Fans Are Showing Up In Droves For The World Baseball Classic
After New York Mets and Puerto Rico star closer Edwin Diaz injured his knee celebrating a key victory in the World Baseball Classic, a lot of people turned against the tournament, blaming it for the unfortunate moment.
They say it’s an unnecessary event that has no relevance or importance, and it can’t be compared to MLB.
Well, it might have been like that in the past, but it’s certainly not the case anymore.
The Classic is very much relevant these days, and the numbers back that up.
“The @WBCBaseball has reached unprecedented levels of popularity. Per @MLB figures, crowds during pool play totaled 1,010,999 fans — the best-attended round in tournament history and nearly double the previous high of 510,056 six years ago,” MLB insider Jon Morosi tweeted.
The @WBCBaseball has reached unprecedented levels of popularity.
Per @MLB figures, crowds during pool play totaled 1,010,999 fans — the best-attended round in tournament history and nearly double the previous high of 510,056 six years ago.@MLBNetwork @MLBONFOX
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) March 17, 2023
There you have it.
Not bad for a tournament that lacks “relevance” to some.
There were record crowds in Tokyo, Miami, Arizona, and Taichung.
MLB has used locations and demographics in each city masterfully: they know there are important communities of Puerto Ricans, Venezuelans, and Dominicans in Miami, that there are lots of Mexicans in Phoenix and nearby areas, and that Japan playing in Tokyo will be a sellout no matter the opponent.
And not only have the stadiums been mostly full: people are watching from their TVs, too.
Ratings numbers have been very positive.
And people are talking about the Classic in the streets, in households, and on social media platforms.
Twitter has been full of highlight videos and plays, and the discussion there never ends.
As the event reaches its final stages, ratings are only going up.
Baseball seems to be getting healthier after many uncertain moments in the last three years.
NEXT:
The World Baseball Classic Is Posting Must-See TV Ratings