Why do we Americans compete against ourselves and still insist we are World Champions?

Question

To name a few: Baseball, American Football
World Series Champions?

Answer 1

It's because Yanks would rather watch Yanks compete than watch the world's best athletes. It's why they watch NASCRASH instead of Formula 1, why they don't watch football as played by the world, why they pretended the last World Basketball Championships never happened (the US got its rear kicked), and why they were reluctant to participate in the World Baseball Classic in 2006, which they lost.

(Interesting note on the World Baseball Classic: in the first round, the US advanced by a tiebreaker - ERA - while Canada was eliminated even though Canada beat the US; the Canadians went home, head held high and said, "We did our best and proved we can compete." In the second round, the US was eliminated by the same tiebreaker, ERA, that they benefitted from in the first round. The US players then whined and complained, saying, "It's not fair!")

And it's why an "unimportant tournament" on Saturday (when the US was losing the 2000 Ryder Cup) turned into the "greatest sports triumph" on Sunday (by the same whiners who called it "unimportant") after the US came back to win. (Also of note was the lack of sportsmanship during the 2002 Ryder Cup: US team members constantly made noises as European players were putting, while the Europeans were courteously quiet. Even many US golf reporters were disgusted by their childish tactics.)

In other sports...

After the split of CART and the IRL in 1996, ABC and other US networks chose to buy the broadcasing rights of the IRL, a series which averaged less than 20,000 fans per race but more than half the drivers were Americans (few of whom could have competed in CART). CART pulled small crowds in the US (but averaged more than 50,000 fans per race overseas and in Canada) but received little or no TV coverage because only two of the 20-plus regular drivers were Yanks. When CART drivers competed in the Indianapolis 500 after the split, the won every race and finished first, second and third almost every time; the Yank drivers couldn't compete against the Canadians, Europeans and Brazilians.

The World Junior Hockey tournament (which is going on right now) has existed for more than 30 years, but the US major media never covered it...until, of course, the US won it in 2004, and they only covered the victory AFTER it was over.

All season long in 2006, the US major media never talked about Nicky Hayden competing in the MotoGP world motorcycle championships UNTIL he was named world champion in October.

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The point being and simply said, if the US isn't winning, Yanks won't watch it and will say "It's not important". The US is arguably the most jingoistic nation in the world, regardless of whether it's politics or sports.


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Answer 2

The term "World Series" has been around for for a little over 100 years, from back before other countries were playing baseball. I don't think the continued used of the term by MLB means is meant as a hostile gesture against baseball in other countries - it's just tradition. I think most baseball fans and the league are well aware that many of the best baseball players are not Americans anymore and baseball has become a worldwide sport, which is why we now have the World Baseball Classic every four years.

And is American Football really played anywhere else?

Answer 3

Because we invented those sports and when they were invented and the championships created no one else in the world was playing the games.

Besides, we still have the best sports leagues. Other than soccer, all the Pros from other countries want to play here. Look at the NBA recently, in the last 7-8 years there are more players from all over the world than there has ever been. Same with Hockey, the NHL is made up of mostly guys from other countries. Baseball is getting that way to. American football is the only sport that is totally dominated by American athletes.

Answer 4

Well Baseball and Football players deserve to call themselves world champions because they are the best in the world at those sports. Basketball is another story.

Answer 5

Because our professional sports are the pinnacle. Except for soccer, the US has the highest paying professional leagues of American football, basketball, baseball, and ice hockey in the world. It is where any athlete from any country wants to make it. The names of the championships are not only tradition, but also look at the growing trend of foreign players in these sports. Just a few examples, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Ichiro, Matsui, etc., the NBA's recent trend towards picking more foreign players in its draft. Since there are more foreign players, why wouldn't you call the championships of these premiere sports "world championships?"

Answer 6

Few other countries have organized professional baseball (or atleast at the level of popularity of ours). As far as playing the rest of the world, the U.S. does complete in the WBC (World Baseball Championships). The only other team I can think of that has much of a pro baseball system is Japan.

Answer 7

I believe that it's because not only Americans play in the MLB her in the U.S.

There's Canadians, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Japaneese, players from the Dominican Republic (GO PAPI!!!!! GO RED SOX!!!!!), Chineese, all kinds of different origins of baseball players here.

So you can't say it's Americans vs. Americans, because almost every team, if not all, have a player who is not from America

Answer 8

baseball players are from across the world, they just play here because the mlb is the top level of baseball in the world and football has the superbowl, nothing about the world...

Answer 9

to quote P.J. O'Rourke
"WE BE BAD. . . . We're three-quarters grizzly bear and two-thirds car-wreck and descended from a stock-market crash on our mother's side. You take your Germany, France and Spain, roll them all together, and it wouldn't give us room to park our cars. We're the big boys, Jack, the original giant economy-sized new and improved butt-kickers of all time."

And If Doesn't happen here it Doesn't Matter

Ryder Cup Yawn
World Bases ball Classic?? Preseason Exhibition.
Junior Hockey?? were talking about Junior Hockey. ??? Not the NHL but Junior Hockey???
World Basketball Championship?? we put a team together a week before the tourney (in other words not interested)
F-1?, Cart? IRL? euro-trash sissies and euro-trash wannabes.

WE ARE THE WORLD

Answer 10

Because the best athletes in both sports come here to compete in those sports at the highest levels.