To contextualize my earlier remarks on the global popularity of baseball, and the event (now under way!) disparaged as,
As I said elsewhere,
It turns out the championship game of the last iteration of the World Baseball Classic, in 2009, was actually the sixth-most-watched sporting event of the year, planetwide.
The ‘09 WBC final was watched by more people than any American football game short of the Super Bowl, and by more than any basketball or hockey game that year, bar none. (Also, more people than saw any single game of the 2009 MLB World Series featuring the vaunted New York Yankees.) The WBC final was more-seen than any soccer game that year apart from the Champions League title match (which led all sporting events for global audience), any tennis game apart from the Wimbledon mens’ singles final, and any cricket or golf event whatever.
Not too damn bad for its second occurrence!