Could the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks kicking off the 2014 Major League Baseball season at the SCG be the perfect opportunity to expand the game Down Under?
Baseball is still seen as a fringe sport in Australia, but the return of a national competition in the form of the Australian Baseball League could see the game rise to new levels.
After a decade without a national competition, the refreshed ABL was launched in 2010 and is set to start its fourth season this year.
There has already been serious interest in the ABL from the MLB (who provide part funding for the league), with both Travis Blackley and Cody Clark signing with MLB teams after impressive stints in the local competition.
While the attendance of each game is nowhere near other top levels sports in Australia, the league is still young and lacks exposure to the general public.
The MLB season-opener is attracting significant national media attention, which will surely have a positive impact on the game at all levels.
While tickets aren’t cheap – starting at $69 for outside grandstand seats – they’re hot property. The two-game series will attract near-capacity crowds to the SCG and generate significant buzz around Sydney.
The event will also be well marketed nationally thanks to a deal with the Nine Network to screen both games live on GEM, while ESPN will broadcast the games to international viewers.
Nine has chosen a familiar face in Ian Chappell to head up their commentary team, so even casual watchers of Australian cricket should recognise the voice calling the game.
Even though the games will be competing head to head with the AFL and NRL, I think there will be a lot of interested viewers given the event is a one-off and on Australian shores.
So what effect will this have on the game after the MLB packs up and heads back state-side?
The goal for the Australian Baseball Federation should be to use this event as a springboard to promote the game in Australia at all levels.
Short term, this should involve getting people interested in playing the sport at a grass roots level, which means getting information out there about how to join, what clubs are around and when the season starts.
Promotion of the ABL to inform people of basics like team locations, venues, ticket prices and website information should be a priority to lift attendance figures around the country.
Junior development, facility improvement and school visits from ABL clubs should be a long term goal, but implementation of structured plans should start now.
Japan, our baseball loving Asia-Pacific neighbour, also has the potential to continue the great exposure the American visit will generate by scheduling regular exhibition games with their premier clubs.
With talks progressing with the MLB about making this a once every four years event, using the time in between games to implement a development framework is paramount.
If the MLB returns in 2018 and the game is still in the same position as it is now, the ABF will look back on these games as a wasted opportunity.
Australia has a history of sporting achievement and with proper development of the game we could be seeing more Australians join the likes of Grant Balfour, Peter Moylan and Travis Blackwood in the major leagues.
It won’t be a radical transformation that happens overnight, but this could be the first step in changing both the general perception of baseball in Australia and raising the profile of the game at both a local and national level.
What’s your best bet? For great odds on all your favourite sports check out PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
It’s a pretty good time to be a Tasmanian sports fan right now. After years in the sporting wilderness with not much to celebrate,…
Olympic swimming legend and Australian Sports Commission boss Kieren Perkins has warned that "someone will die" if a multi-sport event that allows athletes to…
In 2015 when heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko, the fighter regarded by many as the ‘Greatest of all time’ in the sport,…
Join Australia's most vibrant online sports community and you have the chance to win $1000. The Roar is the perfect blend of sports reporting,…
Here is a review of our boxers who made a splash in the world rankings over the past year.
After intense debate at Roar HQ, we’ve selected the 23 most controversial moments for 2023.
