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Bidding Baseball Adieu

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By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: August 24, 2008

Another Summer Olympic Games have come and gone, and once again the United States retained its position atop the medal count for the fourth year running.

Although host China firmly walks away with the top tally for attaining gold, most America sentiments should be ones of pride and accomplishment.

From Michael Phelps' feats in the Water Cube to the Redeem Team's golden restoration to Nastia Liukin's all-around gymnastics triumph, you don't have to search hard to find a quality story.

Yet amid all the celebration and harmonious displays of a united sports world, there is one unfortunate moment that comes with the 2008 Beijing Games' closure. Baseball and softball, two American staples, have now – at least for the foreseeable future – taken their last cuts in Olympic competition.

This is no new revelation. They were voted out by the International Olympic Committee during a meeting in 2005. But now it is oh so final.

There is a chance for reinstatement consideration by 2016, but the 2012 London Games will assuredly be devoid of both sports.

Although I do not agree with baseball and softball getting canned, I'd be lying if I said I can't see any of the logic used to come to the decision.

Beginning with softball, aside from – ironically – this year, Team USA has made a mockery of the international field game after game since its Olympic inception in 1996. The balance of talent is currently so skewed toward the American's side that IOC members clearly figured it wasn't pertinent to have such dominance displayed every four years.

Baseball doesn't have just one dominant participant, but its apparent lack of involvement throughout Europe, Africa and other parts of the world made it eligible for the chopping block after five Olympic runs.

While baseball in particular will continue to thrive in the U.S., Latin America, Japan, Korea and other regions despite this turn of events, its development in countries with less involvement will now take a hit without the Olympic podium to strive for.

After the 1992 Dream Team blew through Barcelona like a raging Pamplonian bull, international basketball quickly began its surge toward what it is today. Granted there are other factors at play with this example – the allure of NBA millions and the league's own developmental program, for two – it does show how a sport can take hold and flourish relatively quickly.

Aside from perceivably needing to expand their reach, as baseball and softball stand now, do they really pale in comparison to the participation numbers of Olympic sports such as hand ball or table tennis?

I'm not saying those examples should be omitted from the Games instead, but what's the logic at work here? Table tennis is comparable to softball in that Southeast Asian countries have dominated Olympic medal counts since its introduction in 1988.

In fact, if one nation's dominance in any sport was the key factor in deciding its fate, there are quite a few of the 302 events in 28 sports that would be in trouble.

As for now, though, all arguments are for naught. There will be no leather flashed or aluminum pinged when London comes calling in four years, but hopefully a push for reinstatement can be made 2016.

Until then, you've got four years. Keep working on that mean ping-pong backhand.

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