Softball and Baseball Eliminated for 2012 London Olympic Games
Former University of Arizona Star, Jenny Finch
The two sports were kicked out of the Olympics, unwanted by international sports officials who felt they were too American for the world sports stage.
The decision, made during a secret vote in Singapore, is effective for the 2012 London Games, meaning the two sports will have a final fling at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The sports, the first eliminated since polo in 1936, are eligible to reapply for the 2016 Games.
U.S. women won all three gold medals since softball joined the Olympics, at the 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Games. American pitcher Lisa Fernandez, a three-time gold medalist, blamed the decision on IOC president Jacques Rogge.
“Rogge has basically conspired against the sports to get them removed. We had done our job as a sport world wide to show we belong,” she said. “I feel one person, the president of the IOC, a person from Europe, has taken it upon himself to ruin the lives of millions, actually billions of women.”
Crystl Bustos, who hit a record five homers during the 2004 Olympics, said the one-sidedness of the softball tournament should not have been used as a factor. The Americans outscored opponents 51-1.
Flap is certain that beating up their opponents by such a lopsided margin did not help matters.
Baseball was a demonstration sport at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and 1988 Seoul Games and became a medal sport in 1992 at Barcelona, where Cuba won the gold. The Cubans beat Japan in the 1996 final at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, where the 32 games had an average attendance of 28,749.
While professionals were first allowed to participate in 2000, major league baseball didn’t allow players on 40-man major league rosters to go. The U.S. team won the gold, led by former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda and current Milwaukee pitcher Ben Sheets, but the Americans didn’t even qualify for the Athens Games, eliminated with a 2-1 loss to Mexico in a qualifier.
“I think they’ve made a big, big mistake,” Lasorda said. “Baseball is played by all countries now, and softball, too. I think that’s really going to hurt the Olympics.”
Cuba won in Athens for its third gold medal in four tries.
“That’s like the World Series for people here,” Chicago White Sox pitcher Jose Contreras, who played for Cuba in the 2000 Olympics, said through a translator. “Not having the Olympics will be a big hit in Cuba and for the fans in Cuba.”
But for U.S. baseball players, the Olympics were less important.
“There isn’t any player growing up thinking they want to play in the Olympics,” said Sheets, who won a gold medal in 2000. “That was one of my greatest moments, but it has nothing to do with the big leagues.”
And the lack of American Professional baseball players participating hurt the sport as well.
Each of the 28 existing sports was put to a secret vote by the IOC, and baseball and softball were the only two that failed to receive a majority. The IOC then rejected adding squash and karate, which failed to get the necessary two-thirds approval.
IOC officials were unhappy about the absence of major leaguers. The NBA has sent its best players since 1992 and the NHL stopped its season for 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics.
“The lack of the MLB players — I think people have looked and said, ‘Well, all right, if there’s to be a change, that seems to be the logic of it,”‘ British IOC member Craig Reedie said.
Cuban Baseball Federation president Carlos Rodriguez took a similar view.
“Those who bear most of the blame are the owners of the professional leagues who refuse to free up their ballplayers to compete,” he said.
But, Major League Baseball really does not care and hence no baseball Olympics.
Ventura County reaction to the IOC decision is in this piece, Local Olympians ‘blindsided’ by softball rejection
American softball and baseball will survive without the Olympics.
Rugby and Cricket enjoyed by much of the British Commonwealth are not Olympic sports either but have great World Cup and Regional Nations Cup competitions.
So, could go Softball and Baseball, but, Flap doubts it.
The American amateur/college and professional leagues are too strong and will not fully participate on the international stage.