Baseball to return to Olympics in 2020, unclear if sport will remain.
24 replies, posted
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[quote]RIO DE JANEIRO -- The best baseball news this past week -- outside of the Yankees basically abandoning their postseason chances, of course -- was Wednesday's long expected announcement that [B]the sport will return to the Olympics in 2020.[/B]
There will be only six teams in those Olympics, which isn't great, but at least they will be played in Tokyo, which is very good. Japan is passionate about baseball, making those Olympics a much better location for the sport's return than when the IOC decided to bring back golf beginning with the Games in Rio, where the sport is not widely played and an expensive new course had to be built, adding to financial woes.
Which brings up an important issue. While baseball is returning for the 2020 Olympics, there is no guarantee it will continue in the 2024 Games because the host city could replace it with another sport. [B]If the 2024 Olympics are awarded to Los Angeles, it's a good bet baseball will be there.[/B] But if one of the other three candidates -- Paris, Rome and Budapest -- get the Games, then it becomes less likely.[/quote]
Source: [url=http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/17223754/baseball-returning-olympics-how-long]ESPN[/url]
I'm disappointed with how low baseball has fallen. It used to be the American sport and got overshadowed by a sport where brain damage is the result of playing rather than merely an accident.
I think baseball is bigger in Korea and Japan than it is in America now too, I'm surprised at the appeal it has in Asia
[QUOTE=RIPBILLYMAYS;50835112]I'm disappointed with how low baseball has fallen. It used to be the American sport and got overshadowed by a sport where brain damage is the result of playing rather than merely an accident.
I think baseball is bigger in Korea and Japan than it is in America now too, I'm surprised at the appeal it has in Asia[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately, not really. The top tier of baseball players in Asia would only really fit in at a Minor League level in America. There's a serious and inexplicable skill gap, and Olympic baseball would kinda be boring until this is fixed because the Americans would win every year and nobody would care about it.
What exactly will this do to the world baseball classic?
[QUOTE=RIPBILLYMAYS;50835112]I'm disappointed with how low baseball has fallen. It used to be the American sport and got overshadowed by a sport where brain damage is the result of playing rather than merely an accident.
I think baseball is bigger in Korea and Japan than it is in America now too, I'm surprised at the appeal it has in Asia[/QUOTE]
The Superbowl has a massive marketing campaign where even the commercials are worth watching. I feel sports in general are on the decline.
[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;50835137]Unfortunately, not really. The top tier of baseball players in Asia would only really fit in at a Minor League level in America. There's a serious and inexplicable skill gap, and Olympic baseball would kinda be boring until this is fixed because the Americans would win every year and nobody would care about it.[/QUOTE]
Cuba has actually won more gold medals, and medals in total, in Olympic baseball than the US has. [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_at_the_Summer_Olympics#Participating_nations]16 countries[/url] have competed between 92 and 08, with Japan and Cuba making the most appearances.
Holy shit, I had no idea about this. Looks like America had some good players too.
Gives me hope, I'd love to see international baseball be a big thing.
[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;50835137]Unfortunately, not really. The top tier of baseball players in Asia would only really fit in at a Minor League level in America. There's a serious and inexplicable skill gap, and Olympic baseball would kinda be boring until this is fixed because the Americans would win every year and nobody would care about it.[/QUOTE]
You're forgetting that the summer Olympics takes place during the MLB season, so the USA's best players will be busy/unwilling to compete for gold metals when they could be competing for the Commissioners Trophy.
[QUOTE=Mastermind of42;50835151]The Superbowl has a massive marketing campaign where even the commercials are worth watching. I feel sports in general are on the decline.[/QUOTE]
Why do you feel that?
Personally, I don't watch sports and I don't know any Americans who do, but all my European coworkers are fucking [B]obsessed[/B] with soccer, to the point where they'll basically refuse to do their jobs when their country is playing the Eurocup and I have to yell at them to put their phones down and do their job
[QUOTE=RIPBILLYMAYS;50835112]I'm disappointed with how low baseball has fallen. It used to be the American sport and got overshadowed by a sport where brain damage is the result of playing rather than merely an accident.
I think baseball is bigger in Korea and Japan than it is in America now too, I'm surprised at the appeal it has in Asia[/QUOTE]
I won't watch baseball until they impose a hard salary cap, until then the cities with the most money just buy up all the best players.
People can give handegg all the shit they want, but its progressive with its rules.
[QUOTE=proboardslol;50835268]Why do you feel that?
Personally, I don't watch sports and I don't know any Americans who do, but all my European coworkers are fucking [B]obsessed[/B] with soccer, to the point where they'll basically refuse to do their jobs when their country is playing the Eurocup and I have to yell at them to put their phones down and do their job[/QUOTE]
How dare you, it's called "football"
[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;50835137]Unfortunately, not really. The top tier of baseball players in Asia would only really fit in at a Minor League level in America. There's a serious and inexplicable skill gap, and Olympic baseball would kinda be boring until this is fixed because the Americans would win every year and nobody would care about it.[/QUOTE]
are you saying the several korean and japanese players in major league baseball are a myth?
