As other major North American professional sports leagues have held regular season games overseas with some regularity, Major League Baseball has yet to do so.
While it was a goal and desire under former MLB commissioner Bud Selig, an opportunity never came to fruition prior to his tenure coming to an end.
However, Selig’s work doesn’t appear to have gone to waste as commissioner Rob Manfred is attempting to make good on his statement of wanting to grow the game of baseball.
According to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports, MLB is making significant strides in their attempt to play a regular-season series in London:
Major League Baseball is making progress in discussions with London officials about hosting a regular-season series there as early as the 2017 season, a source with knowledge of the talks confirmed to FOX Sports on Tuesday night.
London ranks ahead of other locations in Europe due to their track record with the National Basketball Association and National Football League, among other reasons:
While the Netherlands, Italy and Germany have stronger national baseball programs, MLB officials long have viewed London as an ideal entry point to Europe for a variety of reasons: the city’s familiarity with hosting regular NFL and NBA events; one of the world’s largest corporate sponsorship bases; and the ease with which new fans could access online game broadcasts in English after MLB’s trip.
Should games be held in London, it’s expected Olympic Stadium would be the host venue. It’s currently undergoing renovations, with one of the new additions being a roof — creating more flexibility for when the series could be played as weather would not be a factor.
MLB has also remained active with other countries in an attempt to make progress in international expansion. While federal issues play a role, the league is considering playing exhibition games in Cuba during Spring Training next year.
