Why do Americans call their teams "World Champion"?

Calling our teams "World Champions" instead of "National Champions" does sound kind of arrogant, but there could be some validity to it when you consider how the rest of the world perceives American sports. Think about all the foreign athletes who have aspired to bring their skills to the United States after becoming established and revered in their homeland. It is becoming a regular thing for Japanese ball-player/celebrities to sign with American teams while at the top of their game. Prominent Latin American names likewise are continuing to saturate baseball lineups (including all-star lineups). Each year, more and more foreign players are selected in the first round of the NBA draft, several of which become stars in our league as well as their former ones. Of course, there are many American athletes that choose to play ball overseas, but that is only because they aren't good enough to make it here in the states--at least not at the highest levels. I can only think of one American superstar that chose to play professionally in a foreign league, and that's Bob Horner of the Atlanta Braves. And calling him a superstar is a real stretch!

Here's what this tells me: Even though countries like Japan, Cuba, and Argentina can kick our butts in international competition, there still seems to be a worldwide mindset that the "best of the best" play in America. How else could you describe the influx of elite athletes we are getting year after year, with absolutely no "out-flux"? The only out-flux we can speak of is at the lower levels, not the elite.

Perhaps it is pride alone that drives Americans to label their champions as "best in the world." Are we right in doing so? Probably not. But maybe it does have some merit, seeing that in some sense the rest of the world is giving us that label too.

P.S. Baseball was already popular in other countries when the title "world champions" was coined. It's only fair to point that out. Plus, I don't think you can lump Nash and Duncan with the "big names who came here" since these two clearly became big within our system, not outside of it.

Well, a lot of it is simply tradition. At one time, the only professional basketball and baseball leagues in the entire world were the ones in America. So they WERE the world champions at the time! Tradition often holds on, long after it is valid.

I still think that the NBA has a legitimate cause for calling their teams the world champions for professional basketball. No other country has a professional league that would compete, and the world's best players come here. Baseball is becoming more questionable, but the question at hand is this: would the best professional team in Japan or another country beat the best professional team here? Until it happens and they do, I don't think it is that illegitimate to claim your team to be the World Champion when you've been claiming it long before other countries even had teams.

That said, "dream teams" at the Olympics and such are kind of irrelevant. Most of the players on the teams that beat us are now playing in the NBA. So is San Antonio the world champion? You try to find a professional team outside the NBA that can beat them. But in some sports, you are definitely right. Our best in soccer, for example, would never hold up against the best in Spain or England or France or Germany or Brazil... etc. etc.

The World series & world champion term arise from the New York World Newspaper a sponsor of the original world series.

American Baseball invented in america by Abner Doubleday is an original america sport and there can be no doubt that American profession baseball teams are significantly better that any other team in the world.

Basket ball was invented by a Canadian but popularized and excelled at in the USA. The original America Dream team walked over the world. Since then the players sent are not America's best, don't play extensively as a team and have had mixed results. None the less there can be no doubt that the NBA if the finest most skilled basketball in the world.

Sadly, multi million dollar atheletes often don't have the necessary motivation to play for pride.

MLB, NBA, and NFL all have teams in Canada. NFL is exploring expanding into other countries. In these three sports, which are basically American sports these leagues have the highest level of play and players from around the world. The world cup in soccer is a true "World Championship". MJ had some truly great players as teammates on the "Dream Team" as well as on the Bulls. Kobe hasn't been able to win on a Lakers one man team, I doubt he could do it in the Olympics.

You cannot deny the fact that the NBA has the best players in the world (not just Americans). the best international players ply their trade here, Duncan - US Virgin Islands, Nash - Canada, Nowitzki - Germany, Ginobili - Argentina, Parker - France just to name a few.

It follows that the NBA champion is also the best team in the world. I have no doubt that the NBA Champs could beat any National Team in the World.

What might be confusing you is the current plight of the USA National Basketball team. They keep on sending the 12 best individual talents for their national team w/out any regard for teamwork & chemistry & they always wind up w/ cakes on their faces, suffering one humiliating loss after another.

The NBA Champion is still the World Champion its just not made up of purely American talent anymore.

WHAT???! Are there "far better players out there in the world?" I would like you to name some them just out of curiosity... I don't know if you've noticed but the top players from all over the world come to the U.S. to play professional basketball and baseball. First for baseball: Ichiro, Albert Pujols, Felix Hernandez, Johan Santana, Miguel Tejada, Bobby Abreu, Carlos Beltran, Vladimir Guerrero, David Ortiz, Jose Reyes, Ivan 'Pudge' Rodriguez, and Sammy Sosa. Next for basketball: Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash, Yao Ming, Dikembe Mutombo, Boris Diaw, Andrei Kirilenko, Luol Deng, and Tim Duncan - Just to name a few. These players all headline there national teams and excel and play for professional teams here in the U.S. Any questions??

The MLB, NHL, and NBA are the top leagues in the WORLD for their respective sports. They bring in the best players not just from this country (or continent if you include the NHL) but from the entire world. With the exception of where they play, all three leagues have become global. The World Champion moniker is justified.

because the NBA has became an international league...there are tops of foreigners in the leage...so world champ is correct....most players around th world try playing for the NBA which is the highest point in basketball...like the Euro leage, is a league lower that the NBA..player go there to get picked up and hopfully play pro for the NBA

are you serious? NBA and MLB teams are called world champions because America had basketball and baseball teams before any other countries did. the names have stuck no need to change them now. as far as hockey i think they are called Stanley cup champions.

They call themselves world champs because they are the champ at the organization like NFL,NBA and so on not so much at the called sport. Also around the world like football (american style) other countries don't play it. ( Expect europe football and stuff