Japanese Union Baseball Players Are Not Budging And Still Will Not Participate In WBC

Members of the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association met with officials of Nippon Professional Baseball's 12 teams on Monday over the union's participation in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, "but no progress was made," according to KYODO. The union "stuck to its stance" that it will not take part under the current system, in which all sponsorship and broadcast revenues are put in the same pot and split by all participating organizations. At Wednesday's meeting, the league's side "explained once more in detail" about the plan to create a permanent body called the "Samurai Japan Project" that will guarantee revenue. The union, however, stood by its resolution from July 20 that it will not participate as long as WBC Inc. "denies the rights of Japan to its own sponsorship revenues." NPB Secretary General Toru Matsubara said, "We explained that the players' stance is firm" (KYODO, 8/2).