Comments on: EMC slaps its logo on the Boston Red Sox

By: Joe Tucci’s game of catch — Storage Soup

Joe Tucci’s game of catch — Storage Soup — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:42:36 +0000

[...] As a fanatical Red Sox fan and a storage reporter, the whole EMC-logo-on-Red-Sox-uniforms thing has been a matter of some, er, ambivalence for me. It’s also been the source of some trash talk between me and EMC acquaintances, one of whom–a Yankees fan–keeps threatening to send me one of the defiled jerseys. To which I reply I’ll be ready with a seam ripper suitable for removing the patch on the sleeve. To which my father, who raised me a Red Sox fan, replied that I would be an idiot for not keeping it as a collector’s item. But anyway. [...]

By: Peter Bochner

Peter Bochner — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 20:41:26 +0000

I don’t think it’s just nostalgia. There’s all the uniform flap in baseball. Last year they were on Terry Francona because he wore a fleece over his uniform jersey. If a Red Sox player wanted to endorse a storage company by wearing, say, an Iron Mountain patch on his uniform, no way would the Red Sox or MLB allow that. (Of course the player could do a commercial for the company.) And yet a team can dictate that all the players wear this EMC patch. I just find it curious. I wonder what Bill Lee would think of this.

By: Beth Pariseau

Beth Pariseau — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:44:50 +0000

Even when it comes to football, that KFC thing isn’t that much of a surprise. BCS bowl games and the Super Bowl are heavily commoditized as it is. Baseball has more of that “nostalgia” value to it as a league, never mind the “storied Red Sox.” I think it’s worse when you’re talking about baseball, even over other team sports.

By: Peter Bochner

Peter Bochner — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:38:36 +0000

There’s a big difference between team sports and unaffiliated athletes like golfers, tennis players, race car drives, poker players. . .There are no restrictions put on the latter as far as I know in terms of endorsements. Very different atmosphere for team athletes. Look at the latest uproar over KFC offering a big sum of money to any Patriot or Giant who scores a TD and then does the chicken dance celebration. And the NFL promptly saying that such behavior would be heavily fined.

By: Andrew Burton

Andrew Burton — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:29:41 +0000

Weird how different that is in other sports. Take professional cycling for example. The athletes are rolling billboards. And people associate them with their team’s sponsor without even thinking about it. Andy Hampsten = 7/11, Miguel Indurain = Banesto, Laurent Jalabert = ONCE, etc

By: Peter Bochner

Peter Bochner — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:10:47 +0000

Beth, in a way, this is funny. I’m used to seeing our co-workers at TechTarget wearing Sox player jerseys. So, to keep to the apparel thing, this is a bit like putting the shoe on the other foot. Now the Sox players are wearing EMC patches.

But you’re right, it’s a slippery slope. How long will it be before Sox management works out a deal where the players wear special jerseys with, instead of EMC patches, the names of EMC products across the backs of their uniforms? Avamar, Celerra, Clariion. . . .Or maybe they can sell a special promotion where the announcers work EMC product names into their call of the game — “Well, the storm clouds are rolling in, maybe the game will be Rainfinitied out. . .” “With those two scoreless innings, Pap has lowered his (Cent)ERA down to 1.45. . .” I guess it’s just a matter of time before Fenway is rechristened with some corporate monicker, though when the time comes I hope it won’t be Symmetrix since the park is so unsymmetrical.