A contingent of executives from the New York Yankees will fly to
China next week with the hope of concluding ongoing negotiations
with the China Baseball Association. An agreement could lead to the
Yankees dispatching coaches and trainers to work with players in
China, and perhaps, in years to come, founding a baseball
academy.
According to a major league executive briefed on the Yankees'
intentions, the Yankees -- operating in consultation with Major
League Baseball -- have been in negotiations for seven months on
this deal. The Yankees' goal is to reach the world's most populated
nation with their brand, and put themselves in position to scout
talent, while working with members of the CBA to improve Chinese
baseball.
Similarly, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays were
the first teams to firmly establish themselves in the Dominican
Republic, and reaped great benefits. Nothing prevents other Major
League Baseball teams from attempting to reach the same strategic
alliance that the Yankees hope to soon formalize.
If the agreement is finalized, the Yankees "intend to make an
investment in baseball in China," said the executive. "They intend
to assign the coaches and trainers there for extended periods of
time." In addition, the Yankees will serve as host to
representatives from the China Baseball Association in the U.S.,
allowing them to observe baseball operations there.
Yankees executives, including President Randy Levine, General
Manager Brian Cashman, and assistant GM Jean Afterman, will also
visit teams in Japan as part of their Far East tour.
(China Daily via ESPN?January 26, 2007)