10 WAYS BASEBALL & SOFTBALL WOULD STRENGTHEN THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT
About the WBSC 2020 Olympic Bid:
1. A worldwide fan base of 200 million spectators at the professional and amateur levels -- with 150+ million tickets sold last year to pro games alone.
2. Women -- Full gender equity -- the global growth of softball ensures greater access to sport for women in all cultures -- and the growth is particularly strong among Muslim women.
3. A unique sport anyone, anywhere can play -- regardless of age, gender, disability, culture, social or economic standing. There are no barriers to playing this game.
4. A great spectator experience at the pro level, which is what the Games would enjoy -- driven by the electrifying athleticism of men and women playing the same game in two distinct styles.
5. A growing global broadcast audience: the World Baseball Classic -- the newest elite global championship -- was broadcast into 200 countries this year. And the broadcast of the Softball World Cup in July reached 140 countries.
6. The robust growth of the international game -- with new tournaments such as the Premier 12, the Under 12, and Under 21 in baseball and the Under 16 World Cup in softball -- more national teams are competing every day.
7. Digital media youth appeal -- professional baseball has one of the largest digital media operation and youth followings in world sport -- and that expertise would be brought to the Olympic arena.
8. Commercial Appeal -- baseball and softball have shown a remarkable ability to attract corporate sponsorships to all major tournament -- even the U12 Baseball World Championship was fully sponsored in Chinese Taipei.
9. Investments in the future of global sport -- the partnership between the WBSC and the IOC would benefit the culture of sport worldwide -- and strengthen the Olympic Movement.
10. A new team sport to drive participation in emerging nations -- millions of young boys and girls would have new opportunities to dream about playing for their national teams in the Olympic Games.
