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Big League Stew

Mon Jan 05, 2009 3:55 pm EST

Olympic baseball venue slated for a Beijing wrecking ball

By 'Duk

The old saying claims that you can't lead a horse to water and make him drink and apparently the same holds true when it comes to rolling out the bats and balls in China.

According to the Associated Press, the 15,000-seat Wukesong Sports Center baseball field has become the first Olympic venue slated for demolition. The land's developer say the $29 million structure will be razed and replaced by a shopping mall.

Though MLB officials apparently tried to convince Chinese officials to keep the stadium standing, it wasn't playing host to any games and it's being reported the only income the facility generated was from the Padres-Dodgers exhibition games held there last spring. Anyone else smell that white elephant?

Our own Steve Henson was at those spring games, so I asked him for a perspective on the demolition news and what he thinks it means for the future of baseball in China.

Says Steve:

"From my standpoint, all signs last spring pointed to the field being demolished. International baseball officials were trying to work with the government on preserving it, but it is on private land and the owner could do what he wanted. Obviously he wants to make money and doesn't have any sentimental attachment to the American Pastime.

"It just underscores that any notion of baseball taking hold quickly in China is a fallacy. It's going to take many years and a long-term commitment by MLB. MLB International understands this. The WBC in March will help a little but because the first round involving the Asian teams is in Tokyo, it won't get much play in China. If the Chinese team advances to the second round, a baseball buzz in Beijing might be generated."

Obviously, for the average American fan, this news doesn't matter much. Honestly, who cares if anyone in China is watching or playing baseball? I sure don't.

But for Bud Selig and MLB officials, who were hoping to tap a billion-plus population? The shuttering of the ballpark in the country's second-largest city is about the worst possible news they could imagine, even if it was mostly expected. Ah, well, at least they can still pin some hopes on Rinku and Dinesh.

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32 Comments

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  1. eight inches
    1. Posted by eight inches Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:37 pm EDT

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    Just like you can't lead a horse to water and make him drink, you can't force baseball down the throats of people who don't care to watch it.
  2. Duk
    2. Posted by 'Duk Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:07 pm EDT

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    Is there an echo in here?
  3. TRITON
    3. Posted by TRITON Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:23 pm EDT

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    It's China what did anyone else expect? Yes they missed out on a huge market but theres no way a country as old as China, where Communisum still reigns, would flip the switch over night and become baseball fanatics.
    And yeah...who cares...
  4. haardrock1141
    4. Posted by haardrock1141 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:15 pm EDT

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    I wonder when they'll tear down the Gymnastics venue and put up a pre-school?
    Baseball is no longer the American past time since idiots and egomaniacs care nothing about the fan only the almighty $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!
    Not surprising then that China said "No" to continuing the venue when there are people who would rather shop!
  5. dogdingo2001
    5. Posted by dogdingo2001 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:46 pm EDT

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    to "triton" who sounds like he's still living in the "cold war" era: baseball has not catched on in china has nothing to do with "coummunism". the nba is striving there, people in china are opened to all sorts of entertainment and sports venue. baseball has not caught on because other sports and entertainment venures have grabbed the attention of the people more than baseball. that's business, you have a product (baseball) and you try to create a market (china). if it fails, then the product just isn't exciting enough. at least not yet.
  6. Maher A
    6. Posted by Maher A Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:03 pm EDT

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    come build a baseball stadium in amman jordan middle east! :-
  7. Geoff V
    7. Posted by Geoff V Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:59 pm EDT

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    I am a Canadian who has been living in China for many many years. And baseball will probably never take off here because it isn't economical for the average guy. The equipment is just far too expensive for just anyone to pick up and learn. That's why basketball is doing so well. Basketballs are cheap, you just need a few guys and you don't need to rent an expensive field to play...That accessability has generated interest in the NBA.
    Iverson and Kobe are fun to imitate and even more fun to follow. Does baseball right now have the same attractions. Take a look at the headlines (both in the MLB and America) and you'll get your answer.
  8. NightKnight
    8. Posted by NightKnight Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:52 pm EDT

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    China Is a country that empasizes on individual accomplishments when it comes to sports. Swimming, Diviing, Table tennis, Badminton, Track and Field, and Gymnastics. They have of course Soccer, and have made inroads to Volleyball and Basketball. Soccer is their only major outdoor sporting event. I don't see the Chinese taking to Baseball anytime soon, if ever. They love their sport Heroes. And again most are in those individual sporting events.
  9. Regina S
    9. Posted by Regina S Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:35 pm EDT

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    I care if people in China are playing baseball. Look at all the fantastic talent that's come out of Asia over the last ten years. China's got the biggest population on the planet, and if the game took hold there we're talking about another stream of exciting players eventually making the jump to MLB.
  10. Older_than_Moses_Shaq
    10. Posted by Older_than_Moses_Shaq Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:56 pm EDT

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    Guess the Chinese government can't wait to get rid of that symbol of America's favorite pastime.
  11. Barry H
    11. Posted by Barry H Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:16 pm EDT

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    I was on a train a few weeks ago from Shanghai to Wuxi and mwet a young man who had a baseball jacket on...I asked him about it and he had no idea what baseball was....all things considered it was a very strange encounter.
  12. William C
    12. Posted by William C Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:52 pm EDT

