By Rick Horrow and Karla Swatek
May 3, 2013
Baseball and softball were eliminated from the Olympic program after the 2008 Games in Beijing. When the International Olympic Committee meets later this year to consider readmitting the sports to the Summer Games, they’ll be deciding with tepid support from Major League Baseball. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig isn’t willing to interrupt the league’s schedule to help boost baseball’s chances of making it back to the Olympics. Some insiders have suggested that major leaguers could play in the Olympics during an extended All-Star break, an idea Selig is adamantly opposed to.
As the major equity partner in the World Baseball Classic, MLB is much more interested in the WBC than the Olympics. Rejoining the Olympics would mean starting the MLB season earlier or ending later, something not possible because of the weather. If baseball ends up back in the Olympics, it’ll be without concessions from MLB.
