Japanese Reaction at Baseball being Removed from the Olympics?

- Just because people in Europe don't play doesn't mean it's not a world sport

People in Europe do play baseball. As a matter of fact they play baseball in every country in Europe as far as I know (maybe except for Iceland), although the level is pretty far away from the big countries. Baseball is pretty big in the Netherlands, Italy, Russia, etc.

Yes they were. However, read Jim Allen's latest Hot Corner column in the Daily Yomiuri for the real reasons why baseball lost out.

This is Jim Allen's Hot Corner article on MLB players in the Olympics: Link [Daily Yomiuri].

Well, Bud Selig is a bit of an idiot, I'll give you that. I suppose he didn't feel too bad about it because of this baseball world cup where MLB will get most of the profits.

I really don't care if Gary Sheffield wants to play or not as I think the world cup will promote young talent from countries one does not get to see.

- I suppose he didn't feel too bad about it because of this baseball world cup where MLB will get most of the profits.

That's where a lot of the problem with the WBC is, all of the power is in the hands of Major League Baseball and the MLBPA. There isn't an equal representation in this tournament for all parties involved.

Like Yakult Swallows' and JPBPA's union representative Atsuya Furuta said, the tournament serves the interests of the major leagues and has only its interests in mind.

Most Japanese people I speak to couldn't care less about the World Baseball Classic. What really irked them is that baseball was eliminated as a category in the Olympics. The Olympics was the best chance for Japan to prove to the world that they were numero uno in yakyu. The W.B.C. is a joke and everyone knows it. It's a darn shame in my mind.

Some of the sports announcers here in the US say that we should have a true world series instead. That would be interesting, but it would be November by the time they got around to it.

It's too bad there isn't an organization like FIFA, independent of any baseball organization, to run a world cup or to at least overule Bud Selig and allow players in MLB to play for their countries. He won't let foriegn players play for their countries either.

I hope NPB will finally get rid of their archaic gaijin policy of only two foreigners per team. This is an NPB policy, not a Japanese government one. I think it would improve baseball in Japan and worldwide.

[From Editor: It's been more than two foreigners for a decade, now.]

Well changing the gaijin policy was long overdue. Even in 1995.

The International Baseball Federation does hold a "World Cup" Baseball Tournament. Cuba is the defending champion, having won the last World Cup in 2003. The XXXVI Senior World Cup is in Holland September 3-17, 2005.

The IBF also hosts the Intercontinental Cup, another top-quality tournament. They also host other high-caliber international tournaments such as the World Junior Baseball Championships and the World University Baseball Championships.

Major League Baseball does not have a monopoly on top-quality baseball.

The problem with the WBC is money and the timing.

Frankly, I haven't followed it so much because I sensed from the start it wasn't going to happen. Like it or not, the TV rights for the WBC in the US will fetch much more than all other markets, same as the Olympics rights. The value of the rights is based on fan interest, and face it, MLB is driving the US fan interest. We are not rabid NPB fans or Netherlands baseball fans or whatever. So that's where the power lies, like it or not. While a greedy MLB, MLBPA, or Commissioner may make for easy targets, it's the economics that are driving this.

The timing of the games are poor. I can't see the games being in spring training when no one is in shape, nor can I see another series after MLB playoffs and World Series into late October. That's a long season. Perhaps a series of one game, round robin eliminations around and in lieu of the MLB All-Star break might be interesting and more practical. It's funny that soccer doesn't have the problem of single elimination, but baseball is into best of 5 or best of 7.

And on the original posting, I am disappointed that baseball was eliminated. I am a big proponent of keeping pros out of the Olympics, which include the so called national basketball teams who train and regularly play together as pros, for example.

This maybe a case of European ethnocentricm since baseball is a sport played in the Americas and East Asia almost exclusively.

I've always wondered why there can't be one championship game between NPB and MLB. I think that would generate some ratings and more global interest.