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Friday, September 12, 2008

Oil and Baseball: Exxon’s Sponsorship of Nationals Under Green Fire

On Monday afternoon, “scores” of baseball fans will launch a protest outside the Washington Nationals’ glitzy new eco-friendly stadium. Will they be screaming at the Nats’ owners about suffering the worst record in Major League Baseball, or enduring one of the most anemic offenses in the country?

Nope—the protest Monday is aimed at ExxonMobil’s continued sponsorship of the Nats’ stadium. Red-and-white Exxon banners decorate parts of the outfield, and ocasionally other parts of Nationals Park, the first in the country to be LEED-certified as a “green” ballpark. Exxon also flashes its logo on the big scoreboard for the 7th-inning stretch.

Problem here is that to put “scores” of Baseball Fans outside the Washington Nationals’ park would mean that there would be more Baseball Fans outside protesting then inside watching the game.

Gamingboy Posted: September 12, 2008 at 01:59 PM | 13 comment(s) | Login to Bookmark
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1. Dudefella Posted: September 12, 2008 at 03:15 PM (#2939217)

I consider myself pretty tree-huggy, but the most robust response I can muster to Exxon's sponsorship is a slightly deflated "meh."

I suspect that if I went down the list of corporations who sponsor baseball teams/stadia or sports events more generally, I could name something that bothered me quite a bit about each one. So the real issue for me becomes, is corporate sponsorship of sports a good thing? And while that may be an interesting question for debating societies, it seems pretty clear that that ship has sailed. So, meh.

2. Swedish Chef Posted: September 12, 2008 at 03:24 PM (#2939227)

is corporate sponsorship of sports a good thing?

Why the hell not? It's not like MLB teams are on any higher moral plane than the sponsoring corporations, they're also in it for the cash.

3. Dudefella Posted: September 12, 2008 at 03:27 PM (#2939233)

Why the hell not? It's not like MLB teams are on any higher moral plane than the sponsoring corporations, they're also in it for the cash.

You'll note that I didn't express an opinion one way or the other.

4. Pasta-diving Jeter (jmac66) Posted: September 12, 2008 at 03:29 PM (#2939236)

On Monday afternoon, “scores” of baseball fans will launch a protest outside the Washington Nationals’ glitzy new eco-friendly stadium.

that's nothing--yesterday, a letter poured in

5. flournoy Posted: September 12, 2008 at 03:46 PM (#2939266)

You'll note that I didn't express an opinion one way or the other.

And yet you raised the dumb question anyway. Was Timothy McVeigh a bad guy?

You'll note that I didn't express an opinion one way or the other.

6. Dudefella Posted: September 12, 2008 at 03:54 PM (#2939279)

And yet you raised the dumb question anyway. Was Timothy McVeigh a bad guy?

You'll note that I didn't express an opinion one way or the other.

Oh, don't be a dick. It was clearly a rhetorical question. I know it may not seem this way, but a day without snark is not, in fact, like a day without water.

7. sbiel2 Posted: September 12, 2008 at 04:03 PM (#2939293)

I think it's just dumb for the team to sell the naming rights to Exxon, which seems like an inevitable outcome.

With gas prices where they are, oil companies are up there with satan and George Bush as the most despised people in the U.S. Why the team would want to associate their most valuable asset with them is beyond me. Better off calling it "Abramoff Associates Field."

8. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: September 12, 2008 at 06:39 PM (#2939544)

I consider myself pretty tree-huggy, but the most robust response I can muster to Exxon's sponsorship is a slightly deflated "meh."

My thoughts exactly. Sometimes us liberals need to have a more rational reaction than "OIL COMPANIES = BAD!!!!!"

9. Vaux, A.B.D. Posted: September 12, 2008 at 06:55 PM (#2939571)

Just about everything in this thread made me laugh out loud.

10. GregQ Posted: September 12, 2008 at 07:21 PM (#2939610)

I see that the football Giants just ended naming rights discussions with some German company that had ties to the Nazi's.

11. Gambling Rent Czar Posted: September 12, 2008 at 09:46 PM (#2939772)

no problems with this sign though, right?

12. Answer Guy Posted: September 12, 2008 at 09:53 PM (#2939775)

On Monday afternoon, “scores” of baseball fans will launch a protest outside the Washington Nationals’ glitzy new eco-friendly stadium.

If they get decent turnout for this, it might not be much smaller than the number of people in the ballpark during some home games.

13. RMc's grumbling has gone far enough Posted: September 12, 2008 at 10:08 PM (#2939788)

“scores” of baseball fans

Now, if they could just get these people to watch the games on TV, they'd double their ratings...

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Friday, September 12, 2008

Oil and Baseball: Exxon’s Sponsorship of Nationals Under Green Fire

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