Baseball in Italy | |
---|---|
Country | Italy |
Governing body | Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS) |
National team(s) | Men's |
National competitions | |
International competitions | |
Baseball is a growing, minor sport in Italy [1] [2] The sport is governed by the Italian Baseball Softball Federation (Italian: Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball, or FIBS). Founded in 1948, the Italian Baseball League (officially the Serie A) is the highest level of professional baseball in Italy. [3]
The Spalding World Tour of 1889 brought baseball to Italy for the first time, playing three matches in the country. On February 19 in Naples, the All-Americans, a selection of all-star players from the National League won 8-2 against the Chicago White Stockings; on the 23rd at Rome in Piazza di Siena in Villa Borghese, Chicago won 3-2; and on the 25th, in Florence, the All-Americans won 7-4. [4] A second American tour passed through Italy in February 1913, conducted by the Chicago White Sox. After failing to find a suitable field in Naples and experiencing unconducive weather in Rome, the team left Italy without playing a single game. [5]
The real establishment of baseball in Italy began in 1919 under the leadership of Max Otto. A native of Turin under the name Mario Ottino, he spent several years in United States where he became a baseball fan. He returned to Italy after the First World War with equipment and the desire to develop the sport there. The other father of Italian baseball is the Rome native Guido Graziani, who had been organizing matches in Rome since 1920. [6] Despite Otto and Graziani's best efforts, baseball failed to gain interest in Italy. When Benito Mussolini's fascist government established sabato fascista ("fascist Saturday"), a mandatory day of sporting and military exercise, baseball was excluded due to its American origins. [7]
The arrival of American soldiers in Italy in 1944 changed the situation. Max Otto took the opportunity to relaunch his idea of an Italian league. The first official match played under the authority of Lega Italiana Baseball and was held on June 27, 1948 in Milan.
With the support of the press and powerful partners, particularly Coca-Cola, the debut of this league was a popular success. In Rome, Guido Graziani set up the Associazione Italia Baseball. The two leagues merged in 1950 to create the Federazione Italiana Palla Base, today known as the FIBS (Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball). [8]
Alessandro Maestri has criticized the development of baseball in Italy in recent years, saying that the shrinking of the Italian Baseball League in 2010, in an effort to professionalize it, would decrease the motivation for young Italian players to develop in the domestic league. [9]
The Italian national baseball team is considered amongst the strongest in European Baseball Championship. [10] [11]
The Italian baseball team takes part in international competitions, such as European Championships, Olympic Games, World Baseball Classic or the Baseball World Cup in particular. The national team finished fourth in the World Cup in 1974 and 1998, the national team has eight European championship titles between 1954 and 1997.
Rodolfo Graziani, 1st Marquis of Neghelli, was a prominent Italian military officer in the Kingdom of Italy's Royal Army, primarily noted for his campaigns in Africa before and during World War II. A dedicated fascist and prominent member of the National Fascist Party, he was a key figure in the Italian military during the reign of Victor Emmanuel III.
The Italian Football Federation, known colloquially as Federcalcio, is the governing body of football in Italy. It is based in Rome and the technical department is in Coverciano, Florence.
Coppa Italia is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Football League until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since.
Rugby league is a team sport played in Italy.
SV Amsterdam Pirates, commonly referred to as Amsterdam Pirates, is a Dutch baseball and softball organization based in Amsterdam that plays in the Honkbal Hoofdklasse. It was founded as an expansion of the football club SV Rap on 17 February 1959 by Loek Loevendie. In the first years it was known as the RAP Pirates, but after a few years the club changed its name according to American tradition and became the Amsterdam Pirates.
Francesco "Ciccio" Graziani is an Italian football manager and former football player who played as a forward.
The Italy national baseball team represents Italy in international baseball competitions. The Italian national team was ranked 16th in the world as of 2022. The team is managed by Mike Piazza, a former New York Mets player and Major League Baseball Hall of Fame inductee.
The Italian Baseball League, officially known as the Serie A, is the top-level baseball league in Italy. Founded in 1948, it is governed by the Italian Baseball & Softball Federation (FIBS), which has its headquarters in Rome.
Sport in Italy has a long tradition. In several sports, both individual and team, Italy has good representation and many successes. The most popular sport in Italy is football. Italy's national football team is one of the world's most successful teams with four FIFA World Cup victories and two UEFA Euro victories. Italian clubs have won 48 major European trophies, making Italy the second most successful country in European football. Italy's top-flight club football league is named Serie A and is followed by millions of fans around the world.
The Italian Civil War was a civil war in the Kingdom of Italy fought during the Italian campaign of World War II between Italian fascists and Italian partisans and, to a lesser extent, the Italian Co-belligerent Army.
The World Baseball Softball Confederation Europe, known as WBSC Europe, was established on February 10, 2018, during a Congress of the Confederation of European Baseball and the European Softball Federation in Val d’Europe, France. the establishment of WBSC Europe followed the historic merger of the Confederation of European Baseball (CEB) and the European Softball Federation (ESF). As of September 2022, WBSC Europe counts 40 members for baseball and 39 for softball.
The Lega Pallavolo Serie A is structured in several levels of importance; the highest of them is SuperLega. Since the early 1980s, many among the best volleyball players in the world play in Superlega and the overall level of competition is considerably high. Nowadays, the SuperLega is widely considered the best league in the world.
Nettuno BC 1945 is an Italian baseball club located in Nettuno, a comune of the Metropolitan City of Rome. The club competes in the first division of the Italian Baseball League. Training and home matches are held at Stadio Steno Borghese, which has a capacity of 10,000. The club currently holds the Italian baseball record for most league titles (17).
Cody Daniel Cillo is an Italian-American former right-handed sinker-ball/slider pitcher most noted for his time with Fortitudo Baseball Bologna of Federazione Italiana Baseball Sotball Serie A1. He also pitched for the Italian national baseball team that competed in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He is 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall, and weighs 195 lbs.
Italy women's national softball team is one of the top-ranked softball teams in Europe.
Mario Chiarini is an Italian baseball player who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics. He's the current captain of the Italian team.
Jack Anthony Santora is an Italian-American former professional baseball infielder who played internationally for the Italy national baseball team, and is currently a coach in the Los Angeles Angels organization.
Umberto Calzolari was an Italian baseball player.
Baseball is a growing minor sport in France. The sport in France is managed by the French Federation of Baseball and Softball, founded in October 1924. The first match played on French soil dates back to March 8 1889 as part of the Spalding World Tour while a first championship was born before the First World War. Despite these ancient roots, baseball is perceived in France as an exotic sport in the American image. The French media give it very little space.
Baseball is a minor sport in Switzerland.