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MLB remains upbeat on China project
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-27 10:45
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 Students attend a training session at the MLB Baseball Development Center in Dongbeitang High School in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province.
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 Jim Small, vice-president of MLB Asia, signs autographs for students during the MLB's donation to the earthquake victims at the Dujiangyan Primary School in Chengdu. Photos courtesy of HighTeam
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Baseball loses Olympic status but US still keen on the local market
When the International Olympic Committee announced last year that baseball and softball would not appear at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, many started to worry about the prospects of the sports in China, which boasts a medal-focused sports training system.
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In its eyes, China, with a booming economy, huge population and a long history of playing baseball, could turn into a lucrative market for the MLB, much like the NBA has enjoyed over the past decade.
"We plan on taking advantage of the dynamic climate that is taking place in China right now," said Jim Small, vice-president of MLB Asia.
"With so many things changing so quickly, with information much more accessible through the internet and through other means, it is possible to make changes much quicker now than 10 years ago."
Small may sound a little overconfident concerning the current state of baseball in China. For the most part, the sport remains in obscurity and games are rarely shown on television. And the only standard baseball venue in Beijing, the Wukesong Baseball Stadium, which hosted the Olympic competition during the 2008 Summer Games, was demolished to clear the way for real estate projects. Even the nation's seven-team professional league struggles to draw spectators and sponsors.
To add salt to the wound, the sport will not be included at the next two Olympic Games, which means its government funding will fall dramatically.
However, MLB has found the sport is deeply ingrained in China and that has given the organization the impetus to carry on.
The Chinese Baseball Association (CBA) says there are 4 million people playing baseball in China and more than 60 Chinese universities and colleges and 1,000 high and primary schools have their own teams.
According to a survey by TNS Sports Asia in 2008, 16.2 percent of the Chinese population was interested in baseball and almost 1 percent were loyal baseball fans. Also, up to 26 percent of Chinese are interested in MLB and its merchandise and the majority of them are young, highly educated and have high incomes.
"I believe the sport of baseball has tremendous potential in China. What MLB wants is to agitate this big market and get more people playing baseball in China," said Xie Long, managing director of MLB China.
To cultivate the potential Chinese market, MLB launched the MLB Baseball Park, China's first-ever baseball-themed entertainment tour, in five major metropolises, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Wuxi, last year. According to MLB, up to 400,000 people took part.
"It was a very good start and we plan to attract more Chinese youth to take part in the tour," said Xie, who revealed the park would tour 10 more cities in China next year, bringing the total to 15.
MLB is also seriously thinking about discovering a baseball version of Yao Ming, considering how much interest the Houston Rockets' All-Star center has sparked for the NBA in his home country. That's why MLB has decided to work with the nation's education and sports departments to promote the sport in public schools and communities, hoping to reach millions of Chinese youngsters and find and nurture future talent.
The MLB Baseball Development Center (MBDC), a baseball academy established in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, in September, is the cream of the crop of such cooperation.
The academy hosts 16 select school-aged baseball hopefuls and provides them with regular classes, baseball training and English lessons.
