The "primary reason" the Yankees may be relegated to the
"minor leagues of advertising" is that MLB's recent setbacks have
"damaged its standing among marketers as much as among
consumers," according to Stuart Elliot of the N.Y. TIMES.
Blackman & Raber President Marty Blackman: "You have a sport
where until there's labor peace you're subject to disruption of
advertising and sales promotion programs." Marketers'
Professional Scouting Report author Bob Dorfman: "The Yankees
have more interesting personalities. But Major League Baseball
is not really focusing on the players, which is what succeeded
for the National Basketball Association." Dorfman equates the
Yankees to U.S. athletes who won medals at the Atlanta Olympics;
some made the cover of Wheaties boxes, but "for the most part
failed to find lucrative ad deals." Yankees Manager Joe Torre
was identified as a possible ad star, for what Blackman described
as the "intense publicity around him and his family." Dorfman:
"With all the tears Joe has been shedding, if I were Kleenex, I
would grab him" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/29).
