\n<\/p>\n
Tigers\u2019 pitcher Tarik Skubal announced that he will only be making one start in the World Baseball Classic, and it will be during pool play against Great Britain.<\/p>\n
Maybe the patriotic juices are still flowing through my blood from the USA vs Canada Olympics gold medal game<\/a>, but it\u2019s a joke that Skubal is wasting a spot for Team USA in the WBC. We just watched the United States\u2019 men\u2019s team travel to Milan in the middle of their season and battle it out for two weeks to take home the gold. I mean, Jack Hughes broke multiple teeth, continued playing, and scored an eventual game-winner for the Americans.<\/p>\n Then you have a guy like Skubal, the exact opposite type of guy. He\u2019s not going to take a chance on getting injured before he eventually leaves the Tigers to chase a massive paid day in free agency<\/a>. There\u2019s no I in team, but there certainly is one in Tarik.<\/p>\n Baseball has struggled to gain and retain a younger fan base in the U.S. market, and the World Baseball Classic should be the chance to captivate the American audience. Instead, players are going to treat the event like a glorified exhibition, rather than giving it the respect it deserves.<\/p>\n The NHL is starting to catch up to MLB in market share because they have continually made smart moves. First, the Four Nations Classic was a smashing success, and because of how great that event was, the Olympics had so much more hype entering Sunday. The game, being an instant classic, also helped grow hockey.<\/p>\n I know multiple people who never watch hockey, and we\u2019re tuned in for USA vs Canada. It\u2019s easy for an audience to get invested in a sport when they\u2019re rooting for their country, and that\u2019s what we should be pushing in baseball.<\/p>\n