POSTED: June 12th 2009
NewsUpdate
Baseball gets fired up in Asia
LAURA WALDEN / Sports Features Communications
NEW YORK, Jun. 12: Major League Baseball is seeing a marked wave of valuable players coming from the Asian continent and the international baseball federation has just issued new data backing up the grassroots work on the continent.
Dr Harvey Schiller, IBAF president, said: “Asian countries like Chinese Taipei, Japan and Korea have long established baseball as their national sport, and the growth and interest in baseball on all levels continue throughout those countries, even in a down economy.
“What is really encouraging is seeing the growth in baseball programs for both boys and girls in countries such as China, Pakistan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and India. Exposure to the game of baseball in these countries through broadcasting, clinics and even in new media is steadily raising interest, participation and the level of play to levels never before seen. It once again shows the continued global nature of baseball as a sport for all with a very bright future.”
The next big appointment for Asian baseball will be the Asian Championships in Narita and Sapporo, Japan from July 31 to August 4 which see Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei, China, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines vying for continental honours.
MLB sees a number of high-profile Asian players on its rosters and notably two who went to the finals at the last World Series - Japanese second baseman Akinori Iwamura playing for Tampa Bay, and Korean pitcher Chan Ho Park for the champions Philadelphia Phillies.
Japan has the strongest presence in the MLB with 13 players scattered across 11 leagues. The country has recently noted a serious increase in girls signing up for programs especially the Pitch, Hit and Run event which hones in on the particular skills.
Pitch, Hit and Run
The Pitch, Hit and Run program provides equipment packs and instructional resources including an introductory video, guides to baseball for the kids and training for the teachers for the participating schools. The program includes a national competition for pitching, hitting and baserunning where each participating school submits its best boys and girls team for local finals competitions.
More than three million school children in Australia, Germany, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Africa and the United Kingdom have profited from the Pitch, Hit and Run schools program.
Strong youth interest
Overall interest for the sport in Japan is strong with over 430,000 fans coming out for the Japanese High School Baseball Championship Playoffs this May.
China has announced an extensive 10-year program to be carried out with MLB focusing on programs for coaches, officials and players. Chinese Taipei has announced an investment in baseball programs to work with youth and elite teams for boys and girls.
Korea’s strong presence in the World Baseball Classic has fired up interest in the country and ramped up television ratings and website attention watching the home team. Japan and Korea continue to have strong interest in the professional leagues for solid attendance, television and sponsorship numbers in spite of the current economic crisis.
Even Pakistan and Indonesia have catalogued marked progress with Indonesia beating Pakistan in the Asian Cup qualifier 3-2 two weeks ago in Thailand. Sri Lanka also upped their game and defeated longtime rival Thailand in spite of national political pressure and turmoil in their sports system.
MLB is engaging in school and coaching programs reaching out to youth in areas in India, Vietnam, Cambodia, and other nations where the game is flourishing.
The steady progress and growing interest and dedication on behalf of MLB to work at the grassroots level demonstrates the envisioned investment in the continent. These are all positive signs for baseball ahead of a potentially spectacular World Cup being contested across Europe in September.
Keywords · IBAF · Major League Baseball · Harvey Schiller
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