TUCSON, Ariz. — It's not the least bit surprising that Jaden Agassi — son of tennis legends Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf — had a racket in his hand from the time he could walk.
The little boy loved to run. He loved to hit the ball. The problem was accuracy wasn't his thing.
“It was hard for me to keep the ball in the lines,†Agassi said, laughing. “I just wanted to hit it as far as I could.â€
So his parents signed him up for baseball. About 20 years later, he's trying to make his own mark in the sports world.
The 23-year-old Agassi is a pitcher for Team Germany in this week's World Baseball Classic qualifiers in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. The right-hander grew up in Las Vegas with his famous American dad and German mother before playing college baseball at USC. He holds dual citizenship and speaks a little German.
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The popularity of baseball has grown in Germany over the past few decades, but manager Jendrick Speer was still searching for a few additions to the roster for the WBC qualifiers when he stumbled across Agassi on social media and realized his connections to the country.
Andre Agassi competes in the final of the 1989 Italian Open in Rome. Agassi is one of five men in the Open Era to achieve the career Grand Slam in singles, and one of three men to complete the career Golden Slam in singles.
“I found him because he's a good baseball player,†Speer said. “With all the technology out there, we found him while researching and discovered that he had played in college and had citizenship. It worked out great and he's a great guy.â€
Growing up in the Las Vegas area, Agassi was right in the middle of a baseball hotbed. The metro has produced recent MLB standouts like Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant, Bryson Stott, Paul Sewald, Joey Gallo and Tyler Anderson.
Agassi said his parents never pushed him into tennis, baseball or any other sport because they didn't want to repeat their childhood and teenage years, which were totally consumed by tennis. Instead, he had a relatively normal upbringing and naturally gravitated toward the baseball diamond.
The lanky 6-foot-3 Agassi has had his share of setbacks during his baseball career. He needed Tommy John elbow surgery after his first game in 2019, which caused him to miss his junior season in high school. Then in 2020, his team played just a handful of games before COVID-19 shut down sports for the year.
Steffi Graf returns a shot during the quarterfinals of the 1989 Wimbledon in London. Graf is the only tennis player, male or female, to have won each major singles tournament at least four times — a quadruple career Grand Slam.
“It almost worked as a blessing in disguise,†Agassi said. “I got almost two years to rehab my Tommy John, came back strong and then started my college career at USC.â€
His three seasons with the Trojans were a little up-and-down. He had a solid year as a sophomore with a 3-2 record and a 4.34 ERA, but after a coaching change, he regressed as a junior with a 9.70 ERA.
He found his footing again in MLB's draft league last summer with a 2.96 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 27 1/3 innings. Now he's hoping to latch on to an MLB organization once the WBC qualifiers are over. His stint with Team Germany — which will likely include a bullpen role — is another chance for him to showcase his mid-90s fastball.
“It felt good to find some things that work for me,†Agassi said. “Stick on a plan and get 1% better every day.â€
Agassi doesn't mind that people often ask about his parents or why he doesn't play tennis. His mom won 22 Grand Slam titles while his dad won eight Grand Slams and one of the younger Agassi's first childhood memories is hugging his dad on the court after he got a big win late in his career.
While neither parent may be a baseball expert, he said they're both supportive of his baseball career and will be in the crowd this week as he pitches for mom's home country with Team Deutschland across his chest.
“As a kid, you're kind of oblivious to the world,†Agassi said. “It felt completely normal to me. I got a lot of knowledge and lessons learned from them. Picked up a lot of things and it's been a blessing.â€
North America's favorite sports franchises
North America's favorite sports franchises
The national leagues of football, basketball, hockey and baseball, known as the "Big Four" are currently all billion-dollar industries. As a result, it is fair to say that North America has cemented itself as a sporting giant. Â
now offer so many opportunities to get involved in the world of sports, but with over 100 sports franchises to choose from within the Big Four leagues, it can be tricky to know who to back.
