Detroit Tigers’ center fielder Curtis Granderson, who is travelling around the globe as a Baseball ambassador, will head a delegation by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) next week, which will visit the International Olympics Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland to present Baseball’s case for reinstatement into the Olympics as early as 2016. According to Harvey Schiller, who talked to MLB.com about it, the presentation is going to be a “show and tell”. The IOC will vote about reinstatement from Baseball and Softball into the Olympics program in October 2009 at the IOC congress in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Granderson has made a habit of it to travel the world during the offseason. He already was in Europe and South Africa, attending clinics and to make public appearances in representation of MLB’s ambassador program . This fall he helped to develop the game in China.
“I know a lot of people say that, you know, it’s an American game,” Granderson said. “But the different places I’ve gone to — Europe, China, parts of South Africa — people are surprised to find out there are different nations that have baseball programs already.”
He also has his opinion about the question if Major League Baseball should send their best players to the Olympics:
“The crazy thing about it is everybody says, ‘Look at the NBA. Everybody sends their players [to the Olympics].’ But they’re not in their season. I know hockey will send their guys [to the Winter Games], but people forget they don’t play six days a week like baseball. It’s difficult. That’s probably one of the most difficult challenges that MLB is going to be faced with in trying to convince the IOC that we can send our best guys out there. I’m not sure how you do that, but it’s definitely something that needs to be addressed, both with MLB and the Players Association.”
Granderson also wants to represent Team USA colors at the World Baseball Classic next March.
