Report: World Baseball Classic may end after 2017

The plug may soon be pulled on the World Baseball Classic.

Cristian Moreno of ESPN reported Monday that unless revenues improve for the 2017 edition of the WBC, there may not be any more in the future.

#Source: I've been told by multiple sources related to #WorldBaseballClassic the 2017 possibly final edition unless legit $$$ earnings come. pic.twitter.com/PlSXiANMi9

— Cristian Moreno/ESPN (@CristianMorenoD) November 28, 2016

The hope was that the WBC would serve as a global showcase for the sport, much like the FIFA World Cup does for soccer. It hasn’t really caught on in the same way, and some of the league’s more prominent players have been hesitant to participate due to fear of injury or other reasons. Even in 2017, some of the sport’s brightest stars will be absent. At the end of the day, it’s all about revenues, and if they aren’t high enough, there’s no incentive to continue.