But using a combination of search data, social followings, Youtube subscriber counts and fan attendance statistics, made a list of the most popular sports franchises across the United States and Canada.Â
The Most Popular Sports Franchises In North America
Below is a list of the most sought-after sports franchises across the Big Four leagues. With a total of 124 franchises in America and Canada, they are ranked based on their social popularity and attendance.
1. Golden State Warriors, NBA - Popularity score of 6.37/10
Of all the Big Four leagues, it is a basketball team that tops the ranking for the most popular sports franchise in North America. Residing in California, the National Basketball Association's Golden State Warriors have come out with a popularity score of 6.37 out of a possible 10, and they can thank their large following on YouTube as a substantial reason for their table topping exploits.
2. Dallas Cowboys, NFL - Popularity score of 6.02/10
In second place, it is a National Football League team that plays the role of runner-up behind the Golden State Warriors. Residing in Texas, the Dallas Cowboys have come out with a popularity score of 6.02 out of a possible 10, and based on their nickname of "America's Team," it is clear that they have a place in the heart of many.
3. Kansas City Chiefs, NFL - Popularity score of 4.53/10
With four Super Bowl wins to their name - including the last two editions of the NFL's showpiece event, it seems that the recurring global coverage may have catapulted the Kansas City Chiefs into the limelight as they complete the top three in this list of the most popular sports franchises in North America.
MLB's Most Popular Franchises
As the oldest major sports league in the world, Major League Baseball has cemented itself as a baseball giant. With teams spanning across 29 U.S. states, as well as in the Canadian city of Toronto, there are baseball opportunities all over North America, but which of these teams are currently the most popular?
1. Atlanta Braves - Popularity score of 2.45/10
With a score of 2.45/10, the Atlanta Braves top this list as the current most popular MLB team. Indicators of their popularity include the fact that they have 147,000 YouTube subscribers at the time of writing and collected a volume of nearly 35,000,000 searches in the past year. These two metrics have played a substantial role in the Braves coming out on top.
2. Texas Rangers - Popularity score of 2.31/10
Second in the list of MLB favorites, it is the Texas Rangers that take this silver medal in terms of the most popular baseball franchises. Playing their home games at Globe Life Field, they amassed an average home attendance of 31,272 and when added to internet search volume of 43,200,000, they are keeping the Braves hot on their heels.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers - Popularity score of 2.26/10
Completing this top three are the Los Angeles Dodgers who have a popularity score of 2.26/10. One aspect worth mentioning here is their 306,000 YouTube subscribers at the time of writing. Add this to an average social following of 3,466,667 over the three platforms and their popularity can be considered as something of a home run in MLB circles.
NBA's Most Popular Franchises
Despite being a newer addition to the Big Four leagues, the National Basketball Association has certainly made its mark within the sporting industry. NBA players are currently among the top highest-paid athletes and this is the result of sponsorships and endorsements resulting from the widespread popularity of this sport.
1. Golden State Warriors - Popularity score of 6.37/10
Situated in California and featuring the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in their logo, Golden State Warriors come out as the most popular NBA franchise with a score of 6.37/10. This team is also home to Steph Curry, who is often regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time and highest point scorers. As a result, this franchise is often making the headlines due to his notoriety in the sport - evident by the 38,400,000 Google searches in the last year.
2. Los Angeles Lakers - Popularity score of 4.03/10
Joining the Golden State Warriors in this top three are the Los Angeles Lakers, which come in second place with a popularity score of 4.03/10. With a plethora of trophies in their cabinet, this franchise has had many moments in the spotlight. This success has inevitably led them to gain a large audience, evident by an average social media following of 19,566,667.
3. Miami Heat - Popularity score of 3.22/10
Any fans of basketball will be aware of the rivalry between the second-place franchise and Miami Heat, and it seems that in terms of popularity, Miami Heat has fallen just short on this occasion. Despite this, the prevalence of this team is still very impressive, with stats including 150,000 Youtube subscribers, and nearly 50,000,000 searches for this franchise in the last year.
