Pacific Professional Baseball Leagues and Migratory Patterns and Trends: 1995-1999

This article examines the context and process of sports migration among the professional baseball leagues in the Pacific region and the United States from 1995 to 1999. During this 5-year period, the number of foreign players in every league increased. Findings indicate that although some 90% of foreign-born players in U.S. Major League Baseball originate from Latin America, more than 50% of foreigners are Americans in the four Asian leagues. Furthermore, with respect to baseball migration patterns among the Pacific nations, it seems that economic and athletic factors are very important with a geographic dimension being particularly significant in U.S. Major League Baseball. Overall, the study found evidence supporting the increasing influence of globalization based on the relationships of interdependency in professional baseball.