Is the Removal of Baseball and Softball from the Olympic Games Payback for Iraq and Afghanistan?

Is the removal of baseball and softball from the 2012 Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee supposed to be a way to punish the U.S. for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan?
I think that it is. Even though both sports are played by several countries they are most closely associated as being "American Sports". It is a fact the most of the time teams from the U.S. are favored to win these events.

Nah, they're minority sports, like cricket. Olympic sports need to be global that's the point, they should never have been included in the first place.

Think the fact they're American sports (although baseball is really a British sport anyway!) is entirely coincidental.

How can it be an american sports of the cubans keep beating the americans at it?

Also, I think part of the problem with softball (and I am not too familiar with the situation) was that it was so completely dominated by the American women's team, that it was just silly to keep it going. I mean, there's lots of sports out there that really are confined to a few countries. Imean, what would be the point of playing this game in the Olympics? The afghan's would crush everyone and it'd be pointless.

I really cant see how you could think this was meant as a punishment for the US.
The US dont even dominate the sport.(softball that is)
They might think they do but on the outside of that little bubble they all seem to live in thats just not the case.
answer me this.......
who has won the mens world softball champs for the past how many years running??
dumping softball from the olympics doesnt punish the US.
it punishes us!
because thats just one less medal we wont win.
however i heard of a possibility that rugby 7's could be included.
aint no way anyone but us is gonna win that!!!

What is sometimes forgotten is that the deletion of softball and baseball allows for the expansion of the Synchronized Swimming program as well as the addition of rugby (now) and rodeo and ballroom dancing in 2016.

Who is 'we' Wardr08e? Didnt South Africa recently win the Rugby 7's world cup?

I agree that Baseball and Softball should be scrapped, they are by NO means global sports. Out of 202 participating nations, a whoping 8 yes 8 nations were involved in the 2004 Olympics for both Base and Softball. That makes 4 percent of the planets nations Baseball playing; truly global.

(Although the USA was excluded in 2004, so the sarcastic percentage remark is not very acurate )

Is the Removal of Baseball and Softball from the Olympic Games Payback for Iraq and Afghanistan?

- Maybe to the laughably paranoid in the US but no-one else I'd say.

Maybe they are tired of all the BS that follows? Sure they might pass the drug test then, but they knew it was coming so stopped for 2-3 weeks, they are still steroid muscle beasts, not athletes.

Great sport to add? Car Racing! Get the Germans in a Volkswagon, an American in a Chevy, a Japanese in a Honda, so forth. "Gold Medal Winner Carl Edwards! Silver is Sam Hornish! Bronze is Hirotoma Yasaka!" And get rid of swimming. If I throw you in the water and you swim so you don't drown are you an athlete? NO! You are trying not to die!

"Next up is Competitive Breathing! Look at them breath, in, out, in, out, oh the blonde was caught cheating using headphones to tell her when to breath! Sweden is banned from this sport for the rest of the competition."