Winston-Salem, NC -- One of the more ludicrous stories that traveled across the news wire this week involved Major League Baseball (MLB) suing little leagues around the nation for the use of team logos and names. Because the team logos and names are trademarked, companies that produce the shirts, jerseys, and hats for Little League teams must cease production. If MLB is going to negate the use of their team names in Little League, wouldn't that create less enthusiasm and excitement for youngsters interested in watching their product? I know that MLB goes to great lengths protecting their patents and trademarks, and this use by Little Leagues may be a loophole, but c'mon, you're only casting MLB in a negative light; a greedy light for that matter.
One of the most anticipated parts of the Little League season was discovering which "team" you'd be playing for when the coaches would hand out the coveted shirts, hats, and pants before the first game. Growing up in suburban Maryland, every team wanted to be the Orioles. In my three years of Little League, I was the Braves(!), Giants, and Dodgers. I had a knack for the National League, what can I say. If you're going to take away that excitement and anticipation, MLB, then I hope the Supreme Court shoves it right back in your face. Baseball is a multi-billion dollar business. With different sporting options sprouting across the nation, the casual fan may choose to spend their entertainment dollars elsewhere. Not until somebody cuts a hole in that $6.5M revenue pouch will MLB try to "give back" to the fans.
P.S. -- I was always jealous of the Barnard Real Estate Services team jerseys. Not only did they have their names on the back every year, a la MLB style, but they had their first initial AND last name. Big Johnny always had to one-up us.
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