00:00So the numbers are in, Greg, for the World Baseball Classic.
00:0410.78, so 10,784,000 viewers.
00:09Most watch ever on any network for this, obviously.
00:13It was up 128% in ratings, and most watched Tuesday on Fox, any kind, since the 2025 World Series.
00:22Baseball averaged 15 million for their World Series this past season, and it is official.
00:30Baseball is now the second most popular sport in America.
00:33You almost pulled a Courtney there when you were doing the ratings number.
00:361.429, $626.
00:41Can I tell you that I literally just thought of Courtney and go, stop talking.
00:45Inner monologue.
00:46But is it accurate that that game did more than any of the NBA Finals games did?
00:53Game 7 of the NBA Finals did much more, but the NBA Finals averaged 10 million.
01:00This was $10.7 million.
01:02Wow.
01:02How much do you think was of it having its success was piggybacked off of the Olympics?
01:10I think there was some of that.
01:11Right.
01:12Because you had that country versus country mentality kind of already ingrained, and so it carried over a little bit.
01:17I mean, I still think it would have been, even without the Olympics, I think it still would have been
01:22wildly popular.
01:22Well, no, I guess you could probably find out because they do it every four years, right?
01:26True.
01:27What was the last four years?
01:28What would that have been, 2022?
01:30What would the 2020?
01:30It would have been the same year as the 2022 Olympics.
01:32Yeah.
01:32What were the ratings like for that?
01:34You know what I mean?
01:35Up 128% from 2022.
01:36Yeah, because I feel like, you know, the thing that at least the U.S. men's baseball team did, they
01:41wore the hockey jersey, and I think I feel like I wonder if they got a bump.
01:46And not only getting a bump from the Olympics, but the men's hockey team winning an Olympic gold medal, something
01:53that hasn't been done, and we talked about it since 1980, and the publicity that that garnered, I wonder if
01:59they were able to parlay that.
02:00Do you think the ratings would have been even better if it happened mid-season, like some are asking it
02:07to happen?
02:08Yes.
02:08Especially in July, there's no competition, and there was no Olympics when the World Series dwarfed the NBA Finals and
02:16ratings.
02:16Yeah, definitely the World Series.
02:18And so this is not a standalone reason why.
02:20It's just the latest and greatest example of what's happened in America.
02:23Baseball is back, especially with the young audience.
02:26They have much better ratings than the NBA, and they're going to poop their pants in six months.
02:29I think baseball did a good thing.
02:31Not a good thing, but baseball didn't really get into the political arena like basketball did.
02:38Yeah.
02:38And I think, you know, that probably helps out a little bit.
02:41We're going to hear from Roman Anthony during They Said It with regard to what he took away from the
02:48World Baseball Classic.
02:50Well, let's hear from our guy, Roman Anthony.
02:52He's back in Red Sox gear, but he is super glad he got to participate in the World Baseball Classic.
02:58We can hear from Roman Anthony.
03:01Fair to say this is the most impactful three weeks that you maybe have ever had?
03:05A hundred percent.
03:07Yeah, I think just, you know, for me, missing the postseason and playing in this environment this early in the
03:13year
03:13and getting to experience that, you know, before my first full season
03:17and getting to be around the knowledge of not only the players, but the former players, the coaching staff,
03:24just the people that you come across every single day and getting to sit in the cage
03:28and talk hitting with guys like Ken Griffey and just the guys that come across that clubhouse.
03:35It was an unbelievable experience.
03:37So, yeah, I would say for sure.
03:39And, you know, I'm just super glad that I got to take all that and kind of just take it
03:45here now
03:45and apply it to my game.
03:46And, you know, again, I think playing in front of that atmosphere for somebody like myself
03:51who hasn't experienced a postseason game or anything like that,
03:54I think you couldn't ask for more, and it's huge for a guy like me.
03:58Does he ever say anything wrong?
04:00No.
04:01Roman Anthony.
04:02Well, he said yes to the baseball.
04:03It's a boring podcast.
04:05He's like Drake May.
04:06I mean, he's unbelievable.
04:08Just keep the train rolling now.
04:09Yeah.
04:10That's it.
04:10I mean, and he had the opportunity to learn from those guys and be around those guys
04:17and cannot wait for the year that I believe he is going to have.
04:22Yep.
04:22I mean, when you say Ken Griffey Jr., that's, you know, that's like, you know, pretty rare company
04:27when you say I got to learn from him.
04:29Oh, yeah.
04:29He was like a little kid waiting for Bryce Harper when he hit that home run to tie it up
04:35the other night.
04:35Like, all those guys were.
04:37It was awesome.
04:39Curtis brought it up.
04:40It was his lead this morning.
04:4210,700,000 people watched that game.
04:46Watched that finals game.
04:47And the NBA finals averaged 10.5 million.
04:50Just a huge success for the game of baseball, the WBC.
04:55All right.
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