NFL's Most Popular Franchises
As demonstrated in the Most Popular Sports Franchises list, an overwhelming proportion of the teams were from the National Football League - with this sport being responsible for the top eight most popular franchises overall. From this it is clear to see that the NFL is hugely popular, but what makes these teams so sought after?
1. Dallas Cowboys - Popularity score of 6.02/10
After ranking first on the overall sports franchise list, it comes as no surprise that the Dallas Cowboys are the most popular NFL franchise. Outnumbering their opponents in every one of the popularity-related categories, this Texas team could not be more deserving of the title. Let's forget the time the Cowboys blew a 24-point lead against the Detroit Lions.
2. New England Patriots - Popularity score of 4.53/10
Also making their second appearance in these rankings are the New England Patriots. As previously mentioned, they have a popularity score of 4.53/10 which is largely due to their large social media following - including 649,000 Youtube subscribers. Despite having a lower average fan attendance than some of the other NFL teams, they make up for it with their extensive social media coverage and livestreams.Â
3. Philadelphia Eagles - Popularity score of 3.84/10
Completing our top three list of the most popular NFL franchises is the Philadelphia Eagles. Competing against their Pennsylvanian rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, it appears that the Eagles are largely preferred in terms of popularity. One notable Eagles fan is actor Sylvester Stallone who famously starred in the "Rocky" movie series. His support certainly helps the franchise serve up a knockout punch when it comes to popularity.
NHL's Most Popular Franchises
Featuring a larger number of Canadian teams than any of the other Big Four leagues, the National Hockey League is considered the highest-ranked ice hockey competition in the world - but have the American teams pushed their way to the top of the popularity table?
1. Toronto Maple Leafs - Popularity score of 1.51/10
The Toronto Maple Leafs take the top spot as the most popular NHL franchise with a score of 1.51/10. This team currently has 143,000 YouTube subscribers to its name and last season saw an average attendance of 18,789. Not to forget, the 25 million plus social searches that it has collected in the past year.
2. Montreal Canadiens - Popularity score of 1.17/10
Just below the Maple Leafs, with a popularity score of 1.17/10, are the Montreal Canadiens. No slouches when it comes to social activity, they currently have an average following of 1.35 million across the three platforms and with an average attendance of 21,099, they find themselves on the coattails of the Maple Leafs.
3. Edmonton Oilers - Popularity score of 1.12/10
While it is a Canadian lockout for the top three places within the NHL rankings. Finding themselves third in the list are the Edmonton Oilers with a score of 1.12. This figure was cultivated after being hit by a low YouTube subscriber count of just 85,000. However, this was also offset against a search volume of 18,000,000 in the past year and this means it is the bronze medal for Edmonton's finest.
Every U.S. State's Most Popular Franchise
As previously mentioned, the Big Four leagues include teams from a range of areas across North America, and some of these locations play host to multiple teams. Because of this, OLBG also determined each state's most popular franchise.
This list only includes U.S. states, and any states for which there were no franchises were removed.Â
Methodology
Information from was used to make a list of every sports franchise across the following leagues: MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL.
A combination of data and Wikipedia was used to find the average attendance for home games in each of the last complete seasons of each league.
Semrush was used to add up the total number of Global searches for each sports franchise between June 2023-July 2024.Â
was used to find the current number of subscribers for each sports franchise.Â
The following platforms were used to find the number of followers for each sports franchise: , and . The average social following for each franchise was calculated by adding together the total number of Instagram, X and Facebook followers for each franchise and dividing this number by 3.
Finally, the popularity-based factors (average attendance, search volume, YouTube subscribers and average social following) were used and normalized each factor out of 10 before taking an average of those scores to get the overall popularity score.
was produced by and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
