Four Cape Cod League teams have
chosen to maintain nicknames they share with MLB teams and go with MLB vendors, which means "dealing with national uniform maker Majestic Athletic for all team duds sporting a name like Braves or Mets" and "ordering all merchandise through MLB-approved vendors," according to Mark Murphy of the BOSTON HERALD. MLB had "threatened to withhold its $100,000 grant" to the league if the teams did not use MLB-approved vendors. However, that has "cut into the money these teams make" from T-shirt sales. MLB VP/Business PR Matt Bourne: "It's just that we have binding legal agreements. It was brought to our attention that they weren't going through our official licensing partners. ... There's a variety of reasons we have to do this. It affects our relationships. If you don't enforce your trademark rights, then you run the risk of losing them." But former MLBer Lou Merloni, who played a season each for the Bourne Braves and Cotuit Kettleers, said local vendors have "always been great, because they're able to give the teams a break so that they could afford the uniforms." Merloni: "That's the nature of the league. They have a tough enough time keeping it going. A lot of people are working hard, and then MLB comes in and makes it harder." Murphy reported two teams, the Chatham Anglers and Orleans Firebirds, have "decided that staying loyal to local vendors was more important" than maintaining MLB monikers. Chatham, "one of the league's annual leaders in merchandise sales, is anticipating a rush at the merchandise booth." Merchandise sales are important to Cape Cod League clubs -- of the "approximately $350,000 it costs each year to run the Chatham operation, approximately $90,000 of that comes from merchandising." Murphy noted more teams "may choose to change team names if their new relationships with MLB vendors [prove] too costly" (
BOSTON HERALD, 5/31).
