NHL is the only major American league which is international

[DDRhockey]

NFL
NBA
MLB

How many different countries are in those leagues? Is there a single European player in NFL? NBA has some, but not many. MLB, shrug.

It is really cool how NHL atleast managed to grow the game outside north america.

Click to read more...

 

[Thorton02]

MLB has a lot when you count Central & South America.

 

[HisIceness]

Seems to me anyways that the NBA has a lot of Europeans, it's just that a good number of them tend to bust than not. But every draft there's always one or two going in the top 10.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

NBA has a ton of Europeans. Lots of Serbian/Latvian/Croatians. French and Spain too.

MLB has a ton of South American and Asian players.

NFL is predominantly American players.

 

[Dustin]

For MLB it has to be Europe? Not to many players in the NHL from the Dominican Republic or Japan.

 

[Shepard]

Wat



Also, there's quite a few Asian and Hispanic players in the MLB. Try to name some in the NHL...

 

[mtlmonk]

MLS

 

[blood gin]

MLB and NBA are both international. Baseball is huge in Asia as well as Latin America

NFL has made some inroads but lags far behind. I know the rest of the world prefers soccer but there's no rule that states you can't like both. Maybe in there eyes football is both too brutal and complicated.

 

[jgatie]

NFL
NBA
MLB

How many different countries are in those leagues? Is there a single European player in NFL? NBA has some, but not many. MLB, shrug.

It is really cool how NHL atleast managed to grow the game outside north america.

This would be cool if it were not so undeniably false:

NFL - Have you ever seen how many Samoans/Polynesians are in the NFL?
NBA - Really? The fact you list this shows you know nothing about the NBA
MLB - Uhhhh, does Japan count as "international"? How about the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Bahamas, Aruba, Mexico, Canada, Venezuela. etc?

 

[Nordiques1979]

Wat



Also, there's quite a few Asian and Hispanic players in the MLB. Try to name some in the NHL...

this Japanese guy who once was the Kings goalie for one game? Scott Gomez, even being born in Alaska was from hispanic descent.

 

[Cellee]

NBA (2017) says they had 100 international players, including at least one per team. Coming from 41 countries


Baseball says 26.5% of it's players come from outside the US. 230 players 17 countries.

NFL is mostly American but Canada has some representation.

The NHL does do a good job though.

 

[Nordiques1979]

MLB and NBA are both international. Baseball is huge in Asia as well as Latin America

NFL has made some inroads but lags far behind. I know the rest of the world prefers soccer but there's no rule that states you can't like both. Maybe in there eyes football is both too brutal and complicated.

yup, baseball is #1 sport in Japan.

 

[HisIceness]

Wat



Also, there's quite a few Asian and Hispanic players in the MLB. Try to name some in the NHL...

In a few years (maybe), Cliff Pu who is in Carolinas system. Born in Canada but is of Chinese descent.

Thats all I got

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Are you kidding ? lol.

The MLB is nearly dominated with Central/South American players with a pretty big Asian population as well, the NBA has a healthy population of Eastern European players, the MLS has quite a lot of international players in it.

The NFL is the only one that really doesn't have any international population, and that's because almost no countries outside of the USA play American Football.

In terms of number of countries represented, the MLB and NBA probably represent more nations than the NHL.

The IIHF was formed in 1908, the NHL wasn't formed until 1917. Hockey already had a wide international appeal before the NHL was even around.

 

[Nordiques1979]

In a few years (maybe), Cliff Pu who is in Carolinas system. Born in Canada but is of Chinese descent.

Thats all I got

Richard Park -> Korea.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

NFL
NBA
MLB

How many different countries are in those leagues? Is there a single European player in NFL? NBA has some, but not many. MLB, shrug.

It is really cool how NHL atleast managed to grow the game outside north america.

NBA has players from Spain, Mali, Lithuania, Latvia, Haiti, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cameroon, South Sudan, Canada, Bahamas, Austria, Australia, Turkey, Israel, Serbia, Greece, England, Finland and China.

MLB has players from Aruba, South Africa, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Venezuela, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, Lithuania, The Netherlands and Australia.

 

[1857 Howitzer]

Nearly A Third Of Players On MLB Opening Day Rosters Were Born Outside The U.S. | HuffPost

"In total, 19 countries and territories are represented in the MLB"

"Baseball isn’t the only sport expanding its international reach. Last year, the NBA announced that opening night rosters for the 2016-17 season included 113 foreign-born players from 41 countries and territories, a record for the league.
Over 40 percent of players in Major League Soccer, meanwhile, are international, up from just over 20 percent a decade ago.
And in last year’s NFL draft, teams selected a record 12 players from countries outside the U.S. "

MLS remains most diverse professional sports league in North America

MLS is by far the most diverse Pro league in North America. The NHL, NBA and MLB are all equally diverse with the NBA pulling from the most countries.

 

[K Fleur]

Bad thread is bad.

 

[HisIceness]

Richard Park -> Korea.

Good one! Forgot about him.

 

[Nordiques1979]

Good one! Forgot about him.

Brandon Yip -> China

 

[Its a Trap]

I think you’re just kind of oblivious to the makeup of the other leagues. Basketball is quite big in Europe and baseball is huge in central/South America and Asia. Shit, an Asian country wins the little league World Series every other year and is always in the title game.

 

[jgatie]

Also, there's quite a few Asian and Hispanic players in the MLB. Try to name some in the NHL...

There's actually an elected HHOFer who is Asian descent. Paul Kariya's father is Japanese, born in a WWII internment camp.

 

[Gunnersaurus Rex]

This is what happens when you start a thread without thinking or doing research. Google MLS diversity....you might be in for an awakening....

I would argue that outside of the NFL, the NHL might be the least diverse league

 

[garnetpalmetto]

NFL
NBA
MLB

How many different countries are in those leagues? Is there a single European player in NFL? NBA has some, but not many. MLB, shrug.

It is really cool how NHL atleast managed to grow the game outside north america.

Yes, there is, and a perfunctory Google search would tell you that Foreign players in the National Football League - Wikipedia

By nationality (not birth) you see these nationalities currently signed to the NFL (so not including unsigned free agents):

Africa
4 Nigerians
3 Cameroonians
1 Ghanan
1 Liberian
1 Zimbabwean

Europe
7 Britons
3 Germans
1 Albanian
1 Estonian
1 Italian
1 Pole
1 Spaniard

North America
13 Canadians
2 Jamaicans
1 Haitian

Oceania
3 Australians
1 Tongan

South America
1 Brazilian

Please note that I did double count David Onyemata as he's both Nigerian and Canadian by nationality and counted the handful of players who have dual nationalities with the US and another country.

As for MLB, with as much roster movement it's harder to track, but based just on opening day rosters for the 2018 season you had 254 foreign-born players - they include Puerto Ricans and US Virgin Islanders as foreign-born as Puerto Rico has its own athletics federation, without Puerto Ricans and Virgin Islanders there are 234 foreign-born players. They also separate out Curaçao and Aruba even those are constituents of the Netherlands.

84 Dominicans
74 Venezuelans
19 Puerto Ricans
17 Cubans
11 Mexicans
8 Japanese
6 Canadians
6 South Koreans
5 Colombians
5 Curaçaoans
3 Australians
3 Brazilians
3 Nicaraguans
3 Panamanians
1 Aruban
1 German
1 Lithuanian
1 Dutch
1 South African
1 Taiwanese
1 Virgin Islander

 

[kladorf2005]

Facts disagree with you. Time to close the thread, no?