Thursday, May 06, 2004
Spider-Man Update
The early reviews for MLB's decision to sell advertising space on the bases are in. They're not positive.
Scott Miller, SportsLine.com: "This Spider-Man deal is simply crass, and it's bothersome on a number of fronts. Baseball has been around enough and is established enough that there should be some level of class, some level of dignity." Miller also ridicules MLB President Bob DuPuy, "who was badly overmatched on a conference call early Wednesday evening" trying to defend the Spider-Man deal.
Laura Vecsey, Baltimore Sun: "And we thought All-Star games that end in ties were a bad idea." Vecsey also notes that during the 2001 playoffs, MLB invoked the uniform rules to prevent Giants pitcher Jason Christensen from wearing the initials "DK" on his cap to honor his friend and former teammate Darryl Kile. If only the Kile family had been willing to pay for the honor...
The New York Yankees: AP now reports: "But the New York Yankees, one of 15 teams at home that weekend, balked at the idea after the deal was announced. They’re will put ads on the bases only during batting practice, and then just for one game, team spokesman Rick Cerrone said."
Meanwhile, Jacqueline Parkes, MLB's senior vice president for marketing and advertising, dismissed Fay Vincent's objections in The New York Times: "We are trying to reach people 6 to 18. He is past that category in all respects." Bob DuPuy sounded positively Seligesque in his argument-by-assertion: "Any criticism of this, really, is misplaced. It doesn't detract from the game. It adds to the entertainment value. We've been accused over the years of not marketing enough to young people."
Four bases, four Teletubbies, Bob. Give you any ideas?
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The early reviews for MLB's decision to sell advertising space on the bases are in. They're not positive.
Scott Miller, SportsLine.com: "This Spider-Man deal is simply crass, and it's bothersome on a number of fronts. Baseball has been around enough and is established enough that there should be some level of class, some level of dignity." Miller also ridicules MLB President Bob DuPuy, "who was badly overmatched on a conference call early Wednesday evening" trying to defend the Spider-Man deal.
Laura Vecsey, Baltimore Sun: "And we thought All-Star games that end in ties were a bad idea." Vecsey also notes that during the 2001 playoffs, MLB invoked the uniform rules to prevent Giants pitcher Jason Christensen from wearing the initials "DK" on his cap to honor his friend and former teammate Darryl Kile. If only the Kile family had been willing to pay for the honor...
The New York Yankees: AP now reports: "But the New York Yankees, one of 15 teams at home that weekend, balked at the idea after the deal was announced. They’re will put ads on the bases only during batting practice, and then just for one game, team spokesman Rick Cerrone said."
Meanwhile, Jacqueline Parkes, MLB's senior vice president for marketing and advertising, dismissed Fay Vincent's objections in The New York Times: "We are trying to reach people 6 to 18. He is past that category in all respects." Bob DuPuy sounded positively Seligesque in his argument-by-assertion: "Any criticism of this, really, is misplaced. It doesn't detract from the game. It adds to the entertainment value. We've been accused over the years of not marketing enough to young people."
Four bases, four Teletubbies, Bob. Give you any ideas?
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