Marketing Baseball Players

[lidspinner]

Am I the only one who thinks Baseball needs to hire an agency or a firm to market our players better? Maybe the MLBPA has something to do with how much access MLB has to their players and what all they can do but MLB's players are not marketed hardly at all.....SO many wives and girlfriends have no idea who is who outside of the playboy rich players that make the New York newspapers.......

Baseball is losing popularity almost each and every year as far as ratings go....now, last years World Series was a success so I cannot use that as an example but this years playoffs so far have been a wash.....

I was talking with a group of young guys and girls at a political rally a few months ago and the topic of Baseball came up and what can be done to modernize it with todays youth and women.....the PS3 and xbox games for Baseball is not as popular as Madden is with football so that really does not do a whole lot and fantasy Baseball is not as exciting as fantasy football as it takes a whole season to play Fantasy Baseball....interest quickly decliines after the first month....so what else can we do was the topic amoungst my group at my table of about 12 people.

The ladies talked about how gorgeous Joey Votto, Drew Stubbs, Josh Hamilton, Derek Jeter, Arod, Braun, Reddick, Kemp and tons of others they discussed.....Us men of course ignored that fact and moved on to what other ways they can market these players and make them more personable to the average fan who is not a diehard stat junkie.....NFL players are constantly in commercials and are always being marketed to the fan......

Do you guys even agree that MLB needs to market its players to let the casual fan see these guys more than just on the field for 162 games/year? and if you do agree, what are some opinions on what can be done? I think its obvious what the women want and I dont disagree, if that will make them watch more baseball then by all means lets throw every Bryce Harper and Mike Trout young buck out there for the women to drool over.....but what can be done for the men of the world who could care less how Votto looks in a pair of Levis? This game needs to grow in popularity and it starts with marketing.

[mdccclxix]

Interesting topic. It bears some off season attention, for sure. The last I've heard marketing discussed was in relation to black players and how they can help MLB garner more interest among black youth. Directly, they were speaking about the Griffey years where he was sort of in the Tiger/MJ/Lebron class of marketed athletes.

In general, I think humor is the best tact for marketing baseball players. Put Pete Rose in some underwear and tell him to grin, etc. The Mariners have a good history of funny commercials with their players. They are actually good, not good in a terrible way like the JTM skits.

[cumberlandreds]

Originally Posted by mdccclxix

Interesting topic. It bears some off season attention, for sure. The last I've heard marketing discussed was in relation to black players and how they can help MLB garner more interest among black youth. Directly, they were speaking about the Griffey years where he was sort of in the Tiger/MJ/Lebron class of marketed athletes.

In general, I think humor is the best tact for marketing baseball players. Put Pete Rose in some underwear and tell him to grin, etc. The Mariners have a good history of funny commercials with their players. They are actually good, not good in a terrible way like the JTM skits.

So you do you think the Bronson Arroyo/Aroldis Chapman sing-along was humorous enough?

[mdccclxix]

It was pretty awful hearing the bad vocals and I didn't like the repeat of "shamalangadingdong" or whatever at the end. Once was enough. The ideas and execution of Arroyo commercials are often not even sophomoric, although somewhere north of childish. In short, they are cheap commercials with very little thought and talent behind them.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by lidspinner

Am I the only one who thinks Baseball needs to hire an agency or a firm to market our players better? Maybe the MLBPA has something to do with how much access MLB has to their players and what all they can do but MLB's players are not marketed hardly at all.....SO many wives and girlfriends have no idea who is who outside of the playboy rich players that make the New York newspapers.......

Baseball is losing popularity almost each and every year as far as ratings go....now, last years World Series was a success so I cannot use that as an example but this years playoffs so far have been a wash.....

I was talking with a group of young guys and girls at a political rally a few months ago and the topic of Baseball came up and what can be done to modernize it with todays youth and women.....the PS3 and xbox games for Baseball is not as popular as Madden is with football so that really does not do a whole lot and fantasy Baseball is not as exciting as fantasy football as it takes a whole season to play Fantasy Baseball....interest quickly decliines after the first month....so what else can we do was the topic amoungst my group at my table of about 12 people.

The ladies talked about how gorgeous Joey Votto, Drew Stubbs, Josh Hamilton, Derek Jeter, Arod, Braun, Reddick, Kemp and tons of others they discussed.....Us men of course ignored that fact and moved on to what other ways they can market these players and make them more personable to the average fan who is not a diehard stat junkie.....NFL players are constantly in commercials and are always being marketed to the fan......

Do you guys even agree that MLB needs to market its players to let the casual fan see these guys more than just on the field for 162 games/year? and if you do agree, what are some opinions on what can be done? I think its obvious what the women want and I dont disagree, if that will make them watch more baseball then by all means lets throw every Bryce Harper and Mike Trout young buck out there for the women to drool over.....but what can be done for the men of the world who could care less how Votto looks in a pair of Levis? This game needs to grow in popularity and it starts with marketing.

Professional baseball is on the wane. Salaries must come down or the interest of the public must be increased in some way. - Al Spalding.

[lidspinner]

Sounds like there is not much interest in marketing in here.....let me ask you this....are you all happy with Baseball and how popular it is compared to other sports?

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by lidspinner

Sounds like there is not much interest in marketing in here.....let me ask you this....are you all happy with Baseball and how popular it is compared to other sports?

