Tentacles of Capitalism II: Corporate Logos
On March 25th, when fans groggily slam their alarm clocks, wake up at the sphincter of dawn, and turn on their televisions to watch the Boston Red Sox play their Opening Day game in Japan, they will be greeted with an unfamiliar sight: a corporate logo on the players’ uniforms.
A new precedent will be set when the Sox take the field wearing the small blue EMC logo on their sleeves, as the historic franchise has never had a non-apparel sponsor on their uniform.
While I don’t have a problem with this on a small scale, I can see some of the old guard wringing their hands over this one. It cracks open a door that was previously locked, one that might eventually be forced open by the ever-growing demand for profit. Nearly every major professional sport in every other country in the world features heavy corporate advertising on their threads, one might wonder if it’s just a matter of time before America’s Pastime follows suit.
As our country heads towards a possible recession, the average consumer will spend less money on luxuries (such as MLB baseball games). While the consumer won’t be ponying up for that extra $7 beer or that extra month of MLB TV, the corporate sponsorship money will be available.
All the team will need is a sewing machine.
It’s worth noting that the Yankees and Devil Rays also had corporate logos on their unis in 2004 when they went to Japan. I want to say it was Konica but I’m not sure.
You’re right. It might have actually been Ricoh (close enough).
Not too many folks worried about it then, maybe that’s a sign that it will pass with the same degree of indifference this time around.
With the bazillions of dollars that the players make these days, forcing many fans out of the park because they simply can’t afford to go to a game, I guess they have to make their money somehow.