European Baseball League in the Works

The popularity of baseball is often seen concentrated within the United States, however baseball fans can be found abroad and around the world. The International Baseball Federation has recognized this, and has began formulating plans to launch a professional baseball league in Europe.

Harvey Schiller, the president of the International Baseball Federation, formally announced the plans for the new league at a meeting in Cuba on Wednesday June 25, 2008. He even gave a time frame to expect the new league, stating that "Our tentative plans also include the launch of a professional baseball league in Europe in 2010 and beyond."

Part of the reasoning behind the formation of the league is an effort to boost baseball's popularity in Europe prior to the 2012 Olympics in London. A vote in 2005 removed baseball and softball from the event list, much to the dissatisfaction of the International Baseball Federation.

In fact, the purpose of the meeting where the announcement of the league was first made was to congratulate Cuba for yielding the 2009 World Cup to several European nations. Their effort to spread the popularity of baseball was being appreciated by the International Baseball Federation. A committee will review baseballs popularity between the Beijing Olympics and the World Baseball classic in the month of March, 2009, and reconsider their vote to remove baseball from the Olympic events.