i was actually wondering about this since you asked...
so i searched google and found this answer (in less then 1 minute)
(as in i did not spend a lot of time researching- just looked at one of the first links that came up- and found this...
have no idea of the reputation or validity of the author/site- but seems it could be legit)
interesting - according to the site
the origin of the name is basically a pissing match between two team owners in 1903
as in- i challenge you... for the title of world champion...
so if thats true - it really just started as two teams playing against each other for a "world champion" title that the owners made up... probably for their ego, and more money the hype could generate -- just my guess there
and that a true contest for world baseball does exist...
(which it seems the US has not one once... lol)
https://www.rulesofsport.com/faq/why-is ... -play.htmlThe Origin of the Name 'the World Series'For many years, it was believed that the name came from the fact that the original series was sponsored by the New York World Telegram newspaper, thus becoming known as the ‘World’s Series’. However, popular as this explanation may be, it’s not actually true and although the newspaper did report the results of the games, it had nothing to do with the naming of the competition.
The real reason behind the name is thanks to Barney Dreyfuss who was the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1903, he wrote to the owner of the Boston Red Sox challenging them to a ‘World’s Championship Series’. The Pirates were the best team in the National League and the Red Sox were the best in the American League.
The games went ahead and Boston won the series five games to three. Over time, the 'World’s Championship Series' name has been shortened to the World Series and has been played every year apart from 1904 and 1994.
Are the Winners of the World Series the World Champions of Baseball?Many Americans consider the World Series as being the world championship of baseball. They base this on the fact that generally the world’s best baseball players play in Major League baseball. This makes it the strongest league in the world consisting of players from over 20 countries.
However, the winners of the World Series aren’t in any way world champions as this title is reserved for the winners of the World Baseball Classic, which is an international tournament started in 2006. The winning teams of the competitions so far are as follows:
2006 - Japan
2009 - Japan
2013 - Dominican Republic
The World Series may only be a North American event but there is no doubt that it is the world’s premier baseball event. Whilst it may not feature teams from across the globe, it does feature many international players. For these reasons, we can justify the World Series as its name.