Baseball is popular in many locations, including the United States, Japan, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Canada, and Mexico. While debates can be made on both sides on if and why baseball is the best sport, there is a long list of reasons to support this claim.
Baseball, while being famous with Major League Baseball, has also been a popular sport among the Summer Olympics and the World Baseball Classic (WBC), most recently in the spring of 2023.
All in all, whether you are playing a backyard game of wiffle ball, Little League, high school/college baseball or even being one of the lucky few that lands among Major League Baseball, the game can be played by individuals of all ages and enjoyed by nearly everyone.
Here is a look at the 10 Reasons why baseball is the best sport:
10 Reasons Why Baseball is the Best Sport
The Final Out Must Be Earned
Number 10 on the 10 reasons why baseball is the best sport is that the winning team must earn the final out. When you think about it, baseball is one of the only sports where the winning team must work for the final out or play to win the game.
In other popular sports, the winning team can waste time off the clock by kneeling, passing the puck, or slowly dribbling out the clock. However, in baseball, the winning team has to pitch to the other team and record three outs.
While that sounds easy enough, many comebacks have started in the top half or bottom half of the ninth inning over the years.
Comebacks include MLB teams fighting back from being down by seven runs in the 9th inning and over history even making a comeback being down by nine runs in the 9th inning.
Nearly Anyone Can play baseball.
Another strong reason baseball is the best sport is that it can be enjoyed by individuals of any size or age as long as they can stand, run, throw, and swing.
In many other sports, some individuals might not have the same chances or opportunities to produce because of their size or age.
Do you think someone 5 ft 6 inches has a shot at being an MVP of the NFL or NBA? This isn’t an issue in Major League Baseball, as we saw back in 2017 when Jose Altuve took home the AL MVP Award despite being just 5 ft 6 inches.
Read more: Top 10 Shortest MLB Players
Traditions – 7th Inning Stretch, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” the Wave, Autographs
Traditions are part of the game of baseball while making it the game all baseball fans love today, from the hotdogs and beer in the stands to autographs and meeting your favorite players before and after the game.
While those traditions have made the game of baseball what it is today, other traditions include the 7th Inning Stretch, where fans get out and move in between innings while most stadiums play music or other forms of entertainment. One of the music options is “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” where fans elect to sing along.
Other baseball traditions that stand out include “Sweet Caroline” being played at Fenway Park during Boston Red Sox Games to the Wave being performed by the fans in the stands. Traditions play a crucial role in why baseball is so popular.
Baseball Uniforms & Baseball Hats
What is there not to love about baseball uniforms and baseball hats? These are trendsetters worldwide as fans, especially new fans just beginning to watch, look for cool team baseball jerseys and hats. Baseball jerseys have come a long way throughout history, with many teams turning to fancy designs and color combinations to stand out.
However, the traditional style jerseys are also fan favorites, including the famous pinstripes worn by the New York Yankees and New York Mets. Baseball offers fans a chance to wear their favorite team logo on their hat, including the same on-field hats baseball players wear each game.
Baseball Stadiums & Family Experience
Another reason baseball is the best sport is the baseball stadiums the games are played in and the family experience. While not all league ages feature real baseball stadiums, most have baseball complexes for younger age groups, while actual stadiums are for upper-level baseball and professional baseball, including Major League Baseball and other top leagues around the world, including the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Many top stadiums offer fans an experience like no other while being designed to impress from first sight until you reach your seat. Look around at the various MLB stadiums that make the game so great, including Camden Yards with the Warehouse, McCovey Cove at Oracle Park, the Green Monster at Fenway Park, the Ivy at Wrigley Field, and traditions such as Yankee Stadium.
In addition, baseball allows family experiences and family traditions to be built, from traveling from stadium to stadium or catching a World Baseball Classic game in another country.
History of the Game
Rounding out the 10 reasons baseball is the best sport is the history of the game and the history that continues to build with the game.
From Babe Ruth dominating on both the mound and at the plate to Hank Aarons breaking the home run record to Kirk Gibson calling his walk-off home run to Cal Ripken Jr breaking the games played streak, baseball is loaded with history while ensuring history continues to be made from one game to another.
The game’s profile is growing in Major League Baseball and continues to grow worldwide. From Little League World Series Champions to magical moments during the World Baseball Classic, the history of baseball and the future history makes the game what it is today and what it will become tomorrow.
More Baseball Games
Who doesn’t love to watch or play their favorite sport as much as possible? Because of that, it is another reason why baseball is the best because it is played more during a season than any other sport.
The Major League Baseball season runs from late March through early October, with teams playing 162 games during the regular season before the playoffs.
The Nippon Professional Baseball season runs from late March through late October, with 143 games being played. The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) runs from April through mid-September, with 144 games played.
Home Run Robbery
As much as baseball is built around the home run, any fan of the game can respect and love a great defensive play by the home team when they rob a home run from the other team.
While home run robbery doesn’t occur often, it takes the perfect distance hit and tremendous play by the outfielder to time their jump and finally pull the ball into their glove to rob the hitter.
No matter if it was Ken Griffey Jr soaring the fence in center or Mike Trout scaling the center field fence at Camden Yards. Home Run Robbery is a masterpiece and one play that makes the game of baseball the best.
Read more: 10 Best Baseball Plays of All Time
Opening Day
While all sports have an opening day, an opening weekend, or a main event to start their respective seasons, none stack up to Opening Day in Baseball.
No matter if it’s Little League Opening Days built around parades and excitement in small towns or big-league MLB Opening Days that are celebrated like a holiday, opening days have grown to be a day of enjoyment for all, including the players and fans.
During the 2023 MLB season, Major League Baseball scheduled all 30 teams to play on opening day, giving fans a full day of baseball at the ballpark.
From earlier arriving and tailgating outside the baseball stadium to late-inning heroics and thrills on opening day, Opening Day is like no other game during the regular season and like no other opening day in other sports.
The Home Run
Number one on the 10 reasons why baseball is the best sport is the home run, featured in only baseball and softball.
The home run is a game-changing play like no other and can change the outcome of a game with one swing from one pitch.
From a lead-off home run to start the game to a late-inning home run to tie the game to a walk-off home run by the home team, home runs help make baseball what it is.
Conclusion
While arguments could be made for different sports from baseball, there are many reasons to support why baseball is the best sport. While no one reason positions the game of baseball as best, there are many different reasons based on who you ask.
Magical plays, the Home Run, the robbing catch of the home run, and Opening Day, which brings fans together all across the game to celebrate, are some of our favorite reasons why baseball is the best sport.
Anything else we’ve left out? Let us know in the comments below!
