Comments on: Is India the next untapped resource for Major League Baseball? http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/india/is-india-the-next-untapped-resource-for-major-league-baseball/ The MBA Graduate Program at Cal Poly Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:09:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Jeffrey http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/india/is-india-the-next-untapped-resource-for-major-league-baseball/#comment-17313 Jeffrey Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:14:46 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/?p=2187#comment-17313 Hi, I am an indian and have been following baseball. I got to know about the sport in 2007 from my brother who lives in NJ. Since then i have been a fan of the REDSOX and a greater lover of everything baseball. Can India be a hotbed for MLB? why not. Since our relationship with the USA (politically) has improved, people in metropolitan cities are taking key interests in american sports/culture. More and more indians who end-up in USA (thanks to the booming software industry) are learning various sports and spreading the knowledge with friends & family in india. The Key to this success would be television. We get to see 3 MLB games a week (Only Yankee games) and all the postseason games. Hi,

I am an indian and have been following baseball. I got to know about the sport in 2007 from my brother who lives in NJ. Since then i have been a fan of the REDSOX and a greater lover of everything baseball. Can India be a hotbed for MLB? why not. Since our relationship with the USA (politically) has improved, people in metropolitan cities are taking key interests in american sports/culture. More and more indians who end-up in USA (thanks to the booming software industry) are learning various sports and spreading the knowledge with friends & family in india. The Key to this success would be television. We get to see 3 MLB games a week (Only Yankee games) and all the postseason games.

]]> By: Jason Silver http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/india/is-india-the-next-untapped-resource-for-major-league-baseball/#comment-17170 Jason Silver Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:07:20 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/?p=2187#comment-17170 I would have to back Will up and say that it is entirely possible for Indians to become the next source of Major League Baseball players. I am an avid sports fan and remember when ESPN (Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) and Sports Illustrated both reported on this story. Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel are listed as pitchers on the current roster on the minor league affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Gulf Coast League Pirates. The statistics show that both players have played sparingly and with mixed levels of success. It normally takes a few years of development in the minor leagues for a player to be ready for “The Show.” These players are still works-in-progress, so only time will tell if this gamble pays off. However, India is a country that boasts roughly one sixth of the world’s population, so one can make the argument that with enough money, time, and resources, India could become a hotbed for MLB stars. Many Major League teams invest in training academies and independent leagues in the major baseball nations, so that they can spot talented players early, and then grow them into potential stars. A similar program in India would be the necessary first step if baseball teams were to seriously consider acquiring Indian talent. The World Baseball Classic tournament is an annual competition that brings together teams from around the world to compete to see which country reigns supreme. The usual suspects like the United States, Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Japan are included in the field. While countries such as the Netherlands, Italy, South Africa, Australia, and China are also fielding teams for this international event. This is a testament to the growth of baseball internationally and the ability for a sport that isn’t culturally relevant, to become accepted within a nation’s sports landscape. With this example, it doesn’t seem too far fetched for India, a country with a sport very similar to baseball, to make the transition to next adopting baseball. - Jason Silver I would have to back Will up and say that it is entirely possible for Indians to become the next source of Major League Baseball players. I am an avid sports fan and remember when ESPN (Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) and Sports Illustrated both reported on this story. Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel are listed as pitchers on the current roster on the minor league affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Gulf Coast League Pirates. The statistics show that both players have played sparingly and with mixed levels of success. It normally takes a few years of development in the minor leagues for a player to be ready for “The Show.” These players are still works-in-progress, so only time will tell if this gamble pays off.

However, India is a country that boasts roughly one sixth of the world’s population, so one can make the argument that with enough money, time, and resources, India could become a hotbed for MLB stars. Many Major League teams invest in training academies and independent leagues in the major baseball nations, so that they can spot talented players early, and then grow them into potential stars. A similar program in India would be the necessary first step if baseball teams were to seriously consider acquiring Indian talent.

The World Baseball Classic tournament is an annual competition that brings together teams from around the world to compete to see which country reigns supreme. The usual suspects like the United States, Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Japan are included in the field. While countries such as the Netherlands, Italy, South Africa, Australia, and China are also fielding teams for this international event. This is a testament to the growth of baseball internationally and the ability for a sport that isn’t culturally relevant, to become accepted within a nation’s sports landscape. With this example, it doesn’t seem too far fetched for India, a country with a sport very similar to baseball, to make the transition to next adopting baseball.

