E-Briefing March 31, 2000 Play Ball! The Major League Baseball season kicked off this week with an historic series in Japan between the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs. That international twist was just one of several new developments in professional baseball this year. There is a new umpire's union. There are new stadiums on the drawing board, and as always there are new faces on the rosters of various teams. Will these developments prove to be hits or errors? We asked several experts for their thoughts in this week's University of Cincinnati e-briefings. Table of contents 1. Let the games begin! A. What we're really pitching: emotion B. What makes a city a "baseball" town C. The role owners play D. There ought to be a law 2. If you build it... A. You should make it "human" and more comfortable B. You will sacrifice your best land C. Frankly, you shouldn't build it at all 3. Future trends A. Economic issues mean more Latin American players 1. Let the games begin! A. PITCHING EMOTIONS The emotions attached to sports have long appealed to advertisers, a fact that's obvious with the start of this baseball season in Cincinnati and the arrival of Ken Griffey Jr. "We're seeing a classic demonstration of how emotional connections can drive interest and how that ultimately translates into business and marketing opportunities," says Chris Allen, UC professor of marketing, who studies emotion in marketing. When Allen saw a newspaper picture of Griffey and Barry Larkin together this week with a comment saying they get along great because they're Cincinnati guys, Allen says that is just exactly what advertisers want to hear. "That one little line captures the emotional charge this team is experiencing right now," Allen says. "Being a sports fan is all about emotion and passion, which is why these guys get paid so much. Sometimes it makes little sense, but fueled by mass marketing, these people become media lightning rods and players like Ken Griffey Jr. are able to communicate and connect with young people all around the country." contact: 513-556-7110 B. WHAT MAKES A CITY A "BASEBALL" TOWN UC baseball coach Brian Cleary grew up in Florida and has moved around since. In the four years he's been at UC, he says he's seen that Cincinnati still earns its reputation as a great baseball town. "If you define a baseball town as a place that loves baseball, follows baseball and where the people know baseball, I think Cincinnati is as great a place as we think," Cleary says. He also says, that on a per-capita basis, Cincinnati still ranks among the best areas in the country in producing talent. While the Reds are certainly the major reason behind baseball interest, Cleary sees youth baseball as the engine that will continue Cincinnati as a baseball town. "There is a ton of youth baseball played here, even if you take the Reds out of the equation," he says. "The high school baseball is very good, the coaches are very good, and kids get the chance to play all summer. Then the Reds drive interest even farther, and with the acquisition of Ken Griffey Jr., I think interest will only get bigger and bigger this year." contact: 513-556-0566 C. THE ROLE OWNERS PLAY Reds' opening-day hoopla will mark a clear contrast to Cincinnati's experience with its NFL football team, the Bengals. The Bengals have lost goodwill in the community with a decade-long drought, not making the playoffs. Does the ownership structure of a limited partnership for the Reds versus a family-run operation for the Bengals play a role in this? Not directly, says Sid Barton, head of the management department in UC's College of Business Administration and executive director of the Goering Center for Family and Private Business. "I don't think (the difference) is a matter of family business as much as the goals of the individuals in control. In the case of (Reds' general partner) Carl Lindner...actions suggest he doesn't see the team as a way to make a great deal of money. He seems to be motivated by a desire to protect and enhance a valuable asset...as a way to improve the quality of life of the community. In the case of (Bengals' owner and general manager) Mike Brown, this is his only business interest, so what he is focused on is how he can maximize his return." The special circumstance with Brown that frustrates Cincinnati fans is that, no matter how poorly his team performs, he's under little pressure to make changes, because his membership in the NFL guarantees enough advantages that his ability to be profitable is not directly threatened by poor field performance. "In most normal business circumstances, profitability of the firm is directly linked to the quality of the firm's product. Unfortunately, when profit is the overriding goal, and you are in a monopolistic, protected position, it may actually be to your advantage financially not to be more successful on the field." contact: 513-556-7126 D. THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW... Bud Selig's status as Commissioner of Baseball wouldn't pass