[QUOTE=OvB;50835244]You're forgetting that the summer Olympics takes place during the MLB season, so the USA's best players will be busy/unwilling to compete for gold metals when they could be competing for the Commissioners Trophy.[/QUOTE]
NHL players play hockey in the Winter Olympics even though it's in the middle of their season.
[editline]5th August 2016[/editline]
Also baseball isn't even that interesting. People give football shit for being slow paced and I'll agree even as someone who likes football, but baseball is actually a yawn-fest.
I like baseball because it's significantly cheaper to go to games than football and it's a good place to just hang out with friends and family, have a beer, and just have a good time. Football is fun to go to aswell but it's a lot more expensive.
[QUOTE=proboardslol;50835268]Why do you feel that?
Personally, I don't watch sports and I don't know any Americans who do, but all my European coworkers are fucking [B]obsessed[/B] with soccer, to the point where they'll basically refuse to do their jobs when their country is playing the Eurocup and I have to yell at them to put their phones down and do their job[/QUOTE]
Do you actually live under a rock? Like, a huge amount of Americans watch sports.
[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;50835137]Unfortunately, not really. The top tier of baseball players in Asia would only really fit in at a Minor League level in America. There's a serious and inexplicable skill gap, and Olympic baseball would kinda be boring until this is fixed because the Americans would win every year and nobody would care about it.[/QUOTE]
Not really true as far as I can see, Cuba seem to be the overwhelming champions of world baseball with the US a distant second, based on medal tables for the defunct [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_World_Cup#Medal_table]Baseball World Cup[/url] and its replacement, the [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Baseball_Classic#Medal_table]World Baseball Classic[/url]
I used to love Baseball.
Its pretty underwhelming now and thats saddening.
I went to some Braves games when I was younger, good times.
[QUOTE=RIPBILLYMAYS;50835112]I'm disappointed with how low baseball has fallen. It used to be the American sport and got overshadowed by a sport where brain damage is the result of playing rather than merely an accident.
I think baseball is bigger in Korea and Japan than it is in America now too, I'm surprised at the appeal it has in Asia[/QUOTE]
I mean, school Baseball teams are far and few from what I can tell. Football fields 1.) are smaller than baseball fields, 2.) provide a field for football (obviously) and 3.) are the objectively best field for a marching band to march on. It makes sense for schools to prioritize football over baseball. That carries into college, so you've got college and highschool graduates who grew up with their school funding football instead (because baseball is more of a community funded thing) and more people end up caring about football.
I mean shit, I used to not care about [I]any[/I] sports but after I started doing marching band shit I ended up getting a little into football since we're required to be there 90% of the time and when that's the only allowed entertainment you can have in the stands you start paying attention.
[QUOTE=BeardyDuck;50835775]are you saying the several korean and japanese players in major league baseball are a myth?[/QUOTE]
Well the reason they're in the US playing for MLB in the first place [I]is[/I] because their countries are minor league level
[QUOTE=Map in a box;50837865]I used to love Baseball.
Its pretty underwhelming now and thats saddening.
I went to some Braves games when I was younger, good times.[/QUOTE]
I have been asked by my dad several times in the past two weeks to go see some baseball games and I have turned him down every time. Why? Because baseball games are about three to three and a half hours long. I like baseball, I used to play it and will watch it on TV whenever, but actually being at a game is a long affair. NBA and NHL games are forty minutes shorter on average, and I wouldn't hesitate to go see one of those.
Why isn't bowling in the olympics?
Baseball is fun as fuck
The feeling when you hit the ball with the bat is fucking awesome
I still have no clue how it works but it was fun as fuck
Baseball's always felt constantly in action in comparison to football, which is insanely spread out.
I wonder if that's a reason why football is more popular nowadays, because it leaves plenty of openings for advertisements?
[QUOTE=Water-Marine;50842507]Baseball's always felt constantly in action in comparison to football, which is insanely spread out.
I wonder if that's a reason why football is more popular nowadays, because it leaves plenty of openings for advertisements?[/QUOTE]
This is why I stopped watching football unless it's on something like NFL redzone
There are sequences where it's commercial break -> touchdown -> commercial break -> kickoff ->commercial break and it just got too annoying
[QUOTE=OvB;50836369]I like baseball because it's significantly cheaper to go to games than football and it's a good place to just hang out with friends and family, have a beer, and just have a good time. Football is fun to go to aswell but it's a lot more expensive.[/QUOTE]
That's true but the experience of going to a football game is worth the price. I go to Colts games and it's always a blast compared to boring baseball
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