- Jason Silver

]]> By: William Ary http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/india/is-india-the-next-untapped-resource-for-major-league-baseball/#comment-17147 William Ary Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:44:45 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/?p=2187#comment-17147 Athletes can be found anywhere and American sports businesses can and do seek out the world's best talent and suck it out of the country of its origin with raw cash power. I saw this all the time while I was rowing for UCLA. We were a club team composed of people who were admitted for academics and walked onto the same "playing field" with Olympians. Our team competed against members of at least a dozen Olympic rowing teams. Many were from former communist countries and had degrees from sports colleges and were all recruited to US schools as athletes. When I raced them (and subsequently lost badly) I came to realize that the diversity of humanity is such that talent exists everywhere and there are always people willing to seek it out. I have seen Olympic Gold winners in rowing shaped out of tribesmen who had never seen more than a glass of water in their whole lives, so it is eminently possible that these Indians will prove to have tremendous ability and change both the way that the game is played and how players are recruited. Athletes can be found anywhere and American sports businesses can and do seek out the world’s best talent and suck it out of the country of its origin with raw cash power. I saw this all the time while I was rowing for UCLA. We were a club team composed of people who were admitted for academics and walked onto the same “playing field” with Olympians. Our team competed against members of at least a dozen Olympic rowing teams. Many were from former communist countries and had degrees from sports colleges and were all recruited to US schools as athletes. When I raced them (and subsequently lost badly) I came to realize that the diversity of humanity is such that talent exists everywhere and there are always people willing to seek it out. I have seen Olympic Gold winners in rowing shaped out of tribesmen who had never seen more than a glass of water in their whole lives, so it is eminently possible that these Indians will prove to have tremendous ability and change both the way that the game is played and how players are recruited.

]]> By: Chase Janvrin http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/india/is-india-the-next-untapped-resource-for-major-league-baseball/#comment-17146 Chase Janvrin Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:17:31 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/?p=2187#comment-17146 This reminds me of the NFL's attempt to start a Russian Football League in the 80's. It was determined that because Russian cultures didn't have any traditional sports that required an overhand throw, they weren't able to find ANY Russian men that made good quarterbacks. They all "threw like girls" with their arm position in an awkward angle, and unable to generate any real power. It turns out that ability, to throw an overhand, bent arm, throw, what we think of for baseball or football, is almost unable to be taught if not learned as a child. If that proves true with the straight arm bowlers of cricket, I'm curious to see. Personally, I doubt it. But even more than a cricket trained Indian bowler pitching like an American in MLB, I'd rather see a cricket trained Indian bowler pitching straight arm. Not only would that be interesting for Americans to watch, it would be a jump start in fostering interest of baseball in India. And I wonder if cricket bowlers have the same rate of injury that baseball pitchers do. Perhaps some of that technique would be adopted from a safety perspective. This reminds me of the NFL’s attempt to start a Russian Football League in the 80’s. It was determined that because Russian cultures didn’t have any traditional sports that required an overhand throw, they weren’t able to find ANY Russian men that made good quarterbacks. They all “threw like girls” with their arm position in an awkward angle, and unable to generate any real power. It turns out that ability, to throw an overhand, bent arm, throw, what we think of for baseball or football, is almost unable to be taught if not learned as a child. If that proves true with the straight arm bowlers of cricket, I’m curious to see. Personally, I doubt it. But even more than a cricket trained Indian bowler pitching like an American in MLB, I’d rather see a cricket trained Indian bowler pitching straight arm. Not only would that be interesting for Americans to watch, it would be a jump start in fostering interest of baseball in India. And I wonder if cricket bowlers have the same rate of injury that baseball pitchers do. Perhaps some of that technique would be adopted from a safety perspective.

]]> By: Michael Minasian http://calpolymbatrip.com/2009/india/is-india-the-next-untapped-resource-for-major-league-baseball/#comment-17142 Michael Minasian Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:16:55 +0000 http://calpolymbatrip.com/?p=2187#comment-17142 This is a great post! I love the collision of sports and culture. Given the huge popularity of baseball in other countries like Japan (Daisuke Matsuzaka, Ichiro Suzuki, and Hideki Matsui) as well as many hispanic countries, I think that it could catch on in other places as well. While many people often decry the amount of money made by professional athletes, oftentimes international players especially those from humble backgrounds are some of those who give the most back to their communities. Dikembe Mutombo is a great example of an athlete who has garnered praise for his work with his community. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dikembe_Mutombo#Humanitarian_work All of this to say that sports popularity can have a big impact on the lives of needy people in foreign countries when players are successful, and in turn get involved. I think that it is always positive to see new cultures represented in sports. As always, they should be judged by what they show on the field, not where they came from. This is a great post! I love the collision of sports and culture. Given the huge popularity of baseball in other countries like Japan (Daisuke Matsuzaka, Ichiro Suzuki, and Hideki Matsui) as well as many hispanic countries, I think that it could catch on in other places as well. While many people often decry the amount of money made by professional athletes, oftentimes international players especially those from humble backgrounds are some of those who give the most back to their communities.

Dikembe Mutombo is a great example of an athlete who has garnered praise for his work with his community.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dikembe_Mutombo#Humanitarian_work

All of this to say that sports popularity can have a big impact on the lives of needy people in foreign countries when players are successful, and in turn get involved. I think that it is always positive to see new cultures represented in sports. As always, they should be judged by what they show on the field, not where they came from.

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