the World Series is called that because ????

Question

America is the only participating nation AND audience, how can it be called the World Series?

Irregardless of the fact that there may be players involved from around the world, no other country watches it. Many sports have international players, am just curious as it does not make sense.

Why not 'The American Series'?

Doesn't make sense Ricki, any world series involves more than one country.....

Answer 1

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 2

The "series" part comes from the games of it all coming in a row. The Super Bowl, for instance, is just one game, but the World Series has 4-7 games in a row before the actual winner is decided. But then there's the "world" part. But, before I start on that, baseball is NOT an all American competition- the Toronto Blue Jays are a team, and the Montreal Expos used to be a team. (Those are cities in Canada, not the U.S.) Anyways, it's called the World Series because there isn't another country in the world that takes baseball as seriously as America, hence it is allowed to be called the World Series. (Japan and some countries in South America play baseball as well, but it's nowhere near as popular as it is in the U.S.)

Answer 3

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.

Answer 4

Actually Canada has some teams in the World Series, so it's not just USA. But "the American Series" would still be misleading since not all of Americ is taking part in the series.

The name "World Series" is simply used to imply that the winning team is the best team in the World, period. The USA has been the best place to play baseball for a long time, so it's sort of historically justifiied, although highly pretentious. Nowdays it really doesn't have much meaning anymore.

Answer 5

In 1903 they didn't have people from all over the world and now they do and the mlb is the top level of all pro baseball and the best players from all around the world want to play at the top level and with the top level of baseball being right here in the U.S. they all come here to play and so they call it the world series .

Answer 6

Because many Americans have no idea there are countries outside their borders (other than Mexico that sends them illegals & Canada, where they run to if they think they might be drafted).

Which is strange seeing as the best players on their leagues are from Central America.

Answer 7

It is called that because it has to do with the best players all over the world that are going on a series!

Answer 8

When baseball started there were only teams in North America. When the teams here played to see who was the best, it was automatically assumed that since almost all of the world's baseball teams were in North America, that the best team there would naturaly be the best in the world.

Answer 9

Hey I seem to remember the Toronto Bluejays winning it a few years ago.All the other Countries want to play bring it on.there is not very many teams in the World that can play 162 games not counting spring training or playoffs

Answer 10

It's the baseball series of the world, and it cant be the American series cause there is to leagues AL and NL (american and national leage)