I don't want to set off a political discussion here. But speaking in a general way, all specific policies aside, MLB's decision to go big on gambling is one more example of why this country is rapidly going to hell in a hand basket.
It is yet another example of neglecting what has worked well for 150 years, and throwing it in the trash for a quick boost in profits.
You have this business, this product—for this is how MLB's padrones think of it, I'm not expecting them to be actual, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed BASEBALL fans, for cryin' out loud—and it's deteriorating steadily in popularity.
Why?
Because it's too long, it's too slow, it's too expensive and inconvenient, it's too uncomfortable at your places of business. And because it's now being conducted in ways that are radically different from the ways it generally has been done in the past—ways that have had a remarkably long run of popularity.
Baseball has become the New Coke of sports.
So, what's your answer? Go back to the original Coke formula?
Why, you go for the quick money fix! You go for it even though you KNOW that this very "improvement" has nearly capsized your entire business before.
You go for it despite the fact that you know it will only serve to increase the level of human misery in the world, corrupting and drawing more adults—and even kids!—into a painful and ruinous addiction.
Fuck gambling. Why not hand out free syringes of heroin, or crack pipes at the stadium gates? "Groove on baseball!" Why not just attach hoses to each seat so for a low, low package price you can just suck up beer all game long? (BeerHoze patent pending.)
Why not do anything and everything you can to maximize revenue, right here, right now, without ever addressing what all of your customers are most turned off by?
In America today, the customer isn't always right. He's a sucker, waiting to be played.
Last night I watched "The Battered Bastards of Baseball" on Netflix. It is a documentary on the Mid 70's Portland Mavericks. At the time it was the only independent professional baseball team in the country. Thoroughly enjoyable and very much to your point Hoss.
ReplyDeleteI won't go into it so that all of you who care to watch it can do so with fresh eyes but it is worth the view.
As far as the gambling goes. I agree. It was bad enough when a buddy of mine had to root for individual Red Sox players because they were on his "team for the day" but what they are proposing totally destroys the game and destroys being a fan.
For example, we all watch the Yankees quite a bit and as such pretty much know that any given player will run true to form in most situations. So now I've got $20 on Stanton striking out with a guy on 3rd. I'm getting 3-1. I am now rooting against him driving in the run. That is disgusting and as Hoss points out VERY shortsighted.
Doug K.
LEGALIZED GAMBLING.
ReplyDeleteLEGALIZED POT.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY.
ALWAYS.
THAT IS ONE THING THAT EVERYONE HAS TO AGREE ON, RIGHT?
LIKE IT OR NOT.
It's disgusting. They seem to have forgotten that one of the core foundational underpinnings of any real fan is a sense of tradition. Every time they fuck with something - and this one is big - it breaks the bond that has existed for our whole lives.
ReplyDeleteI'm tired of unrestrained, unregulated capitalism - and I have no problems saying I'm a capitalist. It's just that it CANNOT be about the money all the time. I KNOW IT IS, but where do we draw the line?
I will vote again this season with my feet.
BACK TO COOP.
ReplyDeleteNOW BUMGARNER IS OFFICIALLY BEING SHOPPED.
....AND WE JUST GOT RID OF OUR #1 PITCHING PROSPECT.
COOP IS UNBELIEVABLE.
HIS TIMING IS ALWAYS HORRENDOUS.
I KNOW BUMGARNER IS A NATIONAL LEAGUE GUY, AND I ALWAYS FROWN ON THAT, BUT AFTER WATCHING HIM COMMAND THE PLAYOFFS, AND THEN THE WORLD SERIES, HE IS THE EXCEPTION.
PLUS HE IS YOUNGER THAN PAXTON AT 29.
CASHMAN JUST PLAIN SUCKS.
You are correct, ALL-CAPS. Besides those great playoff performances, he has 110 wins, to 41 for Paxton.
ReplyDelete13bit, you hit the nail right on the head.
ReplyDeleteSure, we're all capitalists now. But what's destroying capitalism right now—and everything else—is this kind of shortsighted, destructive capitalism.
Baseball's brand is all about the tradition. If these were intelligent, caring people who were running the game, they would be saying, "What are we not doing now that we used to do? What can we bring back that the fans loved? How can we make sure baseball is still a beloved game 100 years from now, instead of losing all its fans to video games?"
They saw how well that worked with all the throwback ballparks. But then, I guess they only went for that because they could scam cities out of lots of money.
What they should be talking about right now is ways to enhance the ballpark experience. Slash food, drink, and ticket prices, and improve service. Make it easier to get to the ballpark, and to get home. Make the players more accessible. Do community outreach everywhere. Get across to the best athletes everywhere that you're too short to play basketball, you'll get a brain injury playing football, and nobody in this country is going to pay to see you play soccer.
Most of all, improve the game. Tell coaches, managers, and all those "New Baseball" geniuses that if they don't start teaching basic skills again—above all, hitting to the opposite field—that you're going to institute rules banning the shifts. Offer "Iron Man" bonuses to give guys an incentive to pitch longer.
If the pitchers just can't compete, move the fences out and widen the strike zone. Above all, seriously test for PEDs, all the time. Make it ONE strike on PEDs and you're out of the game. For life.
Put pitchers on a time clock. Take the hit and eliminate one minute of commercials between innings. Eliminate video replays.
Put all luxury boxes in a lottery for the fans. Bring back day-of-the-game tickets. Ban rowdy drunks from the park. Cut cable prices.
Anybody else?
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