Baseball United Announces Its Return
This Humble Blogger Has Some Questions.
I’m rooting for Baseball United extra hard. The nascent baseball league, spearheaded by CEO Kash Shaikh, has grown by leaps and bounds over the year or so that I’ve been following the league. This past week, Baseball United announced not one major update but three major updates to their calendar. Baseball in the Middle East and South Asia is going to be BACK, and the whole world was put on notice.
(Full disclosure: I had covered Baseball United’s All-Star Showcase in the fall of 2023 in Dubai as part of the press and content corps, something I had referenced here and here.)
In the press release, there were dates carved out in November of 2024, as well as February and October of 2025. This year’s offering is going to be a national tournament, featuring South Asian and Middle Eastern clubs called the Baseball United Arab Classic. February will host a tournament featuring the four charter Baseball United teams called the Baseball United Cup. And the pièce de résistance occurs in October 2025: The Inaugural Baseball United season, featuring a yet-to-be named fifth team. Truthfully these updates could have been rolled out into multiple releases but there’s something about the “HERE, DAMN!” nature of putting the roadmap on display outright was kind of refreshing.
About as refreshing as that fit! Amirite?!
Anyway, now that Baseball United has confirmed that they aren’t going anywhere, there are a few questions I had rolling around in my brain like marbles on a hardwood floor.
(How) Will The Moneyball Return?
I remember I was at a press and team dinner the night before the All-Star showcase when I first heard of “The Moneyball.” Not related to the book or the Brad Pitt Movie, the Baseball United Moneyball acts like a multiplier and if it is in play and runs score, it doubles the score count. Yeah, I’m not the best at explaining it, but then you get instances like this:
Grand slams are 4 runs, Pablo hit a SIX RUN homerun. Some people called it a gimmick, and others called it a gamechanger. However, it would be interesting to see if the Moneyball return and if so, would there be any tweaks to the rules or its implementation.
The Merch Stand Needs To Be Next Level
Baseball United is in an enviable position in presenting baseball to a region that tends to favor other “bat and ball sports” like cricket. Even though there is a delicate dance of establishing the legacies and histories of so many BU franchises at once, I say DON’T BE SHY with the merchandise. Listen, sports tourism is on the rise and we already discussed pro wrestling outfit WWE’s approach to this, but this a prime opportunity for Baseball United to present merchandise for both the local fans, as well as the travelers and expats who are looking for a slice of home. The MLB scratched the surface by making localized (and sometimes romanticized) British-themed merch for their London Series games this year, but Baseball United can really push this through the stratosphere.
I’ve literally asked three out of four of these men for Baseball United team-branded bats. Look at ‘em! They’re gorgeous!
Baseball collectors may even make the trip to see the teams in person if there were also unique merchandise opportunities as well. Again, focus on growing the local market first, but tchotchkes are for everyone!
But “Who” Is Baseball United?
We know the “what.” Baseball United is doing a noble thing by building the game in a region that has the talent but may not have the right platform to perform. As BU matures the “personality” of the organization will have to grow in lockstep of the on-field product. What is going to be the eventual “style” of play on the field? How fan-forward is the brand going to be? That second question is super important because I would love to reach out to my favorite team’s general manager (Nick Swisher of the Mid-East Falcons) to see if I could be GM for a day. I kid, I kid.
We actually saw flavors of this during the All-Star Showcase last year. There was a fan festival happening outside of the park before and during every game, and there were competing drumlines in the stand representing each team. I do hope those aspects stay, but I’m curious to see what is in the plans for the future as well.
Either way, it’s nothing short of historic to see the kind of ascension Baseball United has had over the past couple of years. And with “Season 1” in the offing, the future looks bright. Imagine, after crowing a World Series Champion and BEFORE crowning a World Baseball Classic Champion in 2026, we will get to see who is the first Baseball United Champion. Just wow.
Can’t wait to buy that champion merch!
-F