I have no problem with national gusto and pride. In actuality, it is a positive thing in such a cynical world to see people band together for a common cause or support something they find entertaining. This World Baseball Classic (second tournament 2006 and now 2009) displays the international flavor of baseball which is rich with talent outside of the United States. The United States is home to the most talented professional leagues in the team sports I appreciate(baseball, basketball, and football). Yet just because the leagues are in America does not abstain it from relying on foreign players to bolster their leagues, particularly in the MLB where talented South American players are sought after in their early teenage years by MLB scouts, agents, and personnel executives. Over the past few decades, while South America has remained the strongest venue for foreign talent, the far East has emerged as a rich talent pool particularly in the pitching department for MLB teams. The WBC illustrates the popularity of the sport in these nations, but it also shows the amount of pride these people have for their countries. They use baseball as a source of this pride when placed in the context of a 39 game 16 team tournament featuring the countries which best represent the sport of baseball.
As a baseball enthusiast, the WBC is something I could not be less interested in. It is not about a lack of love or pride for America. I do not associate the sport of baseball with my love for the U.S.A., but I do acknowledge that I am lucky enough to have been born in this country where I had the opportunity to enchant myself with baseball, basketball, and football. I cannot say the same with absolute certainty if I were born outside of America.
But I know why the WBC was created and national honor has nothing to do with it. It also is no big secret either for any rational-minded human being. The notion of national pride was simply parlayed into a revenue opportunity for the MLB and Bud Selig. Now it will be played every four years after this 2009 tournament in a type of Olympic format. What other reason would instigate Selig to host a meaningless tournament during Spring Training, when MLB teams are getting ready for the regular season? And it is not just the United States, but basically every team has MLB talent on it, whether it be professionals at the major league level or in a franchise's minor league system. Spring Training has been extended to almost an extra two weeks this season because of the WBC, which I think all teams could care less about. Their priorities are to get ready for the regular season and I am sure they are crossing their fingers (as they do every day) that their respective players stay healthy and do not come up lame in any game much less some pointless international baseball tournament. Players are team investments and it makes no sense to put these guys earning millions of dollars for MLB teams in a pre-season tournament where injuries could threaten their opening day status. Team USA is already suffering losses including Dustin Pedroia, Chipper Jones, and Ryan Braun. Those are not run-of-the-mill names either but important pieces for each of the teams they are employed by. A general manger's worst nightmare is seeing a key piece of your team go down for an undetermined about of time. Maybe it would not be as bad if the injury occurred in an actual game that meant something in the season or the playoffs. But in the WBC in Spring Training?? Yes these guys could have gotten hurt playing in Spring Training games in the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues as well, but Spring Training games are not supposed purely about wins and losses. The WBC is about winning and the ballplayers are having to go out there and compete for a trophy that is an utter moot point in the baseball world. I really do not care if the U.S.A., Cuba, Japan, or Puerto Rico win the WBC. I hate to see ballplayers like Chipper Jones suffer injuries in games he should not be playing when the regular season has not even begun!
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