Cubs News: It's time for WBC to get even more popular and bigger
Rhona Wise - USA Today Sports

Cubs News: It's time for WBC to get even more popular and bigger


Dustin Riese Dustin Riese - Senior Writer -

Now that arguably the best World Baseball Classic has ended, it is time to focus on the next one and how it can top what we just witnessed. Before we get into all of that, I would like to congratulate Japan on the performance they put forth. They were the best team in the tournament from start to finish and showed that on the field when it mattered most.

After it was announced that the next WBC would be returning in 2026, fans will not have to wait four years to see this event happen again. Granted, three years is still a long time, but at least it will take place sooner rather than later. Looking at the future of this event and where it stands, it is time for the MLB to take a long look at the WBC and how to improve it.

I am someone that has been pushing for this event to happen more than every four years. I would love to see it happen every year or even every other year, but that doesn't seem feasible. However, one way to potentially see this competition a bit more is to go with the same approach that FIFA does leading up to the World Cup.

Find a way to create qualification games, tournaments, etc... to get more international play across the four years. You could dedicate one month a year to international play, which could help determine seeding for the next WBC.

Next, you must look at when this event occurs and how it could change. With Spring Training being as long as it is and most professional leagues starting in April, it does make sense to hold this event in March. However, you run into the issue of players getting injured, which could alter the start of their season.

Injuries will happen no matter what, but limiting them is the key. Moving the tournament to December would be perfect as it would take place directly after the playoffs end while still giving players ample time off leading into spring. Remember that most players participating in this event are not even in baseball shape when it starts. They would be in baseball shape if you played it closer to the end of the season as opposed to spring training.

This was the first year the field was expanded to 20 teams, which was a brilliant move. However, I would love to see this event expand to 24 teams or even 32. While 32 is a stretch, 24 is possible, as it would allow for more countries to play in this event. Instead of five team pools, you could do six pools of four and take the six pool winners into the next round along with two wild card teams based on tiebreakers.

Adding more teams would mean adding more venues, which is the key to this whole thing. The WBC showcases the amount of baseball talent and skill that occurs worldwide, yet the same venues are used every tournament. Since the beginning of all this in 2006, Korea, Japan, San Diego, Arizona, Los Angeles, and Miami have constantly hosted the event.

Those are great cities, and the weather is perfect more often than not this time of year, but plenty of more venues can host this event. Take a look at the US, for example. Houston, Arlington, Seattle, and Milwaukee have retractable roof stadiums, so the weather would not be an issue. You also have the SkyDome in Toronto, Tropicana Field in Tampa, Oracle Park in San Francisco, and Angel Stadium in Anaheim, which are perfect spots to host this event.

Going a bit further, there is Hiran Bihorn Stadium in Puerto Rico, plenty of Mexican and Latin American Fields, Australian Fields, and even European fields that can host games. The whole point of this tournament was to unite the entire world through baseball. Limiting the games to eight venues annually defeats the purpose of all of that.

Should the MLB decide to add more teams to this event again, it would force them to add two to four new venues per tournament. That is an excellent thing as it allows other cities and stadiums to host games giving more fans a chance to watch games in person. The MLB and those involved should also create a plan to rotate sites for each WBC. These changes are things to consider should the WBC want to continue growing into one of the best global tournaments.

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