A little more detail here:

The proposal calls for men's baseball and women's softball to be played at a single venue over seven to 10 days. Each tournament would feature eight teams. Baseball and softball would be two disciplines under a single sports banner...

Softball and baseball are competing with karate, roller sports, squash, sports climbing, wakeboard and wushu for inclusion in 2020. Only one spot on the Olympic program is open.

As for its chances:

[International Softball Federation president Don] Porter said the combined federation would operate only for the Olympics, a plan that was questioned by IOC executive board member Denis Oswald.

"That's not enough," Oswald, who heads the Association of Summer International Sports Federations, told the AP. "They should be one federation overall. We didn't say to merge just for the Olympics."

And:

The absence of major league players in the Olympics was a major factor in the IOC's decision to drop baseball, and the issue remains crucial to any chance of reinstatement. Major League Baseball has been unwilling to shut down the season during the Olympics.

"If they don't propose their best athletes it will be difficult," Oswald said. "If they do, then they have a chance just like the others."

But, they won't.

So, unless this Oswald guy's opinions are atypical of the people running the show, doesn't sound like there's much of a shot.

I'd rather have Bud Selig making decisions regarding baseball than Jacques Rogge and his expense account powered bribe taking fascist gnomes in Lausanne.

Am I the only one who thought they would tell this Oswalt guy to "stick it"?

He appears to want all baseball and softball under one umbrella. Why on earth would baseball choose to do that? Not to mention asking MLB to shut down for the Olympics, like the Olympics are this huge enticement worthy of at least a months revenue. I was under the impression that to the average sports fan the Olympics had become more or less irrelevant in any sense other than vague national pride, and honestly equating baseball and "roller sports" goes a long way to explaining why.

I'd think the Olympics' USA TV rights would be more valuable with baseball & softball than without them. Isn't that reason enough to restore them?

I'd think the Olympics' USA TV rights would be more valuable with baseball & softball than without them.

If it's not major leaguers playing, I doubt it meaningfully moves the needle.

Wii bowling is not an option?

Bowling was in as an exhibition sport in 1988. Two problems holding it back. Technology has outpaced talent for the past 20 years. And amateurs can and in a few cases, make more money than most pros in the sport.

I'm of the opinion you will only see MLBers in the Olympics if either A) It's a 23-and-under-except-for-some-ringers tournament like in Soccer and (soon) Basketball where in theory MLB players would play but in practice it'd be minor leaguers with the exception of times where a young player says "screw you" to their team or B) the Olympics are in the United States or Toronto and a one-time-only exception is made.


I mean, in theory they could shut down the season for about a week and make up the rest with more doubleheaders, but that'll happen when pigs fly.