It's a billion dollar industry that is in the news every day of the year, it doesn't have to be Hollywood, it doesn't have to be football. It doesn't have to be the headline on ESPN every day, it's seems to be doing pretty fine, way better than it was 45 years ago, way better than 30 years ago. Way better than 15 years ago.

I just don't see the need to be the end all of everything, things that strive for that burn bright and flame out more often than not.

The tortoise won the race after all

[Superdude]

Originally Posted by lidspinner

.....but what can be done for the men of the world who could care less how Votto looks in a pair of Levis?

Speak for yourself big man.

[lidspinner]

Originally Posted by Superdude

Speak for yourself big man.

sorry....hahahaha

[lidspinner]

Originally Posted by westofyou

It's a billion dollar industry that is in the news every day of the year, it doesn't have to be Hollywood, it doesn't have to be football. It doesn't have to be the headline on ESPN every day, it's seems to be doing pretty fine, way better than it was 45 years ago, way better than 30 years ago. Way better than 15 years ago.

I just don't see the need to be the end all of everything, things that strive for that burn bright and flame out more often than not.

The tortoise won the race after all

westofyou, I normally am right there with you on most of your posts, but I have to disagree with this one....30 years ago Baseball was Amercias game and it was what all kids wanted to do when they grew up....Football has taken over that now and like most high school teams, my high school has to beg kids to play Baseball.....Even 10 years ago Baseball was so popular at my school that we had to turn kids away. Now we basically watch football and basketball and find the athletes and ask them to play baseball.....and from talking to other coaches in Ohio, I am not alone....there are tons of schools who realize that Baseball is taking a backseat......

Maybe we should just let it ride and see how it turns out....Even the NBA has taken a new stance in their marketing of players....about 7 years ago they decided to start marketing players in a better light and trying to convince the public that most NBA players are not thugs....has it worked? popularity says it has....BAsketball is picking up ground each and every year in high schools across the country and even with a lockout last year the NBA gained some popularity in JErsey sales and sell outs to games.....

I understand people can take stats and attendance and profit sales and make them look like whatever they want, but one thing is for sure in my opinion, Baseball has taken a backseat to Football and Bud Selig sat back and allowed it to happen without a fight, now it looks like it could be taking a backseat to Basketball in the near future and I hope Bud doesnt sit this one out also.

Baseball does not have to be hollywood but I do think they need to market their players so the casual fan can see them in something other their uniform playing the game.....

[westofyou]

In my Ohio HS thirty years ago Basketball and Football destroyed baseball in interest and attendance

Perhaps they are better spectator sports for the slightly interested? The track team had more participants as well, I just do mot recall HS baseball as ever being a draw

Baseball is a bang up professional sport and has been a small draw on the non pro circuit since Bud Selig was in HS, I don't see him being the blame for what's been status quo for forty years

Sports Illustrated declared football number one in the late 60s, nothing has changed accept both sports make buckets of cash

[traderumor]

Originally Posted by westofyou

In my Ohio HS thirty years ago Basketball and Football destroyed baseball in interest and attendance

Perhaps they are better spectator sports for the slightly interested? The track team had more participants as well, I just do mot recall HS baseball as ever being a draw

Baseball is a bang up professional sport and has been a small draw on the non pro circuit since Bud Selig was in HS, I don't see him being the blame for what's been status quo for forty years

Sports Illustrated declared football number one in the late 60s, nothing has changed accept both sports make buckets of cash

Youth baseball is a poor draw at all levels. Always has been in my area. HS baseball can't catch on because the games are played when people are still at work.

[George Anderson]

Originally Posted by traderumor

Youth baseball is a poor draw at all levels. Always has been in my area. HS baseball can't catch on because the games are played when people are still at work.

In HS athletics, soccer and to a lesser degree lacrosse have surfaced recently and have hurt baseball.

[westofyou]

Concerning the marketing of baseball player’s vs the other sports, it’s really an apples and oranges thing in my eyes. Just a few of the things I think about when comparing the sports.

1. Baseball is a daily event sport, it’s workman like, Football/Basketball are EVENTS, been to a game lately? It’s a circus when the clock is stopped, a circus when the team runs on the field, or stomps in the tunnel.

2. Baseball guys wear knickers and hats, Football guys wear road warrior costumes, smack guys and dance after they perform a play, Basketball players are extremely close to the camera and have numerous moments to be displayed in action in super slow motion, Baseball looks best from up top, where you don’t see many faces or the sweat dripping off their brows.

3. Baseball players are not known for being flashy, brash, and cocky to the point of annoyance and the other sports are awash in that behavior… it is after all a spectacle they participate in, baseball guys are in the fabric of the game, doing the little things, all that boring meta physical stuff too.

[Unassisted]

IMO, and mine is the perspective of someone who lives in a media market with no MLB team, MLB lets its media partners do most of the marketing of the game.

Here in San Antonio, I never see pitches by the Rangers or the Astros to drive a couple of hundred miles and see a game in person. I've never seen personal appearances promoted for players of either team. Nolan Ryan does a few statewide product endorsements, but he hasn't played the game in 20+ years.

The only marketing of the sport I see in my market is by Fox Sports Southwest, to entice me to watch their game telecasts. I don't believe MLB is lifting a finger to cultivate interest in the sport or the players outside of MLB markets.