‘What’s more American than baseball?’: World Cup brings fans, chants and verve to the national pastime

The crossover in the American sports calendar has made for a compelling collision of cultures, from Scots in Boston to a new English folk hero in Atlanta First they sang for Harry Kane. Then they sang for Michael Harris II. The Atlanta Braves center-fielder is not someone many Major League Baseball fans would consider a household name. A local kid made good, he has established himself as an above-average, everyday outfielder and at age 25 is enjoying a career-best season, but his face doesn’t dominate billboards and ads in the way of Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge. Continue reading...

Ella Brockway · Fri, Jul 10, 2026, 3:00 AM
US news | The Guardian

‘What’s more American than baseball?’: World Cup brings fans, chants and verve to the national pastime

The crossover in the American sports calendar has made for a compelling collision of cultures, from Scots in Boston to a new English folk hero in Atlanta

First they sang for Harry Kane. Then they sang for Michael Harris II.

The Atlanta Braves center-fielder is not someone many Major League Baseball fans would consider a household name. A local kid made good, he has established himself as an above-average, everyday outfielder and at age 25 is enjoying a career-best season, but his face doesn’t dominate billboards and ads in the way of Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge.

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