Response of this website by Sports Writer, John Brattain

I found your web site interesting, however I'm not sure a fan boycott is the way to go. You see, if baseball cared about the average fan, they wouldn't act in the manner that they currently do.

What's caused the mutation of our beloved sport is the revenues baseball enjoys from two sources: corporations and public monies. Baseball feeds at the public trough via stadium boondoggles, and tax breaks/abatements/exemptions and the like. MLB siphons off billions of dollars from the public--much of which is spent on new stadiums.

Why are new stadiums being built at such a breathtaking rate?

Simply put: The old stadiums are lacking in amenities that attract the economic elite to games (corporations) such as luxury boxes and club seating. Since baseball caters to this group, teams building new stadiums routinely place the most affordable seating (generally second/third deck seating) quite a bit further back from the action than it was in the older ballyards to accomodate this kind of seating. Compare old Comiskey with new Comiskey, or Tiger Stadium to Comerica Park. The best seating for the average fan was sacrificed to attract economic royalty.

This the average fan is accounting for a lower and lower percentage of team revenues, they are regarded as less important by MLB franchises.

Due to that, a fan boycott wouldn't "sting" as much as it would 20 years ago.

The fans' best recourse is a boycott in the public sector. Demand the monopoly status of MLB to be done away with (deregulation); hold accountable politicians who support (publicly financed) stadium deals/special tax break/abatements for team owners. If you feel a need to boycott a business: boycott corporations that lease club seating/luxury suites. You have to keep in mind that one of the reasons luxury suites charge such high lease rates is because the businesses who rent them get to deduct a good percentage of the costs from their taxes. So, in effect, not only are we supporting teams with tax monies, but we're supporting the companies who use these amenities and get tax breaks for doing so since taxpayers make up the shortfall through higher taxes/reduced services.

Of course, players benefit from this situation in that, say, if the Orioles still played at old Memorial Stadium, they wouldn't pay Albert Belle $13 million per year. It's the same market (Baltimore) is it not? Why does Belle make what he does? The fact that the Orioles received a huge public subsidy (Camden Yards). The Orioles reap the revenue streams the new stadium generates without the debt service from the park (which is paid by the public sector--Maryland taxpayers).

Boycotting games is of minimal use if baseball uses these other huge sources for revenue (corporations) to sustain their largesse. The "average fan" has the power to make both sides (owners/players) stand up and take notice, but you have to aim at the most effective target.

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