muster in the corporate world, according to Bill Rands, professor in the UC College of Law who studies corporations and teaches a course on conflicts-of-interest and business. "As owner of the (Milwaukee) Brewers and commissioner, he has a conflict of interest," Rands says. "I know his daughter is actually running the team now, but under corporate law principles, that is still considered a clear conflict of interest. If he is put in a position of having to make a ruling that is clearly going to be good for the Brewers but bad for another team, what is he going to do?" contact: 513-556-0111 2. If you build it... A. YOU SHOULD MAKE IT "HUMAN" AND MORE COMFORTABLE Brad Hammond, UC associate professor of industrial design, says: "Every baseball stadium in the entire world should look like Wrigley Field." The best of the newer stadiums like Camden Yards in Baltimore and Jacobs Field in Cleveland mimic Wrigley's human scale, friendliness and open design. The worst of the stadiums, like Cincinnati's Cinergy Field, instead pay homage to the automobile where people are forced to traverse the cold, circular concrete garages to reach the field. Once in the stadium, Hammond, a nationally respected product designer, recommends wider armrests with a groove down the middle to create a boundary, a sense of ownership. The backs of seats should have cup holders and small trash bags. The steps to seating should be wider with a padded handrail that continues without interruption down the middle of the steps. The padded rail could even become a money maker with print advertising. The space beneath the rail could contain trash bags, program holders, small kiosks and ads. Another money-making amenity: rental padding for the seats, perhaps in the team's colors or again, with advertising. Finally, Hammond proclaims, "They should estimate the number of restrooms for women and then triple it. The restroom facilities now are a crime." contact: 513-556-0250 B. YOU WILL SACRIFICE YOUR BEST LAND Brenda Scheer, UC associate professor of planning and a registered architect, explained that though it makes no sense cities almost always sacrifice their best public lands for stadium use. "The need to sacrifice to avoid evil karma goes back thousands of years in the built environment. We have very strong feelings about this. Ancient societies placed their temples on their prime real estate. We have the same deep, human belief that we must similarly sacrifice so our heros will have a righteous place and perform better." "Within our mythology, cities place stadiums in the most symbolically important place. Economically, it's dumb. In terms of revitalizing downtowns, it's dumb. Cincinnati places huge stadiums on the river. San Diego places theirs on the waterfront. St. Louis sacrifices its best urban land. I guess we hope that baseball and football will stay here and protect us from the witchcraft of urban decline." contact: 513-556-0211 C. FRANKLY, YOU SHOULDN'T BUILD IT AT ALL Udo Greinacher, associate professor of architecture, comments on stadiums, "I don't think we should build them...Baseball and football are two sports failing to interest the young. They're a dying breed. We're putting money into an entertainment of the past." In terms of financing Cincinnati's stadiums, he quipped, "I knew we were in for a serious haircut when it came to those taxes. If only we could have invested the money in the stock market and funded a wonderful rejuvenation of the city." He added that his in native Germany, a sports team would never attempt to "blackmail" a city by threatening to move. "It's unheard of. A team, though privately owned to some degree, belongs to that city." contact: 513-556-1128 3. Future trends A. ECONOMIC ISSUES MEAN MORE LATIN AMERICAN PLAYERS Kevin Grace, UC baseball historian and the assistant head of archives and rare books, teaches a course called the "Social History of Baseball." He continually keeps an eye on issues like race, ethnicity and gender in baseball as well as issues like the impact of a new umpires union this summer and the spate of stadium building by municipalities, particularly at the minor league levels. "There has been a dramatic change in ethnicity, where Latin American ballplayers very quickly and very steadily are becoming the predominant group (in pro baseball)," says Grace, who projects that Latin Americans could be the majority group within 10 years. The reasons behind the surge are socio-economic, Grace believes. "The economic reason on one end is ballclubs are looking to acquire and develop ballplayers at a reasonable price, and that is still possible with Latin Americans. And Latin Americans from poor backgrounds often look to sports as a way for achieving something in life, as one of the few avenues open to them." contact: 513-556-1959 Click here to view previous UC e-briefings. E-mail reillymb@email.uc.edu if you would like to become a regular recipient of UC's e-briefings. Please provide your name, media affiliation, snail-mail address, e-mail address, phone and fax number.