Baseball Around the World: How the World Plays the Game

Baseball might be America’s favorite pastime, but baseball isn’t just an American sport!

"A wide audience of young readers will find plenty to cheer for in this winning overview, with its grand slam collection of timely facts and positive message.”―School Library Journal, starred review

A 2023 NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book

From Cuba to Japan, Australia to Italy, a diverse melting pot of countries and cultures have embraced the ole ballgame. In Baseball Around the World, you’ll take a multicultural world tour to meet the nations and players who have pushed baseball to international popularity―with a twist, of course.

Find out what they eat at Japanese baseball stadiums, how a gold rush brought baseball to Australia, why South Korean games are allowed to end in a tie, and much more in this home run of a book!

From the introduction:

People often think of baseball as an American sport. Terms such as “America’s pastime” and the “boys of summer” bring up images of warm summer nights in small towns. Yes, the game we think of―that we know and love―is rooted in the sandlots and Little League fields across the U.S. But baseball is so much bigger. In many ways, baseball really is a world sport….As you read this book and learn about baseball around the world, you’ll see just how much the game unifies us. Regardless of our differences, our love for the game of baseball is all the same!

Chris Singleton is an inspirational speaker and former professional baseball player. He travels the country sharing a message of unity and love to more than 50,000 students annually. Chris’s speech on overcoming hate with love has been seen or shared millions of times and has led to him being featured on Lifetime, ESPN E:60, USA Today, CNN, and Fox News. Chris is a proud father to his three children, CJ, Caden, and Carter, and a proud husband to his high school sweetheart, Mariana. He lives in Charleston, South Carolina.

Dean Burrell is a longtime sports fan who grew up watching the greats compete at the old Candlestick Park in San Francisco. A resident of Northern California, Dean is fortunate enough to have a boss who doesn't notice when he sneaks out of work to catch a day game (but don’t tell!).