BASEBALL
Japan's players say no to World Baseball Classic unless they get more money
TOKYO —
Japanese players have said they will not to take part in the 2013 World Baseball Classic unless the two-time champions are guaranteed a bigger slice of its revenue. The decision was made by the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association at a meeting in Nagoya before the first game of this year’s Japanese all-star series, according to media reports.
“We’re not saying we don’t want to participate,” the union’s chief, Takahiro Arai, was quoted as saying. “But we will not be able to, even if we want to under the current conditions, which are unfair.”
In 2006 and 2009, Japan won the inaugural and second editions of the World Baseball Classic organized by the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) organization to emulate the success of the soccer World Cup.
But the union said Japanese players received only 13% of profits from the last tournament compared with the 66% MLB and its players earned.
The union and the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), which organizes professional games in Japan, plan to negotiate with MLB in August. “We are surprised and disappointed with their announcement,” Jim Small, managing director of MLB’s unit in Japan, told Kyodo news agency.
According to the union, each WBC tournament has raked in a profit of $18 million and they say MLB is more than capable of making money even if it has to hand over image and sponsorship rights, the news agency reported.
The union estimates more than half of the WBC’s sponsorship revenue comes from Japanese corporations, on top of the money it helps generate organisers through ticket sales and broadcasting rights.
© 2011 Agence France-Presse
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some14some
Unfair demand, let them collect extra bucks from Japanese Corporations or concerned ministry.
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smithinjapan
Selfish pigs. Here's what the organizers of the event should tell the players and the union: "You get the agreed upon price, or you get ZERO and don't play."
They'll play for sure -- at least those not in the MLB (which may demand their players don't play under the guys of injury concerns). And if they don't, it's their loss -- Japan likely has plenty of talented young players they could put in instead and it would be a purer game as a result (hell, other teams fielded non-MLB players and it was still an exciting event).
But knowing the way things work here, whomever is responsible for the money will buckle and the players will get the money they demand.
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lostrune2
Hahaha, ya don't see teams "demanding more money or no play" in the Futbol World Cup (except against their own non-paying national futbol federations).
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freakashow
What do these baseball players think they are, professional NBA or NFL players? At least the NBA or NFL players have a right to demand a bigger share of revenues (as evidenced by the recent lockouts in both sports). If they are amateurs, they have no right to demand pay for playing. NBA players have been asking to be paid at future Olympic games, and I guess have a right, since they are professional athletes. These baseball players, if they are amateurs shouldn't have a right to ask.
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Clément Delestrade
They're aren't amateurs at all ... And their demand is fair.
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