Before thinking or saying that the World Baseball Classic isn’t big or important around the planet, check some facts and information about TV ratings and viewership levels in some countries.
Since its inception by MLB in 2006, the WBC has been growing and growing with each passing edition.
It started as kind of an extended spring training for most.
Now, it is a serious affair, a matter of national pride for most of the countries in participation.
Players take it very seriously and spend weeks preparing for the tournament, fans fill stadiums and tune in at home, and people talk about it in the streets and on social media.
The league is slowly achieving the objective it planned back when they introduced the tournament: make the game global and take the product to other sites.
Baseball, in the Caribbean zone, is huge, especially in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Venezuela.
You can start adding Colombia, Panama, Mexico, and other countries to that list.
A couple of days ago, Puerto Rico played against the Dominicans for a spot in the quarterfinals, and won.
That game was watched by more than half of the households on the island.
That is absolutely insane.
“61% of the TVs in Puerto Rico were tuned to the World Baseball Classic game between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico!” Baseball Dugout tweeted.
61% of the TVs in Puerto Rico were tuned to the World Baseball Classic game between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. pic.twitter.com/dPYlZTkVDn
— Baseball Dugout (@baseballdugout_) March 17, 2023
That’s an unbelievable percentage.
We can assure you that Friday’s quarterfinals affair against Mexico will approach or surpass that number, and if they make it to the finals, it can set a record of TV viewership.
We don’t have to tell you that baseball, and MLB, is huge in Puerto Rico.
The numbers speak for themselves.
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