Why MLB is dying

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They're STUPID.

Little Girl Throws Ball Back, MLB Throws Embeds Away
September 16th, 2009 | by Jennifer Van Grove



Last night something with the potential to go insanely viral happened at a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game. Big time Phillies fan, Steve Monforto, caught his first foul ball, promptly handed it over to his 3-year-old daughter, Emily, who then immediately threw it back onto the field. After initial shock, the dad embraced his daughter in a very touching baseball moment.

The hilarious and heart-warming incident was caught on tape by the MLB, but also received the user-generated treatment appearing on YouTube in many forms, creating quite the social media stir almost instantly after the event took place.

Due the nature of the clip, it was poised to become a viral sensation on YouTube() and around the Web. Unfortunately the MLB doesn’t want to play ball. They’ve decided to make copyright claims on all but their very own copy, which has no embed code to enable sharing.

The ball incident is one that has all the makings of an Internet hit: the catch was spectacular, the moment Emily threw the ball back is adorable, and the subsequent hug and fan cheering is memorable. As such, the family will appear on the Today Show tomorrow morning, and will reportedly receive a surprise gift.

It was a such a great moment for baseball, especially with the NFL season now underway, that we’re pretty disappointed by the MLB’s decision to issue copyright claims removing all traces of fan-created videos. We’re even more surprised by the fact that the MLB’s version of the video has no embed code, which means to watch it, you’re forced to visit their site. That practice seems pretty backwards in this day and age, and one that’s likely to prevent the video from living up to its viral potential.

http://mashable.com/2009/09/16/littl...ows-ball-back/