IBAF Lobbying MLB to Play in Olympics
by IcebreakerX on Aug 20, 2008 8:36 AM PDT
29 comments
BEIJING (AP)—A marquee pitcher such as Boston’s Daisuke Matsuzaka wearing Japan’s colors come 2016: That’s the image international baseball organizers are conjuring in their efforts to get the sport back on the Olympic program.
Okay, so the idea is that they're trying to get MLB to lend their players during the pennant run to play in the Olympics, much like the NPB now does.
(Have I mentioned recently that Team Japan under Hoshino totally sucks?)
Anyways, I'm not a big fan of the idea. Disrupting league play for an international event like a better designed WBC makes sense, but the IBAF simply doesn't know how to pull it off. I'm not even a fan of tournament baseball for MLB-level baseball.
The Olympics simply isn't the highest level of the sport/
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But who will be the Dream Team?
The Dominican? Venezuela? Japan?
by Gomez on Aug 20, 2008 8:47 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi!
My layout.spellcheckDefault goes to 11
by PositivePaul on Aug 20, 2008 9:07 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
He already has a Silver!!!
Coach Owens = No Fun Zone
by Scruffy Lefty on Aug 20, 2008 10:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
This would kill the WBC
so I don’t think the people in charge will let it happen.
the other angels fan
by Eyebrows on Aug 20, 2008 8:56 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I think you can kill the WBC at the expense of the Olympics
Determined, Jonesing Commentor
by I'm NOT Corco on Aug 20, 2008 10:51 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'd be OK with that
but the WBC is MLB’s baby, and a newly minted source of cash, so they’d probably be a bit opposed.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Aug 20, 2008 10:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That was my point.
I should have explained better.
the other angels fan
by Eyebrows on Aug 20, 2008 11:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Olympics isn't the highest level of hockey, either, but the NHL shuts down for that.
I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.
by Llewdor on Aug 20, 2008 9:45 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
That's true.
I asked a friend if he was watching olympic baseball at all, because I wanted to talk about Strasburg, and he basically said he doesn’t watch because it isn’t the world’s greatest playing. I don’t know if the MLB would be willing to pull an NHL and shut down for two weeks so that major leaguers can play in the olympics.
JI/Robert '08!
by Fin on Aug 20, 2008 11:16 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I doubt it.
MLB’s season is traditionall April – September. Putting a two week break in the middle screws that up (unless they return to a 154 game schedule as the MLBPA requests at the start of each collective bargaining session). Plus, they have enough trouble with the weather in their northern cities in April and October.
I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.
by Llewdor on Aug 21, 2008 9:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I still can't believe baseball/softball are out but BMX is in..stupid.
I fucking hate you Mariners
by kentroyals5 on Aug 20, 2008 10:08 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
BMX is a more global sport than baseball though.
Maybe not more popular, but it certainly has a bigger global reach.
I was at Shea for the Felix-Slam!
Personal M's record: 5-4.
by EnglishMariner on Aug 20, 2008 12:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If MLB is serious about pimping itself abroad, it should support this 100%.
Baseball has not been shown AT ALL in the UK during this Olympics. The first time it will be on is the Bronze medal match, which will be on a channel that about 5% of the country can receive. And who can blame them for not showing it when the standard is so shit? If A-Rod, Manny and Ortiz were playing along with some other high profile mega-stars, chances are it might get a bit more air-time.
I was at Shea for the Felix-Slam!
Personal M's record: 5-4.
by EnglishMariner on Aug 20, 2008 11:59 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I disagree.
Let’s use soccer. How many soccer fans actually pay attention to Olympic soccer, vs the World Cup, the Euro Championships, the Copa America, the various Euro leagues?
Or how about tennis? How many tennis fans pay more attention to Olympic tennis, instead of the Slams?
Not to say having baseball in the Olympics has no benefits, there are: principally in getting baseball abroad financial support from governments, but there are costs to MLB to supporting baseball in the Olympics too much too.
Why do you think that FIFA refuses to allow the soccer tournament in the Olympics to be a “full” tournament? Because they don’t control the Olympics. Whereas the WC is controlled fully by soccer. Sports like swimming, gymnastics, track and field, weightlifting have no choice, they’re dependent on the Olympics and the IOC.
And just being in the Olympics is not going to guarantee anything in terms of global reach for MLB or baseball. Having the best compete in the Olympics isn’t going to matter if most people in Europe, Africa and Asia, outside of Japan, have little to no interest in the game at all. Having David Ortiz, David Wright, Grady Sizemore, Felix, there won’t matter if most people in Europe, Africa and Asia don’t even know who they are.
ZIPS: Milledge: 466 HR, 485 2B, 2282 hits, 278-379-524
by rfloh on Aug 22, 2008 11:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Meh.
I don’t see the Premier League letting its footballers play in the Olympics.
by Graham on Aug 20, 2008 12:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Actually...
Jo, Lucas, Anderson and Mascararno all played in the Brazil Vs Argentina game yesterday. All Premiership players.
I was at Shea for the Felix-Slam!
Personal M's record: 5-4.
by EnglishMariner on Aug 20, 2008 12:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If I recall correctly
most nations use the Olympics as an U-21 tournament, so most Premiership teams aren’t that affected.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Aug 20, 2008 2:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It could work if they always held it in the Southern Hemisphere...
..during the summer months (Dec. – Feb.).
But even the Sydney Olympics were held in their spring (Sept.)
by sulles on Aug 20, 2008 1:11 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I want to see what happens when a southern hemisphere country hosts the winter games.
They’ll have to hold them in the southern winter, won’t they?
I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.
by Llewdor on Aug 21, 2008 9:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
There aren't too many countries in the Southern Hemisphere with adequate snow.
Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Boliva are it and I’ve never heard of those countries bidding for the games (not that I pay attention to where future Olympics are going to be held).
by Jed MC on Aug 21, 2008 10:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am sure if this came to fruition MLB contracts for high profile players would start having addendums saying they werent allowed to agree to be pulled for the Olympics
And the Olympics committee probably wouldnt get the names they wanted anyway…
Still may be better internationally than havving no-names.
But it could really affect a pennant race if it is in a crucial month like September…but it is impossible to know if when the Olympics come around that particular year who is going to be affected so how would you pick players ahead of time?
Plus there is always the issue of if the player gets hurt at the Olympics
I see why they have that idea, and iit isnt a bad idea internationally, but it seems too complicated to work MLB-wise.
by Smith18 on Aug 21, 2008 1:37 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
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