July 17, 2013

Blue Jays Broadcasts Superimpose Ads On Playing Field

Sportsnet, the network that broadcasts Toronto Blue Jays games, has found a new way to assault us with advertising during baseball games - crudely superimposing company logos on the field!

Business Insider:
Sportsnet is now placing advertisements on one of the last remaining ad-free areas of a sporting event, the playing surface. Unless Major League Baseball steps in, the fans' views of baseball games is about to be a lot less appealing.

The ads ... are not actually on the Rogers Centre turf. Instead, they are superimposed on the screen, a distinction that means little for the fans watching at home. ...

Hopefully MLB will step in and put a stop to this. But if the revenue stream is significant and fans don't scream and yell, it is probably here to stay and going to get worse.



First seen at The Hardball Times.

10 comments:

FenFan said...

Not cool...

Jim said...

"Hopefully MLB will step in and put a stop to this."

Are these guys serious? Bud's reaction was probably "Jesus, why didn't I think of this."

hrstrat57 said...

Wow!

laura k said...

But if the revenue stream is significant and fans don't scream and yell, it is probably here to stay and going to get worse.

Scream and yell, fans. Scream and yell!

Roone said...

How does one contact MLB to yell at them?

allan said...

Major League Baseball Commissioner's Office
245 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10167
212-931-7800

FenFan said...

Allan or Laura, one of you may be more familiar than I on this subject: it seems that in other countries, particularly those in Europe and Latin America, advertisements on jerseys, the field of play, etc. are the norm at sporting events. Why has it become so commonplace elsewhere? Is it economics, greed, or some other factor?

laura k said...

Yes, European soccer teams have had corporate names - not team names - on their jerseys for decades. People say it's because there's less money in the game, so teams need the revenue to pay big player salaries, but who knows if that's true. They say that about North American pro sports without any evidence, so...?

allan said...

This story was published almost a year ago:

NBA Approves Advertising on Jerseys for 2013-14 Season

laura k said...

How does one contact MLB to yell at them?

If you're yelling, save some of your voice for the Blue Jays.

Toronto Blue Jays
1 Blue Jays Way, Suite 3200
Toronto, ON M5V 1J1
416.341.1000
1.888.654.6529