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With Team USA's victory the WBC (finally) lived up to its potential
Team USA players hold up the championship trophy after defeating Puerto Rico in the final of the 2017 World Baseball Classic at Dodger Stadium on March 22, 2017. Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

With Team USA's victory, World Baseball Classic (finally) lived up to its potential

When the World Baseball Classic was set to take off nearly 20 days ago, the anticipation for the event was a mixture of genuine baseball intrigue, along with trepidation about the tournament’s future, as well as its viability. Now, as the fourth entry of the WBC has come to a more intriguing and exciting conclusion than most anyone could have anticipated, the questions now don’t lie in the validity of the WBC any longer. Rather, it is showing realized potential of becoming a high-water mark event in the sport; a true ‘world series’ that carries its own relevancy as a standalone showcase.

And while it was once again refreshing to see the diversity of both nations and following consume the game on a nightly basis, the bottom line in the emergence of this particular WBC came down to one undeniable truth: the United States finally showed up. And this is not only restricted to the success of the on-field product, as Team USA won its elusive WBC championship. It was the allure that the run towards that championship that inspired a growing interest in the tournament as a whole.

Where the Americans went, attendance was high. Over time, ratings rose as well. And a predictable narrative came true: everybody loves a winner, and with the United States finally garnering one in their fourth try, they also gave the WBC the booster shot it badly needed.

A few weeks ago, I posed the question could Team USA play the role of ‘saviors’ for the WBC if they emerged victorious. And now, with that mission accomplished for Team USA, it still stands as a question that is yet to be answered in full, but a big step towards securing that brighter future for showcase has been done.

Team USA’s run could not have possibly been better, as it touched on every level of effectiveness possible. They were not the juggernaut they appeared to be on paper; in reality, many of its top names struggled throughout the run. Along the way to the championship round, they twice faced scenarios where elimination became a very real prospect. Yet, still they rose.

The flare for the dramatic by Adam Jones, Giancarlo Stanton, Andrew McCutchen and Eric Hosmer pulled the U.S. up by the bootstraps. They faced off against the three biggest challenges on the global baseball scene to accomplish their feat as well, in eliminating the defending champion Dominican Republic, defeating the only other champions in tournament history in Japan and dominating the juggernaut Puerto Rico team that has steamrolled their way to championship game. Team USA asserted its place as the global champions in the game, but somehow became proven favorites, who shined in an underdog persona.

The pinnacle was appropriately the awe-inspiring championship performance by Marcus Stroman was of the memorable type that can raise the value of the tournament on its own. As he entered the game torn between two nations, both of which he could have suited up for and had to deal with the ramifications of choosing one. After no-hitting the star-studded PR team through six innings, he came out of nowhere to emerge as MVP of the tournament, while also taking out revenge of sorts against a fanbase that assailed his Puerto Rican mother while rooting on her American son.

Appropriately, it was Stroman’s post-game statements ring the truest about the most important strides made during the tournament:

“I’ll be back in four years to defend the title.”

The fact that Stroman sees fit as a title worth anticipating defending is fantastic statement of the value of the tournament. It sign of the unifying experience that the march to the championship finally provided for collection of multi-millionaire superstars that United States team was once again.


Team USA pitcher Marcus Stroman is awarded the MVP award following the 8-0 victroy against Puerto Rico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic at Dodger Stadium. Stroman has already said he wants a chance to play in the next WBC to defend the title.  Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

But what was different this time around, as players on the American team openly admitted feeling an unmatched kinship in playing together, to the extent that they were not looking forward to disbanding the team at the end of the WBC. This is the type of closeness that was obviously absent in years past among Team USA, but was clearly evident among rival nations, who took representing their country for more passionately. That collective experience made them less of an All-Star team, and more of the type of true team collective that they had previously had faced in rival nations, but could never manifest themselves.

If anything, the WBC has proven that talent is not just enough to lean on a supply of, there must also be buy in from the sum of its parts. And to his credit, Jim Leyland was able to pull that out of this incarnation of Team USA.

The osmosis of this experience could be spread throughout the clubhouses that the champion U.S. players are returning to as well. Previously skeptical and indifferent American players could be intrigued enough to make the spring detour to suit up for the country. The fleeting interest of Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw could turn into eager participation in 2021.

It was a showing of the type of spirit that was seen in collective spirits seen from the Latin American teams, the preparation of the Japanese and the undeniable spirit that Team Israel displayed while making their improbable debut run.

And this is not to say that everything is Wonderland in the WBC. The controversy around the exit of the Team Mexico was unprofessional, and Adrian Gonzalez’ condemnation of the WBC as being ‘lesser than the Little League World Series’ held some weight in the moment. Attendance still lagged in many early round matchups, which shows that the tournament still has some growth to make. It still needs to find itself a home on a more widely accessible network outlet than the niche MLB Network. These are things that need to be bettered, but some can be alleviated by the increased spotlight that a more engaged United States fan base and advertiser base can bring.

Take for note that it is estimated that 30% of all homes in Japan tuned in for pre-championship round games. If that number carried over to American eyes, it would equal nearly 35 million homes, which would push into the range of World Series views from last fall. While that is an unlikely level of engagement for pre-championship rounds in the American sports landscape, it is an engagement level that could be reasonably reached over time for American-involved championship games if they were viewable on larger platforms and at more comprehensively friendly viewing times. The fact that the championship games were held in Los Angeles moved start times to notoriously unfriendly West Coast starting times. A championship shift to the East Coast (Miami perhaps, where attendance was strong during the opening rounds) could engage more eyes.

The U.S. fought for their survival and ultimately achieved it, and in the process they mobilized the entirety of global competition within the sport.

It allowed baseball be seen as the thing that is far too rarely seen as: fun. For as many skeptics (whether it be fans, executives or conspicuously absent superstars) that turned their nose against the tournament’s value, it shined through to anybody who paid attention to the passion on the field, it mattered to those who donned their nation’s colors for it.

Baseball is in a great place; it is coming off the heels of a historic World Series, hosts an unmatched collection of young talent in the professional sports spectrum, and has now added in a top notch exhibition of itself as well.

The WBC finally hit on all its previous potential this year. And there is something to look forward to moving forward, both for participant and fan alike.

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