you guys are right on, with MLB being too cautious of their brand, and that holding them back from growing.
just one example:
i work for a minor league team. affiliated with a big league club, and have access to a lot of licensing deals and such, because of the relationship between MiLB and MLB. however...
for over a decade, we have hosted a World Series Party as a thank you for our season ticket holders. no cost of admission, we even have a ton of food for them to eat (free of cost) and free soft drinks. the only money that changes hands at all, is if they want alcohol. we've now been told that we can no longer even reference it as a World Series party. in fact, every other name you could use to reference it, is off the table. so it is now a post-season baseball watch party.
i get the idea of protecting your brand, etc. (hell the NFL has copyrights on "the big game"). if we were charging a fee, i would understand that as well. but it takes a special kind of stupid to even disallow your affiliates to not be able to promote you.
just one example:
i work for a minor league team. affiliated with a big league club, and have access to a lot of licensing deals and such, because of the relationship between MiLB and MLB. however...
for over a decade, we have hosted a World Series Party as a thank you for our season ticket holders. no cost of admission, we even have a ton of food for them to eat (free of cost) and free soft drinks. the only money that changes hands at all, is if they want alcohol. we've now been told that we can no longer even reference it as a World Series party. in fact, every other name you could use to reference it, is off the table. so it is now a post-season baseball watch party.
i get the idea of protecting your brand, etc. (hell the NFL has copyrights on "the big game"). if we were charging a fee, i would understand that as well. but it takes a special kind of stupid to even disallow your affiliates to not be able to promote you.
