The World Baseball Classic has been electric - packed stadiums, global stars, and teams playing with a level of joy that Major League Baseball doesn’t always capture. So why does Team USA feel like the only team not having any fun?

In this episode, Kavitha Davidson breaks down what the WBC is revealing about baseball right now: from questions around leadership and “vibes” on the U.S. roster to the bigger issue of American exceptionalism in a sport that has always been global. We also get into the cultural exchange at the heart of the tournament, why teams like Venezuela and the Dominican Republic feel so different on the field, and what it all says about where baseball is headed.

Joining Kavitha today is Clinton Yates, an ESPN columnist for Andscape and host of Clinton & Friends on ESPN Radio, who covers the intersection of sports, culture, and race. Clinton was on the ground at the WBC and brings sharp insight (and plenty of opinions) on everything from Team USA’s leadership choices to the tournament’s growing global significance. Plus, we get into some of the week’s most chaotic sports stories - from the NBA’s “Magic City Night” controversy to Bam Adebayo’s 83-point explosion - and why they say a lot more about sports culture than the games themselves.

Host: Kavitha A. Davison | Producer: Paroma Chakravarty I Executive Producer: Saadia Khan | Fact Checking and Research: Paroma Chakravarty I Sound Designer & Editor: Paroma Chakravarty I Sportly Theme Music: Simon Hutchinson | Other Music: Epidemic Sound | Cover Art Graphic Designer: Sarah DiMichele

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