MLB OKs Later First Pitch For World Series Game For Obama Ad

Obama Ad Triggers Delayed Start For World Series Game

MLB yesterday agreed to delay the start of World Series Game Six on October 29 "by about 15 minutes to make room for a television commercial that Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama plans to run," according to Meg James of the L.A. TIMES. The first pitch of a World Series game "typically is thrown" at 8:22pm ET, but Obama's campaign this month "negotiated to buy the same half-hour of prime time -- from 8 to 8:30 p.m. EDT that night -- on CBS and NBC." The campaign "approached ABC and Fox Broadcasting to purchase that half-hour on those networks," and Fox asked MLB to "push the start time of a Game 6 to at least" 8:35pm so the net could accommodate Obama's buy. When MLB agreed to make the switch, Fox "sold the half-hour to Obama's campaign for just under $1[M]." Fox in a statement said it "will accommodate Sen. Obama's desire to communicate with voters in this long-form format. We are pleased that [MLB] has agreed to delay the first pitch of World Series Game 6 for a few minutes in order for Fox to carry his program." Republican National Committee spokesperson Alex Conant: "It's unfortunate that the World Series' first pitch is being delayed for Obama's political pitch. Not only is Obama putting politics before principle, he's putting it before our national pastime." James notes in California and elsewhere in the Pacific and Mountain time zones, Fox "plans to run the Obama program after" the game (L.A. TIMES, 10/16). Fox Senior VP/Corporate Communications Scott Grogin yesterday said that "it was the network that made the request" to delay the game (N.Y. TIMES, 10/16).

NOT UNCOMMON: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Paul Gough writes it is "not unprecedented for a network and sports league to move the start time of a sports event to accommodate a political broadcast." The NFL moved up the kickoff time of the September 4 Redskins-Giants season-opening game, which aired on NBC, to "make sure that the game would be over before" John McCain began his nomination acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 10/16).

ALREADY COMING UNDER SCRUTINY: BIZOFBASEBALL.com's Maury Brown writes, "It seems Barack Obama is more powerful than America's Pastime." Brown: "There comes a point, and this is probably it, where sports fans say enough already. Ad dollars are hard to say no to, and LCS ratings haven't been the best, but one has to ask when is enough enough?" (BIZOFBASEBALL.com, 10/16).