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Selig says MLB attendance could
climb 5-8% this season |
MLB Commissioner Bud Selig yesterday credited the current 15-year run of labor peace for the record revenue and attendance the league has recorded in recent years. Speaking after his keynote address at the
IMG World Congress of Sports, Selig said that he is hopeful of avoiding a work stoppage in the current round of bargaining, which began with two formal negotiation sessions earlier this month. "Deals have to be equitable," Selig said. "We're not in the stage of the negotiations where I can tell you specifics. Hopefully, we can duplicate what we did in 2006: Thoughtfully, carefully and quietly." Selig also addressed the financial problems of the Mets and Dodgers, saying they were not at all indicative of the league as a whole. "We have less debt today than we had a year ago," he said. "[The Mets and Dodgers] have nothing to do with the overall debt structure." The commissioner said league execs met recently with commercial bankers with regard to the sport's economics. He said, "It was like a love-in." Selig reiterated that he plans to give up his commissioner duties in December '12 when his current contract ends, but he was less absolute in his remarks on this subject than he has been in the past. He acknowledged he has not begun to formally consider successor candidates. "That is my goal," Selig said of retiring next year. "Those are my thoughts today." The commissioner also snapped back at San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, who criticized the lengthy search process for a new A's ballpark by saying, "A snail could have made it from Oakland to San Jose in two years." Selig retorted, "Good for the San Jose mayor. I hope he's addressing the city's problems more accurately than he did that." As to the search itself, there is nothing fundamentally new, though Selig said a decision could arrive "soon." Meanwhile, Selig last week declined to specify a potential increase in '11 attendance, though he was targeting a strong bump back up after three straight annual declines. But yesterday, the commissioner said the lift could be 5-8% (
Ourand & Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).
MLB CONTRASTING OTHER LEAGUES: In Phoenix, Dan Bickley wrote it is possible that MLB "could enjoy a September pennant chase with very little competition other than college football." NFL players likely "still will be bickering with owners on how to split $9 billion, and training camps will remain dark," and NBA players also "could be locked out by their employers." D'Backs Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick: "Our sport is in a pretty good place. Our labor atmosphere appears to be less stressful than at any point I can remember, and the cost of our sport is much more affordable for families in a tough economy" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 3/27). In Seattle, Larry Stone wrote, "Unlike other major sports, baseball is free from labor strife. ... There is virtually no risk of the season being disrupted by a labor dispute, despite a collective-bargaining agreement that expires on Dec. 11" (SEATTLE TIMES, 3/29). In Boston, Nick Cafardo noted a new CBA "could be hashed out before season's end," as the "general consensus is that a hangup or even the slightest threat of a work stoppage would be shocking." The MLBPA under Exec Dir Michael Weiner's leadership is "even open to changes in revenue-sharing formulas" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/27). Baseball writer Murray Chass wrote MLB is "well off financially, and neither side has reason to disrupt the revenue flow." The owners and players "quietly negotiated a new labor contract in 2006 and should repeat that development this year." Chass added, "One other reason continued peace seems a certainty: Selig's tenure as commissioner is scheduled to end after the 2012 season. Whether or not it does, Selig will not allow work stoppage No. 9 to be his legacy" (MURRAYCHASS.com, 3/27).
QUICK SCHEDULE FIX: In Akron, Sheldon Ocker wrote, "If a minimal number of games were to be trimmed from the schedule, not only could an additional layer of playoffs be added, but also the World Series would end before fans bought their Thanksgiving turkeys." Shortening the season could "decrease team revenues," so the owners "might have to take a minor hit." But "maybe not, because competitive issues would change and teams would be guaranteed to receive an increase in national television revenue." Ocker: "There is a simple way to cut the season by a few games, keep revenue losses to a minimum, add another round of playoffs and still complete the schedule almost two weeks earlier than in recent years. ... Schedule four day-night, separate-admission doubleheaders." The regular season "would end Sept. 19, which would leave plenty of air for an additional best-of-three wild-card playoff series." The TV networks "would welcome more playoff baseball" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 3/27).
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Writer feels MLB is primed to build
younger, larger fan base |
KEEP THE PEDAL TO THE METAL: FOXSPORTS.com's Ken Rosenthal wrote MLB has "no excuse and little choice but to push itself to the next level" as the '11 season begins. Attendance is "booming, local television ratings are soaring, virtually every indicator is pointing upward." Rosenthal: "Now is the time to broaden the sport's appeal even further, build a younger, larger fan base. ... The goals should be obvious: promote the players better. Make the jewel events bigger. Exploit the digital age to maximum effect. On the latter front, at least, baseball is off to a terrific start. The sport remains on the cutting edge of the wireless world." MLBAM President & CEO Bob Bowman "predicts that fans eventually will connect to the game in three ways -- at the ballpark, through their home televisions and on wireless devices such as phones, laptops and tablets." Bowman said that 37% of traffic on MLB.com and the 30 individual club sites last season "came from wireless devices," and this season he expects the number to reach almost 50%. MLBAM's wireless team, which started with 12 members in '06, "now consists of almost 70." The "next step is obvious: involve players to a greater extent." The players "need to get with the program, making themselves more accessible, agreeing to more aggressive marketing, going more Hollywood," as "no baseball player, except perhaps Derek Jeter, is as famous as LeBron James." The reason, "at least in part, is marketing." Meanwhile, Rosenthal wrote MLB agent Scott Boras is "on target with his talk of a 'World Series Weekend,' complete with awards presentations, and home run and skills competitions, all at a neutral site" (
FOXSPORTS.com, 3/29).
