Australia just isn't Catching onto Baseball
Before I could even say my first words, my Dad kitted me out in baseball attire and always made sure that I posed with either a bat or ball for every baby photo. I guess it is safe to say that my life has always revolved around baseball. Playing this sport for almost 16 years now, I have had many highs and lows and continue to love the sport till this day. Many people are surprised when I tell them that I play baseball, as many of them do not even know that Australia has state leagues and a professional national league. With over 57,000 Australians playing baseball in roughly 5000 teams nation-wide, the sport’s growth can be credited to the introduction of the Australian Baseball League (ABL) in the 1980s.
However, with many Australians starting to now realise that baseball has a national league, I often wonder why it has taken so long for baseball to start being recognised within Australia. Other sporting codes like cricket, rugby league and rugby union were all created overseas but have become iconic Australian sports, so why hasn’t baseball?
It has ultimately come down to a few factors; patriotism, other competing sports and the media.
Both test cricket and baseball are undeniably slow to watch games. This is perfect for fans living in hot climates like Australia, as they can sit around and avoid watching anything too mentally strenuous. However, sports need a little bit more than good weather to succeed and become popular.
For its first 150 years, Australia was influenced by both the British and American way of life which was most evident with the wide variety of sports being offered. Cricket was introduced to Australia courtesy of the First Fleet in the 1780s and baseball with the American miners during the Gold Rush in the 1850s. American sports provided Australian athletes with a popularity boost as the media portrayed these people living the American dream through playing baseball. However, playing baseball did have its consequences, as Aussies associated baseball with undermining the Australian way of life due to the sports deep-rooted ties within American history. America already had their past time being baseball and Australia had quickly discovered theirs with cricket.
Imagine playing baseball on Australia Day, it just seems wrong, doesn’t it? It’s just not Australian and that’s ultimately why the code has taken so long to kick off within Australia. This can also be attributed to the lack of national pride baseball offers.
Baseball’s lack off international matches has contributed to its lack of success within Australia. Cricket has a notorious culture of playing international matches, which allows Australians to feel a sense of patriotism when they play the British. The sport unites people and is why it has become an Aussie icon.
In the ’80s, Australian sports like cricket started the move into a corporatized era and quickly began to see great success. This helped drive the popularity of cricket through its easy access on TV’s and radios, and it also attracted the Australian youth to pick up a bat and play cricket in their backyards. Currently, there are 30 registered cricketers in Australia for every baseballer. So right off the bat, baseball in Australia had tough competition.
With cricket already being a widely successful sport within the summer, baseball decided to become a winter-based competition. Although not competing directly with cricket, baseball now had to face the likes of the AFL and NRL which arguably have a more passionate following than cricket.
Over the years, some media recorded the conflicts baseball and football fans had as they tried to watch their respective sports. Considering baseball games can be in an excess of 3 hours and sometimes even over 7 hours which occurred in last years World Series, baseball was and is far too slow to watch in the cold weather.
In the late ’80s, baseball as a whole made the move to become a summertime sport, and also created a national league called the ABL. Now competing directly against cricket, baseball helped fill a gap in the summer Australian market, which lacked a solely based domestic competition. In the 93/94 season, figures showed that domestic baseball was more popular than domestic cricket, however in the coming years, the league had to fold in 1999 due to significant financial pressure.
With the revitalisation of the league in 2009, baseball was in the shadows behind the new 20/20 cricket competition, the A-League and the NBL. Consequently, competition was far too great in Australia.
In order to grow both codes, baseball and cricket teams have had a great relationship. Back in 1996, one of Australia’s best baseball players, Dave Nilsson, helped a former Australian cricketer learn the ‘spider delivery.’ More recently, CEO of Baseball Queensland, Paul Gonzales, helped teach upcoming Australian cricketers the correct hitting technique which is taught in baseball. This ongoing relationship between the two codes is a step in the right direction in order for baseball to continue to grow within Australia.
Another important factor impacting baseball’s success in Australia is the lack of media coverage the sport and national league receives. Due to there not being enough money invested in the league, the media does not see the point in televising each game. There is also no domestic desire to watch the ABL as seen below, due to other far more successful sports being played over the summer break.
It is hard seeing a sport that I love so much and has been a part of my life for so long not receiving the attention it deserves. It is also important to remember that the ABL is only in its infancy and it is all up from here. Who knows where baseball will be in 50 years from now. With more and more people realising about baseball within Australia, I can see more money being invested in the league. It will just take time, and I honestly cannot wait for the day I get to watch Australian baseball in the comfort of my home.
