“The biggest opportunity we’ve had – or maybe ever will have – to show the sport to new audiences.”
Liam Carroll, head coach of the Great Britain baseball team, has no doubt about the importance of the London Series weekend, which provided a landmark game in this storied rivalry.
For two nights, the famous West Ham song ‘I’m forever blowing bubbles’ was replaced by the baseball anthem ‘Take me out to the ball game’ as London Stadium played host to one of sport’s most iconic rivalries.
In the blue corner, the New York Yankees. In the red corner, the Boston Red Sox.
The occasion? The first regular-season Major League Baseball (MLB) games to be played in Europe.
In the build-up to the matches – played in front of two sell-out crowds – BBC Get Inspired spoke to Carroll, the MLB, and a die-hard baseball fan to explore what impact the London Series could have on the sport’s popularity in the UK.
The MLB also put on a three-day festival, external in east London at which fans could immerse themselves in American culture, food and live music.
John McGee, from the podcast Bat Flips and Nerds – a British take on Baseball, believes the “Americanism” of baseball may put off some British sports fans, while others may embrace it.
“I like American culture – music and films – but it wasn’t the rooting, tooting all-American pastime that I was drawn to, but many people in the UK will be,” he added.
“I think they will go for that in the London Series – introduce a slice of good old America.”
