[edit] Olympic History: Baseball

Baseball and the Olympics have a long, storied history. The sport had appeared as a demonstration sport seven times before it was made a medal sport starting with the 1992 Games in Barcelona.

Baseball's premier as a demonstration sport at the Stockholm Games in 1912 was certainly an interesting one. After watching the American team warm up and seeing they were grossly overmatched, a Swedish team asked the Americans to loan them a pitcher and catcher. The U.S. obliged, but still won the game 13-3.

Baseball's second appearance at the Games was equally as odd. At the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, the U.S. was the only team to show up. Other countries had planned to send teams, but none did. Consequently, the U.S. broke into two teams and competed in front of a record crowd reported to be over 125,000.

In 1940, baseball was gaining popularity fast, and there was a movement to make it an Olympic Sport at the Tokyo Games. However, the Olympics that year were canceled due to the outbreak of World War II, and the enthusiasm that led up to that point faded away.

The U.S. team competed twice more in Olympic exhibitions from 1940-1984. At the 1984 Games, the U.S. had built a powerhouse of a team that included present-day major league stars Mark McGwire, Barry Larkin and Will Clark. However, the talent-laden squad was shocked in the finals by Japan, a devastating 6-3 loss.

In 1988, the Americans got their revenge, beating Japan 5-3 in the championship game in a contest that featured former major leaguer Jim Abbott.

Finally in 1992, baseball became an official Olympic sport. The U.S., however, finished out of medal contention.

For the 2000 Games, professional baseball players will be allowed to participate for the first time. While no major leaguers will be on the roster (the Olympics fall in the heart of MLB's season), 24 minor leaguers will be chosen to fill the roster.