When it comes to baseball, as it always has been, the game itself is so compelling, so engrossing, so charmingly funny that organizers know that no matter what they do, the fans will keep coming back.
This latest humiliation isn’t a scandal — it’s not about the Black Sox or the race barrier or the canceled World Series or steroids — it’s just another sign that the commissioner’s office doesn’t think major league baseball is as special and unique as it should be.
During next month’s postseason, the logo of a German company that makes high-performance workwear will be “emblazoned” on all players’ batting helmets.
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MLB to put advertising on batting helmets during playoffs
“Decorate” is an interesting word of choice in MLB’s press release: the dictionary definition is “to beautify,” or to add to something to enhance its appearance, like ornaments on a Christmas tree.
But everyone has a different idea of beauty. For business owners, beauty means money, and that’s naturally a big part of Commissioner Rob Manfred’s job: He oversees 30 owners who want to make money.
But baseball isn’t chasing every last dollar. In fact, there are some limitations in place.
Teams are still named after cities or regions, not companies as in Japan. Several teams have yet to sell the naming rights to their stadiums, including Fenway Park and Dodger Stadium. The World Series winner receives a “Commissioner’s Trophy,” but it’s not a big Del Monte can on a wooden pedestal.
That’s probably all that’s going to happen. Until 2022, the uniforms were completely free of advertising, which at least made sense in context. But starting last season, teams could sell space on their sleeve patches (left or right, whichever is better viewed by TV cameras), and 23 of the 30 teams did so. The Mets were the only team that bothered to change their colors even though they clashed.
Steve Cohen said the Mets’ advertising patches are “Phillies colors” and that he plans to redesign them to more closely resemble Mets colors.
— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) April 7, 2023
Now, the helmet ads, they don’t do anything to make MLB’s product more appealing, but they might make you want to buy a pair of $99.99 cargo work pants. Naturally, the CEO of the sponsoring company thinks this is a great thing, as stated in this lame excerpt from the press release:
“Whether on or off the field, your gear is a source of pride. We know that fans of America’s pastime are loyal, dedicated and value a job well done, just like (insert company name) fans around the world who love our family’s iconic ostrich logo.”
(Another linguistic aside: can we only use the word “iconic” for things that are actually widely admired, influential, and important?)
The company’s logo stretches horizontally across the side of batting helmets, with a not-so-iconic ostrich next to the company’s name, and will appear at every postseason game starting next month, as well as every minor league game next season (and, following a strange precedent for overseas games, at MLB regular-season games in Europe).
Yes, the NBA, NHL and soccer have advertising patches. You name it. You know the saying, if the NBA, NHL and soccer jump off a bridge… Anyway, wouldn’t it be great if baseball was held to a higher standard?
From the perspective of someone who has never run a business, it’s easy to say that MLB should have refrained from making money again. But that doesn’t matter. It’s so vulgar and sad that the league’s controllers have so little respect for the visual presentation of their product. They should do better.
In fairness, MLB is doing a lot of things right. Manfred’s push for the pitch clock, and the way MLB has thoughtfully and methodically researched it, has enhanced the sport rather than letting excessive advertising detract from it. The pitch clock has been a resounding success, restoring the natural pace of the sport without removing any of its essential elements. Hurrah.
This innovation showed that something good could come from financial incentives. The pitch clock gave MLB a more attractive product, and everyone won. Fans didn’t benefit here. Helmet ads don’t grow business.
It’s in bad taste, but it probably won’t hurt business either. Baseball has a knack for never letting go of its passionate fans, and MLB knows it. It’s unfortunate that the league would exploit that loyalty with such a minor insult.
Sorry, it’s not an insult, it’s an embellishment.
(Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
