Major League Baseball made a successful landing in China last weekend, but its attempt to build a legacy here is being immediately challenged by plans to raze Wukesong Baseball Field after the Beijing Games conclude.
Cheerleaders perform during the second game between San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2008 Major League Baseball (MLB) China Series at Wukesong Baseball Field in Beijing March 16, 2008.
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The San Diego Padres rallied to beat their National League West rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers in their two-game exhibition series at the Olympic venue in west Beijing last weekend in the MLB's first-ever games on the mainland. But the uncertain future of the baseball field does not bode well for those hoping the sport will catch on in China.
"It would be very unfortunate if (the Olympic) facilities do not remain because they are ideal for the development of the game," Padres CEO Sandy Alderson said at a press conference on Friday.
"One of the goals of coming here now was because it's a great opportunity for us to focus attention on at least one of the Olympic venues."
The ballpark, like the other temporary Olympic venues, has long been scheduled for demolition after August's Games to make way for a high-rise hotel, apartment buildings and other leisure facilities.
Members of the international baseball community believe that in order to ensure the MLB China Series becomes more than just a historical footnote, China must find a way to keep Wukesong intact since it is one of only a few professional-grade fields in the country and the only one in Beijing with a grass infield.
Henry Schiller, president of the International Baseball Federation, said Wukesong's location in the middle of Beijing's quickly developing west side makes it baseball's best bet if the sport is to remain in the capital for the foreseeable future.
"We've been working for a number of years with the (Olympic) organizing committee and the government to keep the stadium open after the Games," Schiller said. "It is very, very important not just for China, but for the rest of the world to keep this stadium open."
Fifty years ago, baseball was more popular in China than it was in neighboring Japan. But since its disappearance during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), it has not re-established a foothold in China despite its huge popularity in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.
Fan support
Baseball fans did their part over the weekend to petition for the survival of the stadium by filling the stadium to near capacity for both games, noisily clapping their thundersticks and cheering at every fly ball.
Players said the atmosphere the fans helped create made it feel like any other ballpark in the world.
"I felt the atmosphere was like anywhere else," Padres second baseman Adrian Gonzalez said Saturday. "It felt like I was at the ballpark playing baseball."
When told of Wukesong's imminent demise, Gonzalez sounded a note of optimism: "Let's build a new one somewhere," he suggested.
Unfortunately for baseball, it's not that simple. Beijing's real estate market is booming and investing in something like a baseball field is hardly a guarantee of good returns. Wukesong currently sits in the middle of an ugly construction zone that looks poised to consume everything in its path as soon as it is given the chance.
Baseball fields also take up a lot of space. Wukesong sits on a 14,360 sq m plot of land - land that can be used for little else besides baseball. Finding a another plot of land elsewhere in the city would be a formidable task given the present rate of development, which is why saving Wukesong is among the top priorities for Chinese baseball officials.
"The decision (to tear down Wukesong) has a huge impact on the possibility of the future development of baseball in China," said Lei Jun, president of the Chinese Baseball Association.
Hope is not lost
But a recent conversation with a source close to the owners of the Olympic venue revealed that they may be willing to preserve one of the three fields at the complex - which includes two competition fields and one training ground - but no official announcement has been made. Requests for further comment were not granted.
MLB is also willing to help and Vice President of MLB Asia Jim Small says the league has made clear its intent to help keep the stadium alive.
"We've been in conversation for almost two years with the Wukesong group about saving the stadium and it is something we are prepared to help them with," Small said.
Joining hands with MLB would follow a new precedent set by the NBA, which recently agreed to take on all management and booking responsibilities for the adjacent Wukesong basketball stadium after the Olympics.
Getting the Chinese side and MLB to agree to a similar deal would be harder, though, as baseball is a much tougher sell here since the risks are greater and baseball fields are single-purpose venues, while the basketball arena is equipped to hold non-sporting events.
But Small says no matter what odds baseball faces, the fight has only just begun.
"Baseball has too strong a start and too much momentum," he said. "It would be a shame if it (Wukesong) did go away, but certainly it would not be the end of baseball in China."
