I absolutely agree that baseball is appropriate as an Olympic sport, and is more than “international enough” to qualify. Like you said, if the most recent WBC is any indication, baseball 100% has enough of a worldwide following to make for a killer Summer Games event. Contrary to what many on this thread depressingly seem to be implying, wide European interest is most definitely not, and should not be, a prerequisite for inclusion, any more than American interest in rugby should be an issue.
The key is MLB getting on board. There are enough players from around the world in the MLB alone to field some formidable international squads, and they have to be allowed to go play. Allowing all those high-profile players to leave for 2-3 weeks mid-season is quite a big change that the league will have to adapt to, so it is going to take some convincing.
I absolutely agree that baseball is appropriate as an Olympic sport, and is more than “international enough” to qualify. Like you said, if the most recent WBC is any indication, baseball 100% has enough of a worldwide following to make for a killer Summer Games event. Contrary to what many on this thread depressingly seem to be implying, wide European interest is most definitely not, and should not be, a prerequisite for inclusion, any more than American interest in rugby should be an issue.
The key is MLB getting on board. There are enough players from around the world in the MLB alone to field some formidable international squads, and they have to be allowed to go play. Allowing all those high-profile players to leave for 2-3 weeks mid-season is quite a big change that the league will have to adapt to, so it is going to take some convincing.