Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography, & More · Gary Arndt

The Globalization of Baseball

March 16, 2026·15 min·1 clip

In 1869, Spanish colonial rulers banned baseball in Cuba, but it only made the game more popular as an act of rebellion.

This episode explores how baseball evolved from an American pastime to a global sport, highlighting key historical moments in Japan, Taiwan, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. It details the cultural and political factors that fueled baseball's spread and concludes with the creation of the World Baseball Classic as the premier international tournament.

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