The commissioner must do a state-of-the-union at the beginning of each leagues championship. Roger Goodell and Gary Bettman have a press conference prior to Game 1 or the Super Bowl. Rob Manfred must do this because of the nature of baseball. The commissioner will be present at the game because it is baseball's most important event.
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Manfred is likely to make a gross comment if he has a microphone at his face.
Manfred was required to discuss something controversial and touchy, which, as we know, is a situation for which he is equally skilled as a koala. Here we are:
You don't need NSA-level clearance in order to see between the lines. This is the first quote that organizations such as this aim for. We found one group in this area that isn't complaining so that's ok. Or are the Blackhawks still doing it? It seems that this article has enough objections to be a clear statement of the issue. If you are desperate to defend your insular position, like Manfred, you will cling to everything you can.
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The second quote is probably the most expensive. Manfred admits that MLB does not market nationally. This could explain why the sport is losing interest each year. It also shows how lax Manfred and MLB are in marketing the sport.
He basically called the Atlanta market and Braves fans racist turds. They would never be able get over a logo and name change. The Braves will have to consider that when deciding whether to change the logo or not.
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This is a way to exonerate him and the league from any responsibility. It is difficult to imagine a commissioner saying, "Some of our fans are racist", but that we can't do anything about it, so we just have to placate them." Manfred's primary concern has always been to make every dollar for the owners. Manfred cannot imagine that the Braves would sell less tickets if they changed their logo or name. This is why you get such a disgusting, sloppy garbage.
Manfred interprets it as a marketing issue. Manfred isn't an expert on morality or decency. He doesnt speak it. We all know who the Braves really are. They moved to an absolute capital for white flight to make their fans feel better about their latent racism. It's Manfreds territory if you put it in financial terms. Asking the Braves for less money is a waste of time. Status quo = same or more money. He knows nothing else.
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Play ball.
