The first-ever professional baseball league in the Middle East and South Asia, Baseball United Dubai Showcase, is aiming to bring India and Pakistan together through the power of sports. The showcase event will feature a match between the Mumbai Cobras and the Karachi Monarchs, known for their intense rivalry in cricket. The event will take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in November.
Kash Shaikh, the chairman and CEO of Baseball United, has personal connections to both India and Pakistan. He believes in the potential of sports, particularly baseball, to unite and inspire people. Shaikh has been involved in the professional game for over 20 years and is passionate about breaking down barriers through the sport.
In January, Shaikh made history by bringing together teams from India and Pakistan for the West Asia Cup in Islamabad. It was a groundbreaking moment for an Indian national team to play on Pakistani soil. Shaikh’s vision is to take baseball to the highest level in the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, tapping into the region’s vast population and the existing fan bases of cricket.
Research conducted by Baseball United revealed surprising statistics about baseball’s popularity in the region. In India alone, there are 53 million baseball fans, surpassing the number of fans for golf, F1, MMA, and boxing. Saudi Arabia has 1.5 million baseball fans, and the UAE has 800,000 followers of the sport. The goal is to inspire one billion people to take up baseball and engage cricket players and fans in the process.
The Dubai showcase is just the beginning. Baseball United is in talks with six countries in the GCC and seven in the subcontinent to expand the league to eight teams in the future. The organization has already signed partnerships with the baseball federations of India, Pakistan, and plans to announce partnerships with Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia soon. As a sport recognized by the Olympics, baseball has the potential to grow exponentially in the region.
In summary, Baseball United Dubai Showcase aims to use baseball as a means of promoting unity and understanding between India and Pakistan. By capitalizing on the existing passion for sports in the region and the surprising popularity of baseball, the organization hopes to inspire millions of people and expand the league in the years to come. With the power of baseball diplomacy, they aim to bring people together and break down barriers.
