We're a month away from the 2012 Olympic games. This edition
of the games will be held in London, and it is sure to breed many storylines. Will
the English explode missiles in the air to keep it from raining, like the
Chinese did in 2008? (Probably not). Will Usain Bolt keep his title of the
fastest man alive? (More than likely, no.) Can Michael Phelps defend all of
those gold medals? (Again, no.)
...via Huffington Post
Will South Korea remain the Olympic champions of baseball?
Definitely. How do I know this? Baseball isn't an event in the 2012 Olympics,
and it's already been rejected for the 2016 games as well, meaning that South
Korea is the international baseball champion for at least another eight years.
The same is true for softball, which has been dominated by the United States
since its inception.
Baseball/softball isn't the only sport to have the
'backspace' key remove it from Olympic programs. In 1936, polo was removed, and
is the only other modern medal event to suffer the indignity. The reasoning
behind the elimination of bat-and-ball sports is, not surprisingly, largely
political. The International Olympic Committee is largely European in
administration, and baseball and softball is always won by a North American or
Asian team.
With this adorable merchandise, consider me a Korean bandwagoner! ...via Zazzle
You might say this is a case of sour grapes. And
I might say you're right. But that's not to say baseball isn't a deserving
Olympic sport.
Consider that Ted Williams, the last Major Leaguer to hit
.400 for a season, once said, "I think without question the hardest single
thing to do in sports is to hit a baseball." Statistically speaking, he may be
right. Producing a hit even 30% of your at bats makes you an all-star, and only
20% of baseball pitches are put into play at all. The pitches fly over 90 mph,
and the batter has less than a second to find the pitch, determine its
trajectory, and initiate a swing. Examine the image below:
...via Axon Potential
Now, it may seem like I'm only going to cover baseball, but
give credit where it's due. Softball is as difficult-if not more so- as
baseball.
...via Celebangels
In an episode of Sport Science, researchers compared the reaction
times and difficulty of hitting comparable fastballs from a baseball and a
softball.
Watch
U.S. Softball hottie Jennie Finch break machines and strikeout a no-name minor
leaguer.
Do you know what's on tap for this summer's Olympics though?
Making its return after a 108 year hiatus would be golf. I believe most people
would agree that golf should be an Olympic sport, and some might be surprised
that it
isn't already. Rugby
will also be played.
Do you mean to tell me that people who get to wear THESE,
...via US RF123
...via Wei Under Par
get preference over people who where these?
...via Wikimedia
WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO? AHHHH!!!! ...via Total Pro Sports
However, let's examine the IOC's justification for
relegating baseball to the minor leagues. Officially the IOC states that since
the world's best talent doesn't play, that the level of competition was declining.
MLB doesn't allow players under contract to leave their respective teams.
Baseball proponents cite bias against an "Americanized" game as the reason for
baseball's exclusion.
This he-said she-said attitude is already a dishonor to the
purpose of the Olympics: building world spirit and peace through competition.
Heck, the Olympics has its own Olympic
Truce Foundation supporting international cooperation.
I'm pretty sure everyone remembers the video that went viral
when a girl hit a walk-off home run in a college softball game, and her
opponents carried her around the bases after she tore a ligament in her leg.
Watch
that video here.
Oh, and have you (or the IOC, for that matter), ever heard
of the World Children's Baseball Fair? It's this crazy-awesome program started
by Hank Aaron and Sadaharu Oh that
underwrites international baseball clinics every summer in countries around the
world. The program sends youngsters abroad to develop friendship and cultural
exchange, THROUGH BASEBALL!
...via Nat Geo
Isn't that the real purpose of the Olympics? Not to exclude,
but to include? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here people!
So what have I done here? Pretty much ranted about how
baseball and softball need to be Olympic sports. I also pointed out that
they're in direct line with the spirit of the Olympics, and are arguably two of
the hardest-to-play sports in existence.
What does that accomplish? Not much. But I
personally hope that the 2020 Olympics will be awarded to a North American city
so we can finally get beat by Cuba again! enjoy some baseball!
...via Wenlock and Mandeville
Resources
NY Times - Olympics to drop baseball and softball in 2012
IBAF - World Children's Baseball Foundation and Fair
USA Today - 10 Hardest Things to Do During Sports
Wikipedia - List of Olympic venues in discontinued events;
Olympic.org - Peace Through Sport
|
Re: Keep Baseball (and Softball) an Olympic Sport!