The success of 2006's World Baseball Classic was all-encompassing; crowds showed up, money was made, the Americans got their hides booted (by Canada, no less!), and the event was deemed a total success. In fact, it did so well that the organizers were able to give a $1.2m donation to Habitats For Humanity from the proceeds.
Yet, baseball leaves the Olympic games after 2008, along with women's softball. Trampolining will stay, synchronized swimming is forever, but baseball and softball are gone. Why?
The IOC wants Major League Baseball to let professional players turn out for national teams, and the MLB refuses to interrupt its season at the midway point so that the IOC can make money on the backs of players under contract to major league teams.
Both sides have reason to claim they're in the right - MLB players are paid, in some cases, tens of millions of dollars a year for their services, and they play just about every day of the week, so taking them away for two or three weeks would cost teams millions of dollars in lost revenue, not to mention completely throw off the season itself. And what if a player gets a long term injury when a part time pitcher from Malawi decides to throw some chin music?
On the other hand, the IOC wants the best of the best out there on the field in each event, not a strong team from Cuba and a bunch of minor leaguers, over the hill veterans, and teenagers. Spoken in quieter tones is that they also want the big money that will come from increased TV contracts should those pro players come out of hiding.
The proper solution to this mess is that both sides meet in the middle - let free agents and minor leaguers play, with each MLB team being given the opportunity to park one major leaguer in the Olympic tournament - or pay a 'no-participation fee' of, let's say $100,000, that will go towards covering the salaries of those ML players in the tournament.
This way, the MLB teams that are in contention can wave the Olympics off, while those out of contention for the playoffs can save some salary on a player that nobody is coming out to the ballpark to see - your benchwarmers, slumping stars, and the like.
Sadly, instead of figuring out compromises such as this, both sides are doing the alpha male penis size comparison thing, and so baseball fans (and developing baseball countries) will have to hope and pray that someone, somewhere in the halls of power, grows a brain before 2016.