Why MLB is dying

[orange]

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/

[tk13]

Yeah, that's not a common thread among all professional sports at all. It has nothing to do with the economy, just baseball. The NBA and NHL are facing serious financial problems and the NFL is facing it's biggest blackout problem in decades.

[Kyle DeLexus]

Originally Posted by orange

Yep, they're doin' great, alright.

Down in ratings, attendance, and net value.

Terrific.

Overall, Forbes said the average value of the 30 MLB franchises increased 1 percent to an all-time high of $482 million

Looks like it says average value is at an all-time high by 1% that would mean net value is up 1% correct?

[Hootie]

that was a great video

I watched the BoSox rob a game tonight. It was moderately entertaining but they stole it 100% thanks to the ump.

[orange]

Originally Posted by Basileus777

Every single sport is having issues due to the economy. Even the NFL is facing blackouts. The MLB is still better off than say the NBA.

Originally Posted by Kyle DeLexus

Looks like it says average value is at an all-time high by 1% that would mean net value is up 1% correct?

Look at the dates on those articles. Those numbers are from 2008. This year will be much worse.

And as the first article makes plain, the DROP in value of one third of all franchises is masked by the increase in the Yankees' and Mets values (how many years are the two New York teams going to have new stadiums?). The difference between the haves and havenots is one of MLB's biggest problems.

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Here was the pre-season outlook for 2009:

Baseball Braces for a Less Hopeful Season
The end of spring training is usually a time of unlimited possibilities for baseball players and fans. Not this year.
By Andrew C. Schneider, Associate Editor, The Kiplinger Letter

April 3, 2009

Major League Baseball will prove anything but recession proof this time around. With regular season play set to begin Sunday, the sport is looking ahead to a bleak 2009. Rising unemployment has consumers worried. They're gripping their wallets with white knuckles, ensuring that ticket and concession sales will fall this year. So will advertising revenue, both from stadium billboards and from TV and radio commercials. But even all that just scratches the surface of the teams' worries.

The industries that have been baseball's strongest benefactors in years past, banks and carmakers, are among the worst hit by the recession. Those that are accepting federal bailout funds -- or even facing bankruptcy, as in the cases of GM and Chrysler -- are being forced to slash anything that could be construed as unnecessary spending. That means abandoning leases on private boxes and suites, a huge source of revenue for the teams.

"Congress is putting a lot of pressure on companies not to be spending money on what it sees as luxuries," says Lisa Delpy Neirotti, an associate professor of tourism and sports management at George Washington University. Neirotti notes that companies use their suites as a marketing tool, as a way of luring or keeping customers. But it's a hard case for troubled firms to make, given recurring populist anger over executive compensation. "It's an image thing. People see it as a luxury perk and don't understand there's a business motivation behind it," Neirotti says.

The image problem is playing out on a much larger scale in New York. Citigroup had signed a $400-million deal with the Mets for naming rights to the team's new stadium. Citi Field, the replacement for now-demolished Shea Stadium, will host the Mets' first home game of the season April 13. But the troubled financial services giant is seeking an exit from its stadium marquee pact. If Citigroup manages to get out of its contract, other ballpark sponsors may follow suit.

Baseball has a buffer, thanks to the organization's long-term broadcasting contracts. That will help smaller market teams, which benefit from revenue sharing agreements with richer franchises, particularly the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the teams are also locked into multiyear contracts with players. That's no problem as long as the player continues to perform, but it becomes a liability if he's injured or if his playing erodes as he ages.

The free agent market provides a window on team owners' concerns. Back in December, the Yankees signed multiyear contracts with three free agents: Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett for a cumulative $423.5 million. But those signings proved the exceptions in an otherwise dreary off season.

"Something like 100 free agents were unsigned a week before spring training began. That's a record by a large margin," says Andrew Zimbalist, Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics at Smith College. "Teams are being cautious because of expectations of low revenues and owners being clobbered by [losses on] other investments."

State and municipal governments are deep in the red and can provide no assistance to franchises seeking new stadiums or to renovate their current homes.

Teams will offer discounts to keep the fans from drifting away. The San Diego Padres and concessionaire partner Delaware North are offering fans at PETCO Park a deal of five concession items for $5. A single game ticket for the mezzanine level of Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park runs for $22, but for another $8, Reds fans get all they can eat. The Baltimore Orioles are offering fans who sign up on the team's Web site a free ticket on their birthday. The Orioles are also partnering with Chick-fil-A to offer a package of tickets to 10 games for $17 to children 14 and under.

A few teams, including the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies, are shunning such discounts, counting on large, loyal fan bases to carry them through the hard times. But most franchises will have no choice. Indeed, by midyear, lower attendance will force some teams to slash ticket prices.

For franchises already in trouble, this year or next could break them, forcing them to uproot and move to a new city in search of larger ticket sales. Teams that have only recently relocated, such as the Washington Nationals, will be given more time to get their bearings. But more storied franchises showing weak returns are at high risk. Among the most troubled teams are the Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Kansas City Royals.

[JuicesFlowing]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsfan88

Does anyone actually pay attention to baseball once football season begins?

Baseball is dead to me. Even in the middle of the summer.

[tk13]

That last paragraph is really out of touch. It sounds like some business writer who doesn't fully understand baseball. And that has nothing to do with the Royals, even though they just entered into an extension of the lease. If you really think the Cincinnati Reds, the oldest franchise in pro sports, is moving anywhere, then well, I got nothing.

[SPchief]

Originally Posted by tk13

That last paragraph is really out of touch. It sounds like some business writer who doesn't fully understand baseball. And that has nothing to do with the Royals, even though they just entered into an extension of the lease. If you really think the Cincinnati Reds, the oldest franchise in pro sports, is moving anywhere, then well, I got nothing.

It's a dumb assertion in the article.. the Reds, Pirates and Royals aren't going to leave their city in the next 10 years and more than likely the next 50 years.

[loochy]

Originally Posted by doomy3

You think baseball is dying because they won't allow people to post videos on Youtube?

I tend to think it has to do more with no salary cap. Or maybe steroids tainting the game.

Or maybe because it's boring as hell and takes forever to finish a game.

[CanadianChief]

Originally Posted by loochy

Or maybe because it's boring as hell and takes forever to finish a game.

x2

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsfan88

Does anyone actually pay attention to baseball once football season begins?

Yes I do. All season. Football is a distant 2nd. 3rd once college hoops start. Well actually football would still be second because by then baseball is over but you get my point. Football is #3 overall.

And I don't care to find and post a link to back this up because I don't care about the link police but I heard baseball attendance was up pretty much across the board this season. Baseball isn't dying just because haters might like to think it is.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Originally Posted by loochy

Or maybe because it's boring as hell and takes forever to finish a game.

To each his/her own. Baseball is more of a thinking persons game... short on violence so a lot of our ADD society doesn't get it.

And after I pay for my ticket and parking and all I'd like to sit there all day, so a game can last 6 hours and it's ok with me.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by orange

Yep, they're doin' great, alright.

Down in ratings, attendance, and net value.

Terrific.

Boo-hoo-hoo. Baseball is down 1.1% across the board during a recession.

That's extremely disingenuous as you're trying to make it seem like baseball is quote "dying" due to other reasons without providing those reasons.

I guarantee that ticket sales and attendance will be down far more than 1.1% in the NFL this season.

This is a dumb thread.

[blaise]

Baseball isn't dying. They'll be playing World Series long after you're dead and gone orange. If you think it's on the verge of dying you're reeruned.

[blaise]

And I don't care what Forbes says about it. A couple of years ago they named Kevin McHale the best executive in sports.