Meta: Find out here if social media and video games have helped raise the profile of baseball in Wellington and New Zealand.
Baseball is now more popular in Wellington and in many other parts of New Zealand. In recent years, several combined factors have helped raise baseball’s profile in New Zealand, although it is still nowhere near as popular as rugby, cricket, and soccer in terms of active participation and spectatorship.
On this page, we will be taking a closer look at how social media platforms and video games have played a significant role in bringing baseball to the masses and helping grow its popularity among newer and younger audiences.
How has social media helped raise baseball’s profile in NZ?
Social media has played a significant role in raising the profile of baseball in New Zealand. Major platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok, to name just a few, often provide real-time updates on live games and put sports fans closer to their favourite baseball players than ever.
Today’s biggest social media platforms have essentially changed how baseball fans in New Zealand and across the globe interact with their favourite sports. Thanks to sites like this, sports fans can now stay up to date with the latest baseball news and discuss rugby with other like-minded fans.
In other words, social media has massively increased fan engagement in sports like baseball. Many of these platforms also give fans a sneak peek into the lives of their favourite baseball players both on and off the field.
The biggest clubs in the MLB (Major League Baseball) also use social media platforms to help promote their teams at home and abroad by reaching new audiences and growing their profiles.
More people than ever use social media and PCs or mobile devices instead of televisions to get the latest rugby news and scores, and social media platforms have enabled them to watch and experience rugby in a new, convenient, and exciting way.
iGaming websites that provide pre-match and in-play betting services also use social media channels to promote the latest free sports bet promo codes or use this medium to discuss the new online casinos or games they may have launched and recently added to their portfolios.
How have video games helped raise the profile of baseball in Wellington and New Zealand?
Baseball video games have also helped raise the profile of baseball in Wellington and New Zealand in a fun and interactive way. Some of the best-ever baseball video games that have brought the American sport to newer and younger audiences in New Zealand and beyond are the following hit titles:
- MVP Baseball 2005
- Super Mega Baseball 3
- R.B.I Baseball
- Baseball Stars
- MLB Slugfest 2004
- Backyard Baseball
- MLB The Show 2022
- MLB The Show 21
- MVP Baseball 2004
- MLB The Show 2023
- Super Mega Baseball 4
That’s not forgetting Out of the Park Baseball, MLB 10: The Show, Earl Weaver Baseball, Baseball Stars 2, Superbaseball 2020, Mario Super Sluggers, Triple Play 200, and All-Star Baseball 2002. The list goes on.
These games have done for baseball what other sports-themed video games have done for their respective sports in terms of growing their popularity.
For example, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games were instrumental in raising the profile of skating, just like the FIFA and EAFC football simulation video games have raised soccer/football’s global profile.
A similar thing has also happened in Formula 1 motor racing with the F1 video games, in NHL with the Madden NFL video game, in basketball with the NBA 2K series, in WWE with WWE 2K, and in golf with PGA Tour 2K.
Over the coming years, experts predict that baseball will become even more popular in New Zealand, especially the MLB and its star players.
However, these same experts also expect domestic New Zealand baseball leagues and homegrown stars to become more popular than ever, thanks to a combination of social media, advanced techniques in broadcasting, far more immersive, engaging, and realistic baseball-themed simulation video games, faster internet speeds, cutting-edge live streaming capabilities, and better coverage.
Final thoughts
Baseball chiefs in the United States and across the world have found new ways to reach fans and promote not only their teams, players, and brands but also the global profile of baseball itself.
Today’s safest and most secure iGaming sites with pre-match and in-play baseball betting markets have highly competitive odds, and many of them also stream the action live.
The upcoming 2025 MLB season is officially set to get underway on February 20, when the Dodgers take on the Cubs. The LA Dodgers are the current odds-on favourites to win the 2025 World Series outright, followed by the New York Yankees (second odds-on favourites), the New York Mets, the Atlanta Braves, and the Houston Astros.
If you decide to watch any of these upcoming MLB matches, stick to the trusted sports broadcasting platforms and avoid watching the games on illegal sports streaming sites. Likewise, if you decide to place a wager on any of these upcoming MLB matches, stick to the fully licensed and regulated NZ iGaming websites that are legally permitted to accept real cash wagers from anyone aged 18 or above living in New Zealand.
