and is subtitled "World Champions".

A recent myth has arisen that the "World" in "World Series" came about because the New York World newspaper sponsored it. There is no evidence at all supporting that hypothesis.

Answer 5

I am amazed that many of the answerers are clearly American and not one (so far) has given you the right answer!

Many decades ago a now defunct American newspaper called the Sunday World set up a baseball competition and offered prizes. It was called the 'Sunday World Series'.

But when the paper failed some one had the bright idea of calling the competition the 'World Series'. It made it seem more important!. The mere fact that only two countries take part doesn't worry the Americans. They think it is still on par with a true world competition, such as the World Cup (soccer ) where almost every country in the world takes part (even the Americans!).

Answer 6

I'm a Chicago White Sox fan. In 2005, we won the World Series with:

1. A Venezuelan manager
2. A Puerto Rican third-base coach
3. A Japanese second baseman
4. A shortstop from the Dominican Republic
5. A Venezuelan starting pitcher
6. Two Cuban starting pitchers
7. Two relief pitchers from the Dominican Republic
8. A reserve outfielder from the Dominican Republic
9. A bullpen catcher from South Korea

American arrogance. LOL. Many of the baseball heroes here in Chicago hail from other countries, as you can see above. Major League Baseball is truly a global game.

Answer 7

This same question was asked yesterday on the Soccer board. The answer is because we got the name first. Deal with it.

Americans love baseball and attend it by the millions. Soccer is a small deal here. There is something called Major League Soccer, but they play in minor league sized fields. As for the World Cup, we don't care by and large. Absolutely laughable that the French star would lose it in a championship game because the Italian player called his mother a terrorist. You guys have no clue the kind of trash that gets spread in an NFL game. Terrorist would not even draw a giggle. Soccer must be a stupid game, with stupid players. As for calling the World Cup the World Series, we don't care what you call as long as we don't have to watch it.

Answer 8

Nearly 30% of all major league players are from other countries. In the minor leagues (where most major league players start their careers) the number of foreign players in over 40%. The best players in the world play in Major League Baseball. It doesn't matter where it located; luckily for millions of fans, the teams play in North America.
But it is the "World Series" because that is where the world's finest players play. And as an American, I thrilled that players like Ichiro, Martinez, Pena, Clemente, Nomo and countless others have chosen to play at the top level in the world, and have a chance to play in the World Series.
Now drop it.

Answer 9

Perhaps because many of the world's best players come to America to play for MLB.

I like the World Baseball Classic. It is a great tournament and I look forward to the next one.

Answer 10

the worldwide sequence is the only genuine worldwide-donning adventure, the place the superb team performs contained in the superb league with the superb gamers. in assessment to the eu soccer leagues, they have a league for each united states, and elite communities in it so when you consider that they don’t all play against one yet another you may in no way extremely recognize who the superb team is. In baseball, the cream will strengthen to the desirable with the intention to communicate and the superb team wins. with the aid of fact MLB will and does discover the superb gamers from international and have them play contained in the league, under is a catalogue of a few international places that have had gamers play contained in the worldwide sequence. Aruba, Austria, Australia, Bahamas, Colombia, Cuba, Curacao, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, eire, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Panama, Poland, Russia, Scotland, South Korea, South Vietnam, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, Virgin Island, Venezuela, and Wales just to call some