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    haardrock1141,
    Which pro/college leagues care for the fans?
    And yeah, it has been shown baseball will be crushed in "anti-American" nations... right Cuba and Venezuela? I also like how Chinese "Communisum" killed the sport when the stadium was on privately-owned land and the demolition is motivated by profit.
  13. JD
    13. Posted by JD Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:38 pm EDT

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    Thanks William C- spot on.
    While reading Ronald H's post I was reminded of the legendary smog problem that plagues some of China's largest cities. Could it be that the Chinese are just not outdoor types?
  14. Duk
    14. Posted by 'Duk Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:07 pm EDT

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    "I care if people in China are playing baseball. Look at all the fantastic talent that's come out of Asia over the last ten years."
    I considered that argument, Regina, but figured that Rinku and Dinesh have us covered there.
  15. King Jaffee Joffer
    15. Posted by King Jaffee Joffer Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:45 pm EDT

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    They can't spare the room. That's enough room for at least 100,000 people to live.
  16. idiotsarecool i
    16. Posted by idiotsarecool i Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:22 pm EDT

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    I'm Chinese, but honestly i don't give a crap. nobody cares about those stupid commies overseas anyway... they can stick to their anorexia/underage-dominated sports like diving and gymnastics. as long as baseball is thriving here, I'm perfectly happy.
  17. Geoff V
    17. Posted by Geoff V Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:59 pm EDT

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    "Privately owned land" is very mis-leading...There is no such thing in China. The government controls ALL property. A person can lease for a period of time, but ultimately it is controled by the government.
    Maybe they could give the property back to all those people they evicted to build all the other arenas! Then again there is a dangerous shortage of shopping facilities over here...
  18. Alex H
    18. Posted by Alex H Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:50 pm EDT

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    Baseball will eventually catch on in China. It may take another 5~10 years, but it will catch on. A glove, a bat and a few baseballs don't cost enough to discourage kids from taking it up. Baseball's huge in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. China just needs to get richer with a higher standard of living (bigger middle class) and that's just a matter of time. China also has a lot more space than Korea and Japan. I've visited all these Far East nations many times. In 10~15 years, we'll see some Chinese players in MLB.
  19. Robert
    19. Posted by Robert Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:26 pm EDT

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    The Chinese govt--and I say the government because that's who makes ALL the decisions--doesn't want any sport to catch on for which there isn't a national team counterpart. Basketball (not the NBA) is big because of a single Chinese NBA player and because China has a national team. The CCP will never do anything that promotes any aspect of American culture. If that sounds like the Cold War, its because that the CCP's mindset.
  20. KanSer
    20. Posted by KanSer Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:46 pm EDT

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    As a life long Oakland A's fan I would thank you to leave negative comments about White Elephants out of this.
    Besides, it's a tortured metaphor. White elephants were kept up even at great expense, not slaughtered for food. Surely, even if they were ever slaughtered or abandoned they were certainly given more than _two years_. (Or replaced by prettier, whiter elephants, neither of which happened here.)
    p.s. As an A's fan I am also well aware that their iconography features very large eared elephants and that these are African elephants and not the Asian elephants that Maharaja (Is that the plural of Maharaja?) would have owned.
  21. Antonio Tam
    21. Posted by Antonio Tam Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:55 pm EDT

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    It has nothing to do with politics. Chinese people doesn't like baseball as much as Americans do. The same goes for crickets in America. Try to build a cricket stadium and see how many events it'll hold! lol!
  22. Eric
    22. Posted by Eric Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:49 pm EDT

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    I'm an American who's been living in China for the past several years and there is some interest in baseball here. I've seen local college students get together and play games on their campuses just for fun. But since baseball is no longer an Olympic sport, the government just doesn't support it anymore. It's about winning medals and international prestige, not anti-Americanism or Cold War like some dopes on this forum suggested. If it were an Olympic sport again and combined with the WBC, baseball would definitely make a comeback.
    And by the way, it's the NBA that is HUGELY popular here (not just basketball). There's a China league that the locals don't give a rat's behind about, but people are buzzing about the NBA all the time. Kobe is the most popular player here, not Yao!
  23. John R
    23. Posted by John R Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:39 pm EDT

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    Just a historical point, baseball was once a popular sport in China. During the Cultural Revolution it was banned as was anything Western. Now you have two generations that are removed from the game. China may once again find the game.
  24. boots43
    24. Posted by boots43 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:11 pm EDT

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    As an ex-pat in China, I do care whether anyone is watching or playing baseball here. Your view is quite parochial and why Americans are often seen as self-centered. Why talk to Henson just because he was in Beijing a few days? Plenty of ex-pats like me who have been here for years who could tell you a lot more about it.
    By the way, China's chances of advancing to the second round are as close to nil as can be. Japan, who won the first one, and South Korea, a semi-finalist , are in their group. Also, please note that both those countries did better than the USA did.

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Big League Stew is an MLB blog edited by Kevin Kaduk. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

Contributors:
David Brown, Alex Remington, Steve Henson, Curtis Granderson, Jay Levin,

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