Wow, They Actually Listened!

After the firestorm of criticism (over 80% negative reaction in some online polls) about the MLB marketing agreement with the major Hollywood film (I still won't mention it; why give it free PR, even here?), the deal was cancelled late today.

MLB's CEO (why do they need a CEO and a commissioner? Oh, never mind. The commissioner is asleep most of the time) Bob DuPuy said:

The bases were an extremely small part of this program. However, we understand that a segment of our fans was uncomfortable with this particular component and we do not want to detract from the fan's experience in any way.

Well, DUH!

And this was after DuPuy tried to justify the campaign by saying:

It's part of our effort to market the game in a holistic style, but mostly to market it to a whole demographic: kids. I don't think this portends a significant trend to where promotional opportunities or advertising might be going with baseball. We went through a period, after a century of outfield signage, where we went 20 or 30 years with no outfield signage, and then gradually the outfield signage has come back. It adds a unique flavor and color to each of our individual stadia, which are each unique in their own way.

As Rob Neyer wrote on ESPN.com tonight:

The argument that signs on the outfield walls somehow make baseball stadiums better is so over-the-top offensive, not to mention dishonest, that I really don't understand how anybody would believe, ever, anything else that DuPuy says.

You said it, Rob.

But wait, there's more, from Geoffrey Ammer, head of marketing for the movie company:

We listened to the fans. We never saw this coming, the reaction the fans had. It became a flashpoint -- the reaction was overwhelming. We don't want to do anything that takes away from a fan's enjoyment of the game. Some people thought it was a great idea, but others saw it as sacrilegious.

DUH! again!

Do we have to teach these people everything?

Yes, I already know the answer to that question.