Last year, I sent this letter to MLB’s Chief Marketing Officer because I wanted to share my thoughts on the growing presence of gambling advertising in baseball. I care about the game and how it’s presented to fans, and I felt it was important to voice my perspective.

I never got a response, but I thought Reddit might be a good place to share it with others.

36 comments

  4. Moving a team to Las Vegas is all one needs to know about MLB’s position on the matter. They went from kicking Mays and Mantle out of the game for being greeters for Bally’s to a full embrace of the gambling business.

  5. Yeah.  It’s always a bit odd when we get “the World Series brought to you by draft kings!”  

  6. While we may quibble on the details, I agree with the basis of your argument completely. Baseball, as we knew it, (I’m 60) is almost gone. Manfred’s determination to sacrifice the history of the American and National leagues is another example. He wants to completely revolutionize the game into something else entirely. Tragic.

  8. Dear Chase,

    I feel like I can call you Chase because you and me are so much alike. I would love to meet you some day. It would be great to have a catch. I know I can’t throw as fast as you, but I think you would be impressed with my speed, I love your hair. You run fast. Do you have a good relationship with your father? Me neither. These are all things we can talk about and more. I know you have not been getting my letters because I know you would write back if you did, and I hope you write back this time and we get to be good friends. I am sure our relationship would be a real home run.

  11. Manfred should be held complicit in the inevitable murder or sui of someone close to the league. There is no doubt he will have blood on his hands soon.

  13. It’s been a long while (if ever) since MLB actually cared about ethics, but the final straw that convinced me that this MLB front office really doesn’t care was when they were told by the cops not to buy from a convicted felon stolen documents to incriminate ARod, and they paid hundreds of thousands for them, anyway. Then they claimed they never knew it was stolen because there was no legal consequence for either buying the stolen documents or lying about saying they didn’t know it was stolen.

    ARod was a reprehensible guy, but I wanted him to win in arbitration because MLB’s front office’s hands are just as dirty as ARod’s.

    EDIT: Everyone involved in the purchase of stolen docs, and lying to the cops afterward, should’ve been fired/replaced, but only a handful of guys were terminated. Manfred, meanwhile, got promoted…

  17. I couldn’t agree with you more. Its only a matter of time before more players are exposed for participating in gambling.

  18. I think it’s awesome you took the time to write this letter. I wish the MLB would have responded. A lot of leagues and companies (…not just the MLB) never respond to “the little people”, but our society would be much better-off if they would explain their perspectives. Especially when dedicated fans, like yourself, can take the time to lay-out specific concerns. Very intelligibly I’ll add, as you did.

    Regardless, I think sports-betting is here to stay, but I agree with you it’d be nice for them to tone it down. Also, the ads across the board have become incessant and overwhelming (everywhere, now even on the got’damn helmets, which is so ridiculous imo). Good luck to you with your concerns.

  19. Your comparison to the era of tobacco advertisements is very astute. That is definitely going to be how this time is remembered. When the Guardians pitchers kept getting suspended for gambling. When Shohei’s interpreter got got by the FBI for gambling. Its crazy how strict they are with gambling, yet they still desperately want gambling to be a part of baseball.

  20. Well done. To say the least, the gambling nonsense has gotten way out of hand

  24. Include your congressperson. I wish we could see gambling advertisements regulated like tobacco.

  25. Good for you for taking the time and writing a reasonable and passionate letter to make your voice heard!

  26. I appreciate your pleasant yet unpretentious penmanship. You didn’t even have to cross anything out!

  27. I agree with you OP. However, draftkings, MGM, and all those other gambling companies have offered them a Bajillion dollars and we have not.

  28. I totally agree with the argument forwarded by this letter writer. It’s one thing for sports betting to be legal (I believe it should be.) But if there is no separation in the eyes of fans and players between those paying the players and those promoting the gambling the integrity of the game will suffer in a couple ways. It will suffer because some will perceive the connection between owners and gambling ads as a sign of a rigged sport. It will also suffer when players are exposed to expectations and, potentially, threats associated with their feats in play. We’ve got at least two active investigations right now alleging player performance in relation to specific prop bets. Every player is vulnerable. Every league is valuable. For the integrity of all sports get the ads for sports gambling out of the games.

  30. i see kids, some as young as 15 participating in online sports gambling. the ominous casino ads that say “plus the gambling age is now 18” are so sinister to me. gambling is so problematic for so many and it disgusts me that MLB is pretty much in bed with it.

  34. Welp, you just added a letter I need to write to the stack. Well done sir/madam.

  36. If you’re a landlord and the rental income from existing tenants won’t cover your monthly expenses, you might allow a few tenants who’ll pay quadruple your advertised rent and turn a blind eye to what they actually do.

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