Executives from Major League Baseball were in front of the Senate's Commerce Committee today to discuss selling the league's Extra Innings TV package exclusively to DirecTV.
The hearing was called by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), who had this to say:
"Baseball is an integral part of our culture. Sports leagues have tremendous market power. What we need to do is make sure that market power works in the public interest."
My take: People think they have a God-given right to watch their favorite sports teams. Not so. Baseball knows this is not a popular move but has still chosen to go through with the deal. There's nothing wrong with that.
Showing posts with label MLB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MLB. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Thursday, February 8, 2007
David Wright dines with Dubya
The New York Post had a story today about New York Mets all-star David Wright eating dinner with George W. Bush at the White House this past Monday, along with San Diego's Trevor Hoffman, Toronto's Vernon Wells, Cubs manager Lou Piniella, broadcaster Tim McCarver and journalist/baseball nut George Will.
Here's Wright's take on the meal:
"The president was so approachable and knew everything that's going on with the Mets," he said. "The man definitely knows his baseball."
Bush certainly knows his hardball. His past career with the Texas Rangers has been well documented. In fact, I think that Bush's ties to baseball played a role in his election as president in 2000.
In many other situations, this would be a cool experience. It would be endearing to see a president take a break from dining with heads of state to meet with a bunch of baseball players from humble roots. But at this moment in US history, with the nation in two bloody wars, I think this type of meeting hurts the president's image.
Whereas most times a politician associates himself with sports it makes him seem like a man of the people, here it just makes Bush look silly. It seems like he should have bigger things on his plate.
Here's Wright's take on the meal:
"The president was so approachable and knew everything that's going on with the Mets," he said. "The man definitely knows his baseball."
Bush certainly knows his hardball. His past career with the Texas Rangers has been well documented. In fact, I think that Bush's ties to baseball played a role in his election as president in 2000.
In many other situations, this would be a cool experience. It would be endearing to see a president take a break from dining with heads of state to meet with a bunch of baseball players from humble roots. But at this moment in US history, with the nation in two bloody wars, I think this type of meeting hurts the president's image.
Whereas most times a politician associates himself with sports it makes him seem like a man of the people, here it just makes Bush look silly. It seems like he should have bigger things on his plate.
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