TFA says Major League Baseball is committed to keeping the ABL around for at least five years. Given the MLB players that have come out of Australia over the past 20 years, it seems really short-sighted to me that they wouldn't just bankroll the thing (in some form or fashion) indefinitely. Sure, they'd probably lose money on it, but a stable ABL would almost certainly develop quality players and expand MLB's overseas fan base/television audience/merchandising.

I think they'd be wise to look at it like NBA teams are beginning to approach the D-League. You may lose a couple hundred thousand dollars a year on the thing, but it has the potential for a substantial payoff in talent down the road. It's not a financial black hole, it's an investment.

". Rubber Krapp's #1 Fan (Dan Lee) Posted: January 11, 2012 at 03:42 AM (#4033936)
TFA says Major League Baseball is committed to keeping the ABL around for at least five years. Given the MLB players that have come out of Australia over the past 20 years, it seems really short-sighted to me that they wouldn't just bankroll the thing (in some form or fashion) indefinitely. Sure, they'd probably lose money on it, but a stable ABL would almost certainly develop quality players and expand MLB's overseas fan base/television audience/merchandising."

But the Aussie population is pretty small. Slightly over 20 million. Even if it manages to somehow beat out cricket, rugby union, not to mention the 2 most popular sports, Aussie Rules and rugby league, you aren't getting that big a fan base/television audience/merchandising. The issue isn't whether MLB should put money into another league at a loss for long term benefits, the issue is whether it should be Australia.

At least, as a summer league, it only has to compete directly with cricket, soccer and basketball.

But the Aussie population is pretty small. Slightly over 20 million. Even if it manages to somehow beat out cricket, rugby union, not to mention the 2 most popular sports, Aussie Rules and rugby league, you aren't getting that big a fan base/television audience/merchandising. The issue isn't whether MLB should put money into another league at a loss for long term benefits, the issue is whether it should be Australia.

The benefit of doing such a thing in Australia, IMO, is that while the population is pretty small, the sport clearly has a (small, but extant) foothold there. They've produced 26 MLB players since the first ABL was formed in '87, so there's obviously talent to be found. There's no real national infrastructure there, unlike places like the Netherlands and Italy.

It doesn't really have to beat out cricket, rugby union, rugby league, or AFL footy. If TFA is correct, they need to draw 2,500 fans a game to break even. They need to be 80% as popular as netball.

If you're going to spend money to develop a league, fan base, and talent, I think Australia's the best place. There are enough fans that you won't lose zillions of dollars, there's enough local talent that you'll almost certainly produce MLB players, and it's a wealthy country. What are the other realistic options? South Africa, Netherlands, Italy? China?