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© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Big leaguers may balk at 2020 Tokyo Olympic baseball
By RONALD BLUM©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
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ThonTaddeo
Yet another reason why these Tokyo games should be held in October. Everybody on the teams that didn't make the playoffs would be available, and would have some chance at the glory that they couldn't get playing for their club team.
randomnator
Yeah but that would mean they weren't playing against the best who were still in the World Series.
edojin
Too much money involved. They are indebted to their pro teams as they are the ones who pay the players. If a Major Leaguer plays in the Olympics and gets injured ... it's just a waste for all involved. For most of these guys money is more important than a gold medal. Makes sense to me ... financially.
bicultural
Klayton Kershaw shouldn't play for the US anyway. He's mister choke job when it counts.
wtfjapan
Yet another reason why these Tokyo games should be held in October. what change the schedule for baseball, a game that doesnt have much of a following outside the US/Japan. Olympics is far bigger than just one sport
wanderlust
A good reason why professional sports that already have high profile competitions should not be included in the Olympics. Football and tennis should also be removed, but no doubt the greedy and corrupt officials would balk at losing even a few dollars, pounds or yen of income.
The Original Wing
As opposed to Japan, Americans don't particularly care about "national teams" when it comes to baseball. While there is a lot of pride and prestige in playing for the national team in some other sports (basketball, hockey), it's just not important in baseball. Americans (both fans and players) care about the professional league, only. The WBC hardly makes it into American newspapers, and most of the top players couldn't be bothered with it. In Japan, the whole country stops to watch a November friendly game against the Taiwanese national team. There's just a very different level of importance placed on international baseball between the two countries.