January 25, 2007
Only the Yankees Could Go to China
WasWatching links to an article on the Yankees heading to China to establish contacts and working relationships:
They are not expected to bring back any signed players. China hasn't developed any players who would be capable of playing in the major leagues or even the minor leagues. The Chinese clearly demonstrated their shortcomings in losing all three of their games in the inaugural World Baseball Classic last March by a combined score of 40-6.
So why are they going? They will explore opportunities, both baseball and business. They will establish contacts. They will determine the most likely source of future talent and very likely initiate conversations about future working agreements, like the one they have with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan.
My daughter spent two weeks in China last year and found there was very little knowledge of baseball in the country (basketball is much more popular). But with a huge population, it conceivable that China could easily fill every MLB team's roster in the future if it develops an interest in the game. It looks like the Yankees are trying to get a jump on those prospects.
The trip will also help baseball in general:
By enhancing their brand in China, the Yankees won't directly benefit financially because revenue from any merchandise sold in any country goes to baseball's central fund, whose proceeds are divided among all 30 teams. But chances are that more Yankees merchandise will be sold in China than caps and shirts of the Devil Rays or the Royals.
In other words, all teams will benefit from the Yankees' trip.
It's a good, forward thinking move by the club, something that might pay off 10 to 15 years down the road.
Update: Of course, it may prove very costly to deal with that country, given the level of corruption in China.
So, the evil empire is doing something that has, at best, delayed benifits to itself. They are in effect taking a gamble and doing baseball a favor. Go Yankees! And will you please trade Carl Pavano to the Cardinals.
"My daughter spent two weeks in China last year and found there was very little knowledge of baseball in the country."
Because spending two weeks in a country of a billion people will give you an accurate idea on how most people in that country thinks? I mean, I agree with you that China doesn't follow baseball as much as other sports like basketball, but you have to base your statements on something stronger than just a 2 week trip.
I was reading recently that baseball was banned for many years in China because the Japanese had set up fields during their WWII occupation; the connection to the Japanese was too odious for Mao. There is probably still a lot of anti-baseball sentiment in the mainland.
How long before the RedSox do it too? Baaaaaaaaa
Steve Lombardi also linked to recent history of MLB wasting its time in China. Certain people try to foster the notion that China is turning/has turned to capitalism, etc.
Granted, many big businesses think there's money to be made there. But, as I believe Forbes noted before the WBC, the money guys aren't interested in 'bringing baseball' to new areas as in getting the money out of areas already thriving. So, I'm sorry the Yankees are wasting one minute of their time in carrying water for certain commercial interests. I'll never set foot in Communist China, I'm not interested in getting various dieases due to their poor sanitation, nor am I interested in seeing dogmeat hanging in stores. Anything else we might want to know is censored. I read baseball was banned as being 'bourgeois' and a waste of time.
I spent two years in China as a teacher, living in both the north and the south of the country. As David's daughter observed, Chinese people don't dislike baseball- they just have had very little exposure to the sport. Due to the success of Yao Ming, the NBA is enormously popular. There's no reason that a talented Chinese baseball player will not someday play in the majors. When that happens, there will be millions and millions of brand new baseball fans over in the Middle Kingdom.
There are no bans on baseball because it's too bougeoisie. Furthermore, in two years I managed to avoid acquiring any disease from poor sanitation, and a surprisingly large amount of information gets through the censors. Note to Susan: Mao is dead, and China has changed a lot since his time.
I only wish the Giants (my team) were as smart as the Yankees and began setting up contacts there.