In Mexico, a misconception still persists: the belief that baseball is a regional sport, secondary, or limited to specific times of the year. A visit to some of the country’s cities is enough to understand that this idea ceased to correspond to reality long ago. There are entire regions where baseball is not only followed: it is inherited, discussed, breathed, and forms part of the collective identity.
This is particularly true in Sonora—probably the region with the deepest baseball roots in the country—where the game is part of daily life and entire generations grew up understanding the calendar around the Naranjeros de Hermosillo, the Yaquis de Ciudad Obregón, or the Mayos de Navojoa. There, baseball is not an occasional pastime: it is regional identity. Hermosillo also boasts one of the country’s iconic stadiums, the Fernando Valenzuela Stadium, a symbol of a sporting culture built over decades.
This is also true in Sinaloa, where the Tomateros de Culiacán, Venados de Mazatlán, Algodoneros de Guasave, and Cañeros de Los Mochis represent much more than just sports organizations. Baseball in Sinaloa transcends generations, neighborhoods, family conversations, and a significant part of the region’s social life.
The same intensity can be seen in Baja California with Mexicali and Tijuana; in Nuevo León with the Sultanes de Monterrey; and throughout much of northern Mexico, where cities like Saltillo, Monclova, and Aguascalientes maintain a historical and deeply emotional connection to the game. There, baseball continues to function practically as a sporting religion.
Something similar occurs in the southeast of the country. Mérida, Oaxaca, Puebla, and other cities preserve a baseball tradition that is often underestimated from the central part of the country, but which maintains enormous social and community roots.
In all these places, baseball doesn’t need to convince anyone of its importance.
People organize their time, conversations, and affections around the game. Children grow up hearing the names of baseball players as part of their everyday language. Stadiums become social hubs. And regional identity finds in baseball a form of collective representation that goes far beyond the outcome of a single season.
Therefore, the recent growth of Mexican baseball should not be understood as a passing fad or simply an effect of the international expansion of Major League Baseball (MLB). What is happening today has much deeper roots. There is a cultural foundation built over decades and sustained by fans who remained loyal even during periods when soccer practically dominated the national conversation.
And perhaps one of the most interesting cases within this evolution is that of Jalisco.
For a long time, it was assumed that Guadalajara was exclusively soccer territory. However, the sustained growth of the Charros de Jalisco ended up changing that perception. What is happening today in Zapopan around professional baseball can no longer be understood as an isolated phenomenon or a momentary enthusiasm.
Between the regular season, postseason, and international events, the Pan American Stadium hosts nearly one hundred professional games a year. With average attendances of at least six thousand fans per game—and considerably higher attendances for important series—it can be estimated that around six hundred thousand people attend the stadium annually to enjoy baseball. This is a highly competitive figure, even compared to the approximate number of fans who attend Chivas games at Akron Stadium throughout the year.
And that’s no small matter.
It speaks to a mature, consistent, and fully consolidated fanbase. It speaks to a sports market that long ago ceased to be marginal. And it also speaks to a social phenomenon that many still underestimate.
Furthermore, the Charros have managed to develop very distinctive characteristics within contemporary Mexican baseball. The organization has had ties to and the presence of historical and emblematic figures such as Fernando Valenzuela and Sergio Romo, as well as more recent stars like Roberto Osuna and Christian Villanueva.
Adding to this is another distinctive element: Jalisco is currently the only state in the country with professional baseball practically year-round, thanks to the Charros’ competitive presence in both summer and winter leagues. It is also the only Mexican state to have hosted events of the magnitude of the World Baseball Classic and the Premier 12, in addition to the Caribbean Series and other high-level international tournaments.
All of this helps explain why the phenomenon can no longer be seen as a mere regional fad.
Source: informador
