Wyc Grousbeck at the Boston Celtics championship parade. Photo courtesy of Yahoo Sports.
MARIA CLARA KOLLER | STAFF REPORTER | mkollerfernandez@butler.edu
Overtime, or “OT,” is an opinion column series where the Collegian takes national sports headlines or polarizing topics and gives them a Butler-centric angle.
The NBA playoffs are starting soon, which means it’s time to settle the long-standing debate about whether or not the winners are “world champions.” With countless arguments filled with logical fallacies and an incoherent line of reasoning, here is why American sports champions are not world champions.
American sports are played in the United States, not the whole world
According to the Collins Dictionary, “A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations.” To begin with, none of the major American sports leagues fit the criteria determined by the definition, since they are not open to international competition.
First of all, none of the players of these leagues are representing their nations; they are representing the city or state of the team in which they play. Point guard Luka Dončić does not represent Slovenia when he plays for the Lakers, he represents Los Angeles. The rest of the world is completely underrepresented and does not have a chance of being represented.
Furthermore, although a few leagues such as the NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS do have some Canadian teams, the competition is not open to teams in Europe, Africa or Asia. The winners of these leagues cannot even call themselves continental champions, much less world champions, as they do not even have teams from the rest of North America.
First-year sports media major Isabella DiVernieri criticized American major leagues, comparing them to other international competitions.
“When you go to leagues like the NBA, MLB or NFL, they are just playing teams that exist within the United States,” DiVernieri said. “I don’t believe they are world champions because then you look at sports like track and field and they actually have a world championship and they actually compete against other countries.”
Sports outside of the United States, such as soccer, track and field and rugby, have well-established international competitions which actually crown a world champion. American fans lose sight of what actually defines a world champion because other basketball, baseball or hockey leagues from around the world are not nearly as televised. This creates the idea that these major American leagues are undisputed worldwide and the only true form of competition.
Best league
Many fans are quick to argue that American sports leagues deserve the title of world champions because they are the best league in the world for their respective sports. There is no quantifiable way to determine what is the best league in the world. There is no world league ranking of all the basketball, baseball or hockey leagues in the world.
Sophomore sports media major John Chafe described the thinking behind this argument, explaining that American major leagues are some of the best in the world.
“I think the prevalence of the US as a whole makes these leagues the best in the world,” Chafe said. “You also have to factor in the wealth of these teams attracting the top talent.”
Take basketball for example. Many fans are quick to argue that the NBA is the best league in the world since the USA usually wins in the Olympics or the FIBA world championships. However, this argument is illogical as it relies on the United States consistently winning these competitions.
In 2023, the US men’s basketball team failed to even reach the final of the FIBA world championship. By this line of reasoning, it would mean that the 2022 champions, the Golden State Warriors, would be able to call themselves world champions but the 2023 champions, the Denver Nuggets, would not be able to do the same.
This same idea is present in baseball. In 2023, Japan won the most recent edition of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), beating the United States in the final. By the logic of American sports fans, this would mean that Japan has the best league in the world, stripping MLB champions of their “world champion” title.
However, on April 9, the 2024 MLB champions Los Angeles Dodgers, posted on Instagram following a visit to the White House. The caption said, “Your 2024 world champions being honored at the White House.”
This post challenges the very idea American sports fans defend. Japan proved to be better than the United States when they beat them in the WBC. So, if Japan is better than the United States, why are MLB champions still considered world champions?
If there were only one basketball, baseball or hockey league in the world, it would make sense to dub them world champions. This is the case with the NFL; there is no league in the world that comes close to its level, primarily because not many sports play American football. However, there are multiple high-level leagues for these sports around the world such as the EuroLeague and Nippon Professional Baseball.
“If you don’t have the opportunity to play other teams [from other countries] you can’t say you’re the best,” DiVernieri said. “You did not even give them a chance.”
Best international players
Arguing that the American major leagues’ international presence makes the winning team a world champion is another argument with a clear logical fallacy. Fans argue that the best international talent comes to play in the United States — making it a worldwide competition.
First-year sports media major Kaleb Leiken argued that having athletes from around the world is enough for major league champions to be dubbed world champions.
“All sports should be considered world champions,” Leiken said. “They are playing against athletes from the entire world, especially in the modern day.”
Take the NBA for example. Despite star-studded international talent such as Dončić, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, these players make up only a fraction of the entire player population. This season, the top five most represented teams are the United States with 453 players, Canada with 25, France with 14, Australia with 12 and Germany with nine.
The MLB has a similar epidemic with 1,015 of MLB players coming from the United States, while just 136 are from the Dominican Republic, 86 are from Cuba, 27 are from Puerto Rico and 16 are from Mexico.
Exception to the rule
There is one clear exception to this rule: the NFL. While leagues like the NBA and MLB argue that they are the best in the world, the NFL does not have to argue.
“I think that for the NFL, it’s pretty fair to call themselves world champions,” Chafe said. “Just because American football is really only prominent in America.”
The past few years have seen a spike in international interest in American football. However, there is no denying that any country comes close to having the same sporting infrastructure as the United States when it comes to American football.
Similar to FIFA, the United States has created an intricate football system, which is composed of multiple parts. Given the development of high school football, college football and the professional level — and the way these different levels interact with each other — it would be very difficult for any foreign country to come close to the United States.
“It is the best of the best competing for us,” Leiken said. “I do not agree with people saying American sports champions are not world champions.”
Furthermore, there is no international football competition that would allow for other teams to even get a chance of contesting the title of “world champion.” Flag football will debut as an Olympic sport in 2028 when Los Angeles hosts the Olympics. Even then, the rules for flag football are not the same as those for American football.
However, the NFL is the clear exception due to the sport’s unique nature. It does not deviate from the fact that, time and time again, fans and players of the rest of the major American sports have failed to come up with logical arguments as to why they should be crowned world champions.
