Baseball is toast from the 2012 Olympics. Glad they did not cut any amateur sports such as triathlon, especially after all the turmoil between the ITU and ETU members !
Still sucks that Men’s Kilo and Women’s 1/2 Kilo is out of cycling… I like BMX and certainly think it fits, but I wish they could get rid of something like “trampoline” to make room for it… Trampoline is best reserved for the opening and closing of The Man Show (which I miss…)
Too right, baseball and softball have no place in the Olympics, neither does basketball for that matter. There are of other sports deserving with a more global appeal, and why do NBA players need to go to the Olympics? Ask them what matters most? An NBA champs, or olympic medal…
Weeman
I think rythmic gymnastics and trampoline cold go with little notice throughout the world. Basketball stays b/c the best of the NBA constantly get beat by the rest of the world. I say take the best college players and you’d have a better team, IMO.
Constantly? This past year is the first time in like 20 years that they lost a game… I’d hardly call that constant.
BUT, now that they are losing, I do see more of a reason to keep it…
I agree wholeheartedly on trampoline and rhythmic gymnastics… Ballroom dancing too…
I’m just glad they still kept synchro swimming. I actually enjoy watching those babes. 
Really? You think the best college players would beat the best of the NBA. Why? How? Under what circurmstances? Christ, just what I would want in a coach: blind allegiance to his own opinion no matter what the facts might be. Damn the facts. I have my opinion!!! You know what they say. Opinions are like hemorrhoids. Eventually every asshole gets one.
Damn skippy, ther’s a whack of other “sports” that could disappear methinks: shooting, Hello? how athletic is that? skill yes, athleticism, no. Ditto archery, but that one has too much history behind it. I’d even like to see equestiran go. Maybe they could add dog agility (a la super dogs) as a spectator sport in 2012? Bwahahahaha!!!
But synchro should stay, until you try it you have NO IDEA how physically demanding a sport it is.
Shooting is incredibly athletic. Give a try sometime.
The best college basketball wouldn’t be so stuck on themselves that they couldn’t play as a team. This past year was pitiful as far as teamwork and general desire to even be at the Olympics. Too much time on the prvate yacht…
Pro’s don’t belong in the Olympics at all.
I don’t care what sport or why.
If you can’t get enough amateurs then take the sport out of the Olympics.
The Olympics are for amateurs. It is not an All Star game.
I would like to see rugby added, it is on the list to be reviewed. I think it has a much universal following, by both spectators and players, than rhythmic gymnastics and syncronized swimming, or doubles diving.
Let’s go back to the amateur days. Professional tennis and golf have 4 majors a year each that any player would cut their right arm off to win. As for an olympic gold medal, well that would just be ‘nice’ to add to their already bulging trophy cabinet at best. We are saturated with those sports week in, week out. Bring back the kilo and 500, drop basketball and tennis and bar golf as the olympics is a once every 4 year event where athletes get to showcase their talents in front of the world for the pure love of SPORT, not commercial interests per se.
" Let’s go back to the amateur days. "
Please lets not. The idea of an amateur is a joke. What is about mediocrity that makes people so happy? “I hate the best performing against each other. Lets get the has-beens and also-rans to compete.”
Sport is money. The good old days are the old days and may they stay in the grave.
Basketball stays b/c the best of the NBA constantly get beat by the rest of the world
There was only one year when the “Best” of the NBA showed up … and they made a laughing stock out of it … by having the game be over by halftime, if not sooner. Since, then most of the “Best” have passed on the Olympics for one reason or another.
One could also point out the rapdily growing number of NBA players from other countries. Team USA has gotten weaker by its best players not going, but the other countries have also gotten A LOT better … and in a quick hurry too. And we could always bring up that non-USA countries play a better “team” game, and the USA seemingly plays “street ball”. There are also differences in international play than NBA basketball … namely the minimal amount of contact allowed (without fouling) that is permitted in international play. The USA players are accustomed to a game that is a lot more physical.
I can understand cutting baseball … MLB doesn’t even send major league players, b/c it would interfere with the season. The exhibition series between USA and Japan is good enough (IMO).
The explanantion I got from the radio was that the sports were cut because, except for a few countries, global appeal was not increasing and because “Africa didn’t have a single team”. Granted softball usually involves USA and China, but couldn’t we all think of some Olympic events that do not have global appeal and/or are dominated by just one or two countries?
I feel bad for female softball players b/c they don’t have a comparable professional league (although an upstart one is trying) to compete in. So, for them, the Olympics were everything.
One could make the argument that the winter olympics, inherently, exclude certain regions of the globe.
We could all form a list of olympic events that are not a blip on very many’s radar screen.
Softball could stay, and events like “ballroom dancing” (or some other such “event”) could be hacked, IMO.
A few losses in international play don’t count as constant and the best of the NBA haven’t been showing up. Arguably, many of the best are now representing other countries in the Oly. It’s no longer a “Dream” or a “team”, that was a one shot deal IMO. I would like to see more college players play in the Olympics but to be honest an all college team would get smashed unless they were playing Angola. 20 years ago a college team would do ok but the fact that the NBA marketing machine is what it is, the rest of the world is catching up. Kinda.
While there are few players that go straight to the league out of HS here, players in other countries are getting consistent international and pro experience at a much earlier age. Big difference. College players here would have to learn the international game, adjust to a new system (pro level), learn player tendencies all in a very short period of time, and compete against countries who’s national teams are together year-round with the expectation of winning gold. Uh, uh.
“Ask them what matters most? An NBA champs, or olympic medal…”
Why don’t you take a sampling and report back? I’d bet there are many pros that would love to play for a medal. The stars generally get invited and typically site obligations and decline. Thus the C or D team is sent to the Oly. If they get injured in the Oly they’re livelihoods are endangered. If Shaq breaks a leg in the Oly it’s a wrap. Not my view but just a thought.
Propose cutting soccer, hockey and the like while you’re at it. What would you suggest to replace them that has more global appeal? Pros are in all. Matter of fact there are few ‘amateur’ globally accepted team sports remaining in the Olympics. Football I mean soccer and hoop are up there at the top as far as what is being played around the world. Maybe you don’t like hoop because you are too short. 
They should get the pro’s out of the games. It’s all about money.
Dirt
hmmm…you guys are paid to do your job? why wouldn’t athletes who train hard, and are watched by billions of people get paid as well to ‘entertain us’…
or should we complete the cycle and have them compete to death so that the games, truly look like ancient games?
I said it was my opinion. Not a fact, nor blind allegience. You have some sort of burr under your skin this morning. Since you have the opinion that I am off base, and I could be since the best of the NBA play for many different countries, you might want to get yourself checked out for a hemmorrhoid.