Kepner: MLB's latest tasteless cash grab? Helmet advertisement

The thing about baseball, and it's always been this way, is that the game itself is so engrossing, fascinating, and charmingly funny that the people who play it know you'll keep coming back, no matter what they do to it.

This latest disgrace is not a scandal. It's not canceling the Black Sox or the color barrier or the World Series or steroids. It's just another sign that the commissioner's office doesn't see Major League Baseball as special and distinct as it should be.

Next month, the logo of a German company that makes high-performance workwear will “adorn” every player's batting helmet.

Funny word choice there, from the MLB press release: sort of. The dictionary definition is to beautify; That is, to enhance the appearance of something by adding to it — such as ornaments on a Christmas tree.

Then again, everyone has their own idea of ​​beauty. To business owners, beauty is money, and that's naturally a big part of the job for Commissioner Rob Manfred. He presides over 30 owners who want to make money.

But baseball can't chase every last dollar. In fact, there are some established limits.

Teams are still named for cities and regions – not companies, as they are in Japan A few teams still don't sell the naming rights to their ballparks — Fenway Park, Dodger Stadium, and more. The World Series winner gets the “Commissioner's Trophy” — not, say, a big Del Monte can on a wooden base.

Maybe everything is coming. Until 2022, the uniform was an advertising-free zone except for the logos of the apparel companies, which at least made relevant sense. Starting last season, though, teams were allowed to sell space on their sleeve patches — left or right, which often face the TV cameras — and 23 of the 30 teams did so. Only the mate bothers to change them when the colors clash.

Steve Cohen said that the Mets' advertising patch is “Phillies colors” and that they will change the design to more Mets colors.

— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) April 7, 2023

Now come the helmet ads, which do nothing to improve MLB's product but might inspire you to buy some cargo work pants for $99.99. The CEO of the sponsoring company, naturally, thinks it's great, as he tells us in this vague quote from the press release:

“On the field or off, your gear is a source of pride. We know that America's entertainment fans are loyal, dedicated, and value a job well done — just like (insert company name here) fans around the world who love our family's iconic ostrich logo.

(Another linguistic confusion: Can we please reserve “iconic” for things that are actually widely admired, influential, or notable?)

The company logo will stretch horizontally across the side of the batting helmet, with a true nine-ideal ostrich next to the company name. It will appear in all postseason games starting next month, and all minor-league games starting next season (and MLB regular-season games in Europe, setting a strange precedent for overseas games).

Yes, the NBA and NHL and soccer have ad patches whatever If the NBA and the NHL and soccer jumped off a bridge… you know the saying. However, wouldn't it be wonderful if baseball held itself to higher standards?

It's easy, from the perspective of someone who's never been traded, to say that MLB should have prevented yet another cash grab. But come on. It's so hard, and so sad, that League Overlords have so little respect for the visual presentation of their products. They should be better than this.

To be fair, League does a lot of things right. Manfred's push for a pitch clock, and the thoughtful, methodical research that MLB has done about it, has enhanced the game more than the plethora of commercials detracted from it. The pitch clock has been an overwhelming success, removing nothing of substance and restoring the normal pace of sports. A thousand hosannas

That innovation showed how something positive could come from financial incentives. Pitch clocks make MLB a more attractive product, so everyone wins. Here, there are no benefits for devotees. A helmet ad will not increase business.

As tasteless as it is, though, it probably doesn't shrink business. Baseball is all about sticking with diehard fans and never letting go, and MLB knows it. It's a shame that the league exploits such a petty insult to loyalty.

Sorry, not an insult. decoration

(Photo: MLB Photo via Mary DiCicco/Getty Images)