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| A JOE HELLO FROM THE AFRICAN DESERT... |
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| FROM THE DESERT TO THE GREENS, AMERICA'S GAME HAS LANDED IN AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST |
Baseball. Africa. Baseball
in Africa? You've got to be kidding, right? Well, actually no! And it's also being played in the Middle East, too!
Major League Baseball has sent coaches to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Nigeria. The Kansas City Royals, Seattle
Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers have signed South Africans to Minor League Baseball contracts. MLB has
chosen Ugandans to play at its European Academy in Italy. Baseball is also played in the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Saudi
Arabia, Egypt and Iran. Israel even has a league backed by MLB.
Africa reached a milestone in 1999 when South Africa
defeated Guam in the Africa-Oceania tournament in three straight games to qualify for the 2000 Olympics, marking the first
time the continent would be represented in baseball. South Africa has been a participant in the World Baseball Classic. You can learn more about baseball in Africa and the Middle East in World in a Ballpark: Baseball Goes Global, which is available for purchase at the
Buy Joe's Guides page. If you want to view a sample of the guide and see how easy
the guide is to use, visit the World Baseball Classic page.
| FOG GAME: AFRICA STYLE; SOUTH AFRICANS STILL PLAY |
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| BASEBALL IN AFRICA IS STRONGEST IN SOUTH AFRICA, FOLLOWED BY UGANDA AND OTHERS |
One of the biggest challenges to developing baseball on the African continent is equipment. Even the most developed economy,
South Africa, which also has continent's best baseball program, suffers from equipment shortages. After South Africa, Uganda,
Nigeria and Zimbabwe have the most developed programs. Uganda, in particular, has the most potential. Its athletes have been
trained not just under U.S. influence but also Japanese influence.
| THROUGHOUT AFRICA, YOUNG BOYS LOVE TO PLAY... |
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| ...WHETHER FOR THE CAMERA, LIKE THESE KENYANS, OR SOCCER, LIKE THESE MOROCCANS |
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