| Baseball in France | |
|---|---|
 Image of French baseball player David Gauthier | |
| Country | France |
| Governing body | French Federation of Baseball and Softball |
| National team(s) | Men's national team; Women's national team |
| First played | 1889 |
National competitions | |
International competitions | |
| Part of a series on the |
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Baseball is a growing minor sport in France.[1] 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[2] [3] 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.
Recognized as a high level sport by the Ministry of Sports, baseball takes full advantage of the characteristic structures of French sport, DTN and high level poles first and foremost. This training-oriented policy has borne fruit with encouraging first results, such as the 11th place of the French junior team at the World Championship in 2010 with a first international French victory and the signing of four French with professional organizations of Major Leagues between 2007 and 2012: Joris Bert,[4] Frédéric Hanvi, Andy Paz[5] and Alexandre Roy[6]
The France national team remains behind the two strong European nations: Italy and the Netherlands. The situation is similar in club baseball, but the Rouen Huskies showed that it was possible to shake up the European hierarchy by reaching the final of the European Baseball Cup in 2007 and the semifinal in 2012.
- ^ Oudens, John (August 29, 2012). "In French Baseball League, the Feel Is More Minor Than Major (Published 2012)". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Mark Lamster, Spalding's World Tour: The Epic Adventure that Took Baseball Around the Globe - And Made It America's Game , PublicAffairs, 2006, p. 204-212 ISBN 1586484338
- ^ Franque, Adrien. "Le baseball et la France, une histoire d'amour ratée". Libération.
- ^ "MLB Draft Tracker | MLB.com". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ L'Équipe, No. 20651 of January 25, 2011, p. 9
- ^ "L'Équipe - L'actualité du sport en continu". L'Équipe.