Baseball’s Furthest Expansion Yet

June 2, 2023

Hi, I’m Branson Wright, a documentary filmmaker who maintains a desire to write about sports on every level, in every way, in every corner of the world. My debut article for Front Office Sports is about the development of professional baseball in a region of the world known more for cricket and soccer — and the former MLB star behind the movement.

Why A Former MLB Star Sees Baseball’s Future in the Middle East, South Asia

Photo courtesy Barry Larkin.

Former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin’s world travels as a baseball ambassador sparked an idea that led him and business partners Mariano Rivera and Kash Shaikh to create the first professional baseball league in the Middle East and South Asia.

Baseball United will draw from a pool of players from over 30 countries with the hopes of tapping into a region of more than a billion fans of cricket, a sport similar to baseball. Before its full-season debut in November of 2024, Baseball United will hold a weeklong showcase tournament at Dubai’s International Cricket Stadium this fall.

I spoke to Larkin and several others behind this ambitious play for baseball’s next expansion.

Read the full report here.

Written by Branson Wright

Edited by Peter Richman, Brian Krikorian