Here's a story that captures a couple of my interests simultaneously, the New York Yankees and China:
The Yankees consider themselves the most driven team in a competitive sport, so their push to boost baseball in China is not purely altruistic. They believe there is talent to be cultivated in China, and when future prospects have a choice of where to sign, the Yankees want their brand and reputation to stand out....
They are working to develop baseball in China, perhaps spurred by the success of Taiwanese native Wang Chien-ming.
As I thought about how to bring ancient Chinese philosophy into this issue, Sun Tzu came to mind (as he has so much this month...). China is obviously wide open territory when it comes to the future of baseball. Other teams may be thinking along the same lines as the Yankees and New York must assume that LA and Chicago and other big market teams will be looking to develop their presence in China soon. Boston seems to be a step behind, only now breaking into the Japan market, where the Yankees have a well established position.
As such, China, in strategic baseball terms, would appear to be what Sun Tzu refers to as "accessible terrain," about which he says:
Terrain that both armies can approach freely is called accessible. On accessible terrain, the army that enters the battle having been first to occupy high ground on the sunny side and to establish convenient supply lines, fights with the advantage.
(Ames translation, p. 147)
Getting there first is a smart move. What they now have to do is figure out what the "high ground on the sunny side" might be. I remember years ago (1984) seeing students at Zhongshan University playing softball, something I did not see in Beijing (of course this may have changed with all the transformations sweeping the country). I wonder if southern China might be the best place to go, at first. Folks there might be less up tight about a "foreign game," more open to the fun of it all, and certainly savvy to the business possibilities.
Now, if Sun Tzu could only tell us how to beef up the pitching rotation....
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