The Jerusalem Post is the putative hometown paper of the Israel Baseball League, but it's given short shrift to the most intriguing sports and business story in its nation these past nine months, barely acknowledging the existence, rise, fall and chaotic aftermath of the Israel Baseball League and its impact on the lives and pocketbooks of everyday Israelis.And when it got around to reporting what we broke exclusively a month and a half ago-- that there will be no professional baseball in Israel in 2008-- the months of legwork and investigation by Our Man Elli in Israel that developed this story and kept it alive for close to a year-- gets nary a nod of credit nor attribution.
And as blogsites and news organizations finally pick up the story and credit the Jerusalem Post, exposing how far behind the news and how uninquisitive each of them is, we carry on. And we wonder where the writer with the very fitting name of Jeremy Last got his insights and background material for this Jerusalem Post editorial that follows the late, derivative and unattributed article, as it contains not a single original thought and nothing that hasn't been said-- and read-- on this site for months now:
The Last Word:
The inevitable failures of the IBL
By JEREMY LAST
The news that the Israel Baseball League will not be returning for a second season this June was no big surprise considering the embarrassment of difficulties it faced last summer.
It was a sad end to what turned out to be a sorry affair which had many positives but in the end promised too much while delivering all too little.
The announcement confirmed the fears that the IBL, which had been over hyped and promoted for months up to its launch in June 2007, was nothing more than a badly organized disaster waiting to happen.
It is now time for what is left of the IBL management since the glut of resignations last November to take a wider perspective and realize just where they went wrong and how it would likely be only a good thing if the league does not come back in the same format as last year.
The problems were obvious from the beginning. Aside from Opening Day, which attracted over 3,000 supporters, there was hardly any interest from regular Israelis in a league which was run by Americans and almost exclusively for Americans.
Throughout the season the announcements were mostly in English, the Hebrew section of the official Web site was poor quality and the fields were difficult to get to. Israelis had little affiliation with the teams made up of players from around the world, just not Israel.
Added to that, there wasn't even a Jerusalem team although plans for one to be included in an expanded IBL for the 2008 season were announced a few months ago, before it became obvious that there will not be any such season.
Unfortunately it seems that the IBL has not considered taking this to heart and appears convinced that there is still a chance the league will continue in 2008. The main barrier could well be financial, and therefore overcome through a sudden monetary boost.
But, even if the league somehow manages to get itself together in just a few short weeks before the start of the new season it had scheduled for itself, it would be a foolish move.
The problems were deep and inbred from the start and, unless the league is made much more accessible for local supporters, it will continue to fail.
The IBL should take a leaf out of the book of what at first appeared to be its football sister, the Israel Football League.
Unlike the baseball league, the IFL is packed with locals playing in its four teams, encouraging far more fan involvement. That the games were played at Jerusalem's Kraft Stadium also helped, but if the IBL is to ever return and become a success it must start small rather than thinking big from the outset like it did last year and therefore setting it up for the all too inevitable fall from grace.
By JEREMY LAST
The news that the Israel Baseball League will not be returning for a second season this June was no big surprise considering the embarrassment of difficulties it faced last summer.
It was a sad end to what turned out to be a sorry affair which had many positives but in the end promised too much while delivering all too little.
The announcement confirmed the fears that the IBL, which had been over hyped and promoted for months up to its launch in June 2007, was nothing more than a badly organized disaster waiting to happen.
It is now time for what is left of the IBL management since the glut of resignations last November to take a wider perspective and realize just where they went wrong and how it would likely be only a good thing if the league does not come back in the same format as last year.
The problems were obvious from the beginning. Aside from Opening Day, which attracted over 3,000 supporters, there was hardly any interest from regular Israelis in a league which was run by Americans and almost exclusively for Americans.
Throughout the season the announcements were mostly in English, the Hebrew section of the official Web site was poor quality and the fields were difficult to get to. Israelis had little affiliation with the teams made up of players from around the world, just not Israel.
Added to that, there wasn't even a Jerusalem team although plans for one to be included in an expanded IBL for the 2008 season were announced a few months ago, before it became obvious that there will not be any such season.
Unfortunately it seems that the IBL has not considered taking this to heart and appears convinced that there is still a chance the league will continue in 2008. The main barrier could well be financial, and therefore overcome through a sudden monetary boost.
But, even if the league somehow manages to get itself together in just a few short weeks before the start of the new season it had scheduled for itself, it would be a foolish move.
The problems were deep and inbred from the start and, unless the league is made much more accessible for local supporters, it will continue to fail.
The IBL should take a leaf out of the book of what at first appeared to be its football sister, the Israel Football League.
Unlike the baseball league, the IFL is packed with locals playing in its four teams, encouraging far more fan involvement. That the games were played at Jerusalem's Kraft Stadium also helped, but if the IBL is to ever return and become a success it must start small rather than thinking big from the outset like it did last year and therefore setting it up for the all too inevitable fall from grace.
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