Hardly anyone watches baseball in the UK, yet the sport's language is woven into everyday British speech. Adrian Chiles, a lifelong fan, reflects on this peculiar phenomenon and his solitary passion for the Tampa Bay Rays.
A Lonely Pursuit
For years, Chiles has loved baseball, but sharing that enthusiasm in the UK is a challenge. Whenever he mentions it to a fellow Brit, they look at him as if he has thrown them a curveball. The joy or dismay of a game feels unreal without someone to share it with. If his football team loses, there are plenty of people to talk to, but after watching the Tampa Bay Rays lose 6-1 to the Baltimore Orioles at 3am, there is nowhere to take his dismay. Even a thrilling 13th-inning comeback feels like a tree falling in an empty forest.
The Origin of His Obsession
Chiles's passion began 15 years ago on holiday in St Petersburg, Florida, where the Tampa Bay Rays play. Despite the illogical location—like Grimsby Town playing in Cleethorpes—he was hooked. The half-empty ballpark suited his unfashionable taste, and the inspirational coach Joe Maddon sealed the deal. Since then, he has travelled far for baseball, even dragging his daughter to Milwaukee for the Brewers' opening game in the snow, where a vomiting child ended the outing.
Baseball's Linguistic Invasion
Despite the UK's indifference to baseball, its terminology is everywhere. 'Ballpark figure,' 'hit it out of the park,' 'play ball,' 'cover all bases,' 'touch base,' 'first base,' 'left-field,' 'curveball,' 'play hardball,' 'three strikes,' 'step up to the plate,' and 'home run' are all common phrases. American football and basketball, more popular in the UK, have contributed far fewer expressions: 'hail mary' and 'slam dunk.'
Why Baseball Lingo Stuck
The theory is that as corporate America expanded in the early 20th century, baseball was the dominant sport, so its lingo infiltrated business English. Through management literature and US corporate cliche, it spread globally. Baseball's turn-based, procedural nature also mirrors how business sees itself: ordered, waiting for opportunities, and progressing stage by stage.
Curiously, the reverse hasn't happened. Americans are clueless about cricket, but the UK's adoption of baseball language shows it's possible. Chiles imagines someone in Sioux Falls saying, 'You sure bowled me a googly there!' or a parent in Casper telling a teen, 'You're on a sticky wicket here.'
A Final Word on the Rays
Chiles acknowledges that most readers couldn't care less, but he wants them to know: even after losing three games this week, the Rays remain the best team in the American League this season. Just in case anyone asks.
