Selig sells out to Spider-Man

[savafan]

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/busin...lash-financial


By BRIAN STEINBERG
The Associated Press
5/5/04 9:08 AM


and

STEFAN FATSIS

The Wall Street Journal

Who's on first? That old baseball question has a new answer: Spider-Man.

In a move that has purists howling, Major League Baseball has agreed to decorate its bases -- and pitching-mound rubbers and on-deck circles -- with a spider-web pattern as part of a promotion for the release of Sony Corp.'s "Spider-Man 2" next month.

The superhero sequel is set to open in theaters June 30. "'Spider-Man 2' Weekend" will start Friday, June 11, and all 15 MLB teams playing at home have agreed to participate for one or more games.

The deal is baseball's latest attempt to develop a splashier national marketing image. "In an ultracompetitive sports-entertainment environment, you have to take risks," says Tim Brosnan, MLB's executive vice president for business.

Outfield walls have been billboards since the 19th century. In the 1990s, the Florida Marlins painted their stadium's foul poles to look like pencils for a Office Depot sponsorship. But the Spider-Man promotion is believed to be the first time ads will appear on the bases. "It's not something we've ever come across," says Claudette Burke, a reference librarian at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Under a design nearing approval by MLB, the center of the top of first, second and third bases will be adorned with a 7.5-inch-square "Spider-Man 2" logo consisting of black and yellow webbing against a bright red background. Home plate will remain white.

The move is sure to alienate fans who view the baseball diamond as hallowed ground. Baseball historian John Thorn calls the field "a sort of a magic circle to which rules accrue and adhere. And if you violate the terms, you run the risk of offending the gods."

NBC Sports and HBO broadcaster Bob Costas says ads on the bases will "take away that whole beautiful vista of a ballpark" -- and also reflects baseball's schizoid relationship with its past. "On the one hand they sell history whenever it suits them, and on the other hand they disrespect it," says Mr. Costas, author of "Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball." "It isn't a matter of treating the game like it's religion. But I think people have lost the understanding of what the dignity of something is. Not everything is for sale."

The National Hockey League lets teams sell ads embedded in the ice. But neither the National Football League nor the National Basketball Association has given field or court space to advertisers. "The game itself is sacred, and we're not going to tinker with how it is played or perceived," says an NFL spokesman, Brian McCarthy.

MLB executives say they respect baseball's traditions but need to attract younger fans. As for the critics, MLB President Bob DuPuy says, "These are the same people that didn't like interleague play and didn't like the wild card" playoff format. Having decorative bases "really doesn't have an effect on the game within the foul lines," he says. "It's not like we are going to have a red-and-black ball. The game itself won't be affected."

MLB's willingness to alter the field is part of the larger pressure across sports to accommodate sponsors. MLB has been viewed as lagging in pop-culture sponsorship, especially compared with the NFL and NBA. "Baseball is recognizing they have value in being a selling tool for these big sponsors," says Tom Boyd, an associate professor of sports marketing at California State University at Fullerton. In addition to promotional bases, pitching rubbers and on-deck circles, the Spider-Man deal includes stadium signage, movie trailers on scoreboards, Spider-Men climbing light towers and giveaways like masks and foam hands.

Geoffrey Ammer, world-wide marketing president for Sony's Columbia/TriStar Motion Picture Group, says executives originally wanted to outfit the netting behind home plate with Spider-Man webbing. That was scrapped because it would have distracted pitchers and fielders, and the idea was expanded. According to a person familiar with the deal, Columbia/TriStar is spending $3 million to $4 million on the promotion, including television ad time. Mr. Ammer declined to discuss spending.

Teams' participation in the promotion is voluntary. Initially leery, some team marketing directors called other clubs to gauge whether the spider-web bases crossed a line. "We all wondered about that a little bit," says Patrick Klinger, marketing vice president for the Minnesota Twins. But, he says, "it's coming from Major League Baseball. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for us."

Columbia/TriStar insisted on participation by big-market teams. One factor that helped persuade clubs to play ball: more money. Teams such as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will receive more than $100,000 each, while those in other markets will get around half that, club executives say. Jacqueline Parkes, MLB's senior vice president of marketing and advertising, says payments depend on the level of participation and the value of the markets to the studio.

As a result, the deal will contribute to revenue disparities among teams, one of baseball's biggest problems. Still, a prepackaged promotion with guaranteed cash was a big draw. "It's found money," says Jim Bloom, consumer-marketing director for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Another plus: Teams in smaller towns get to be part of a national event. "We don't get a lot of lights in the sky for movie premieres in Kansas City," says Charlie Seraphin, the Kansas City Royals' vice president for sales and marketing.

[DJF33]

The Reds are in Cleveland that weekend. So, does that mean only Cleveland gets the extra dough?
All three games are on the TV. I am interested to see what it looks like. I don't kow if I am totally against the concept, but I definitely hate the fact that some teams will receive more money for doing the same exact thing. It would have been real easy for Bud to just say 'how much is it worth to you overall'. The movie people say 4 million, and then Bud could just split it up among the teams. I don't understand why everything in baseball has to be economically unfair. Its almost like MLB tries hard to make it this way.

[zombie-a-go-go]

Why not just have all the players dress up in spider-man costumes?

[REDREAD]

I think Doc Octopus would be a killer addition to our bullpen. The Green Goblin would
also cover a lot of ground in the OF

I really not too offended. In fact, I'm surprised something like this hasn't happened sooner. It's still fun to watch/listen to the games, but it's not like it's a religion or anything. So I really don't see it as a descration issue.

[Roy Tucker]

I guess I'm a purist, whatever that means... My first thought was "Selig is a *****". But I guess it's all just part of the changing times.

Baseball historians will have fun with trying to figure out why there were spider webs on the bases in the early 2000's.

I can't wait for "Casey beats the throw to first. First base, brought to you by Visa".

[NICK5]

This will be dumbest event in the history of baseball. Can Bud give me some advetising space for my home made porn movie i want to sell. lol

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by NICK5

Can Bud give me some advetising space for my home made porn movie i want to sell. lol

Uh, I didn't really need to hear that.

[Redsland]

Well, like Bob DuPuy said, it isn't like they're going to use a red and black ball. Although…that gives me an idea… :idea:

[RedsBaron]

Could Jimmy Haynes be equipped with Spiderman's "web-shooters" so he could grab back some of the gopher balls he throws?

[Unassisted]

I won't complain until Bud arranges to put Jim Carrey's face on the ball. They can load the bases and the pitching rubber up with as many logos as a NASCAR team and it won't bother me.

The camel's nose came under this tent when MLB started putting those ads behind the batter. This will be much less conspicuous.

[Dan]

Originally Posted by NICK5

My manhood is 5,423 divided by 603. Yes it is sick I know that, but it is even worse if you did the math.

Your manhood is only 9 years old? :mhcky21:

[Redsland]

Actually, I really like the idea of making the backstop's net look like a web. Too bad they couldn't pull it off.

[Tony Cloninger]

How about Electro and the Shoker for the bullpen?

Their arms are electric!

[RedFanAlways1966]

Ironic... some players may be caught in a spider's web of lies. BALCO.

[Col_ IN Reds fan]

I have an idea how about promoting the movie Dumb and Dumber , maybe Selig and Lindner could do something with that.

Maybe make a season long theme for the Reds season , maybe call it Conspiracy Theory .

Or a short list

Artificail Intellegence

Is their a movie called "The Fraud" ?

High Crimes or finally


The Jerk