# Why is it called a "World Series"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 6, 2001, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-a-world-series/91746 "2001-11-06T06:38:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tigsnort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@tigsnort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tigsnort)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-a-world-series/91746/1 "2001-11-06T06:38:30Z")
Why not “American Series” or “Major League Series”? Has it always been called “World Series”? Is there a good reason, or is it just American hubris? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-a-world-series/91746/2 "2001-11-06T06:41:20Z")
Anyone is welcome to come and try to beat our boys at baseball 🙂 Send the national cricket squad! ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-a-world-series/91746/3 "2001-11-06T07:14:00Z")
Already done [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=47152](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=47152) ---
**Author:** ![Chickenhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Chickenhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chickenhead)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-a-world-series/91746/4 "2001-11-06T07:44:12Z")
They should’ve called it the End-of-the-World Series. Ah hah ha hah. OOOOOOH that’s rich. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-a-world-series/91746/5 "2001-11-06T08:32:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tigsnort \* > \*\*…or is it just American hubris? \*\* And Canadian, remember Toronto won 2 of them ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-a-world-series/91746/6 "2001-11-06T08:52:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samclem \* > \*\*Already done > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=47152](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=47152) \*\* In that thread last year I repeated the oft-told story that the World Series was named after the _New York World_ newspaper. Since then Snopes has debunked that myth. [http://www.snopes.com/business/names/worldser.htm](http://www.snopes.com/business/names/worldser.htm) ---
**Author:** ![dec](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@dec](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dec)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-a-world-series/91746/7 "2001-11-06T14:12:34Z")
For the same reason they can crown a young woman ‘Miss Universe.’ ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-a-world-series/91746/8 "2001-11-06T14:29:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ZipperJJ \* > Send the national cricket squad! As long as it’s not the Krikkit squad! _(sorry…I’m currently re-reading D. Adam’s “Life, the Universe, & Everything”)_ ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-a-world-series/91746/9 "2001-11-06T14:51:51Z")
Well, seeing as how the best baseball players of Mexico, Japan, Korea, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and pretty much everywhere else baseball is played (expect a huge influx of Cubans whenever Fidel kicks the bucket) all end up in the American major leagues eventually, I think it’s safe to say the best baseball team in the major leagues is the best baseball team in the world. In the same way, the best hockey players in the world (be they Canadian, American, Finnish, Russian, Swedish, Czech, whatever) end up in the NHL, and the world’s best basketball players (American, Yugoslavian, Lithuanina, Nigerian, Chinese, German…) end up in the NBA, I see NO plausible argument against calling the NBA or the NHL champs the World Champions. ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-a-world-series/91746/10 "2001-11-06T17:08:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HubZilla \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by tigsnort \* > > \*\*…or is it just American hubris? \*\* > > And Canadian, remember Toronto won 2 of them \*\* Well, our Americans beat their Americans! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-a-world-series/91746/11 "2001-11-06T17:32:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\*In the same way, the best hockey players in the world (be they Canadian, American, Finnish, Russian, Swedish, Czech, whatever) end up in the NHL, and the world’s best basketball players (American, Yugoslavian, Lithuanina, Nigerian, Chinese, German…) end up in the NBA, I see NO plausible argument against calling the NBA or the NHL champs the World Champions. \*\* Except that there is a World Championship each year, for hockey at least. Off and on since the 1972 Summit Series there was the Canada Cup (later the World Cup). This was considered the ‘real’ world championship since it was the only tournament where all major hockey-playing countries could send their players. There hasn’t been a Canada\World Cup since 1996 as the Olympics is now the major tournament on the world stage. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-a-world-series/91746/12 "2001-11-06T17:37:06Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by adam yax \* \*\* > [@](#): > > This was considered the ‘real’ world championship since it was the only tournament where all major hockey-playing countries could send their players. > \*\* Upon further review, I meant to say send their **best** players.