How a Young UK Sports Fan Fell in Love with Major League Baseball

Ed. note: This post comes to us by way of a young man named Sam, a 17-year-old from the UK who operates a sports website called The Opinionated Saint. Though its primary focus is on Southampton Football Club, TOS covers a variety of sports and leagues around the world. Sam reached out to do an Instagram collaboration with us and was kind enough to provide a little insight into how he became a baseball fan.

We all know how far-flung Cubs fans are due to the once-powerful draw of WGN, but I’m fascinated by stories of people from other countries developing an affinity for a sport that hardly exists near them.

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The NFL has boomed in Europe in recent years, and now it is just as common to see a Chicago Bears cap in the UK as it is to see merchandise from one of the country’s major sports, such as rugby and cricket. It feels inevitable that London will get a franchise in the near future.

But for baseball, America’s favourite pastime, there hasn’t been the same impact — on the surface, at least. MLB’s London Series hasn’t kicked off as hoped, but it’s not for a lack of interest. All six games have been hosted at West Ham United’s London Stadium and have had sellout crowds of over 53,800, making this ballpark the second biggest in MLB, behind only Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium.

There’s also a huge merchandise market, which is perhaps underutilised: almost anywhere you go in London, there will be someone wearing a Yankees or Dodgers cap… they just don’t know they’re baseball teams!

And then there are people like myself, who wear a Cubs, Red Sox or Giants cap, because they actually care about baseball… so what is it like to be that person? I’ve been captivated by the sport ever since I visited Los Angeles in 2016, when I watched Mike Trout’s Angels take on Aaron Judge’s Yankees. It’s not uncommon for Brits to catch a game in the US when on vacation, but it’s rare that the sport becomes a passion.

As an eight-year-old, the MLB experience was unlike anything I’d ever come across at a Premier League soccer game. The length of the game (three hours instead of a 90-minute soccer match), the smell of popcorn, the huge array of merchandise, the in-game announcements and entertainment, the post-game fireworks display; none of this happens in the UK. I can’t say I understood all of the rules, but I was hooked. The lack of MLB press and TV coverage, particularly 10 years ago, made it hard to follow in England, and so it wasn’t really until two years after my first match that I rekindled my love of baseball.

Watching the sport in Miami is a totally different experience from Los Angeles. LoanDepot Park looks like a spaceship dropped in the middle of the city’s Little Havana neighbourhood, and, in my opinion at least, is hugely underrated. Its aesthetic is extremely modern, unique, and completely fits into Miami’s vibe. The food is some of the best I’ve had in a stadium, and the sunset views over South Beach are unmatched. It’s a massive shame that the Marlins fail to consistently draw in large crowds – it makes you appreciate the Angels’ fanbase more, as they continue to fill Angel Stadium, despite the team constantly underwhelming.

The following year, in 2019, MLB took its first steps in the UK, when the Yankees played their archrivals, the Red Sox, in two ridiculously high-scoring affairs. Although I wasn’t there, being able to watch on mainstream TV for the first time felt monumental for baseball’s development. Following a COVID-caused hiatus, MLB came back to London even bigger and better in 2023.

The Cubs faced the Cardinals in another major game, and it was easy to see that MLB in the UK had taken on a new lease of life. To coincide with cricket’s biggest rivalry, England against Australia in “The Ashes,” bowlers James Anderson (England) and Nathan Lyon (Australia) were invited for a ceremonial first pitch in Game 1. England star Harry Brook featured in a promotional video. Furthermore, there was a “takeover” of Trafalgar Square with baseball-themed events that were far more high-profile than 2019’s events on the lesser-known Brick Lane. The result was a success, and Britain seemed to embrace baseball with open arms; the novelty of being a lone MLB fan was wearing off.

MLB returned to London with the Mets and the Phillies in 2024, culminating in a tension-laden Game 2, in which New York came out 6-5 winners.

It was this summer, however, when my love of baseball hit new heights. Visiting the US for the first time since 2018, I went to Chicago and entered the Friendly Confines alongside 40,000 other Cubs fans for one of the game’s greatest traditions: Friday afternoons at Wrigley Field. The stadium is timeless and provides an unparalleled sporting experience. When the planes from the Chicago Air & Water Show flew over, it was impossible not to romanticise about baseball. Perhaps the only comparable venue in terms of its age and look in England is Fulham Football Club’s Craven Cottage.

The game is perhaps a side topic: The atmosphere, smells, and sounds are truly captivating to us Brits and cannot be found anywhere other than the United States. The UK may not be able to compete on this front, but as I watched the Cubs succumb to a heartbreaking 3-2 playoff defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers, I couldn’t help but reflect on the recent news that MLB will not return to the London Stadium in 2026 due to fixture clashes.

When obstacles like this continue to limit baseball’s UK growth, I understand why I remain in a minority by being an MLB fan. Support is growing, though, and it is becoming clearer and clearer that England is waiting to embrace baseball. But is MLB ready to embrace us?

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