Many members of the United States press were skeptical of the Classic since its inception. The event proved to be quite popular, however, providing many memorable moments including a first-round game between Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Attendance was higher than expected at several sites, including the 18,000-seat Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, which was sold out for every Puerto Rico game in the first two rounds. In addition, 4,000 media credentials were issued — more than the
World Series — which bodes well for the stated goal of internationalizing the sport.
Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci reported that "more merchandise was sold in the first round than organizers projected for the entire 17-day event." He also reported that, at one point, jerseys for the Venezuelan team were selling at the rate of one every six seconds. The U.S.
television ratings on ESPN were stronger than initially expected, drawing more than one million television sets for some games, more than almost any other ESPN program in the month of March. This occurred despite less than stellar airing times for the games. Most were not aired live but
taped, and sometimes with innings cut, as the WBC was organized well after ESPN had committed to much of its programming. Outside the U.S. TV ratings were very high. In Latin America, a first-round game between the United States and Mexico, was the third-most-watched game in the history of
ESPN Dos, one of the three Spanish-language channels of ESPN in Latin America. ==The allocation of earnings==