Tuesday, January 06, 2004
It's easy to poke fun at San Diego's PETCO Park. While I'm sure that it will be a gem when it comes to watching games there, the name is really silly. PETCO? Please... Still, it could have been much worse. It could have been Sycuan Stadium.
A recent Padres logo
Copyright San Diego Padres, image presented under "fair use"
Since 2000 the Sycuan tribe has been "sponsoring" the San Diego Padres. Their name shows up on tickets, programs, more or less anywhere the Padres logo is, it is followed by "presented by Sycuan." This isn't about raising awareness of Native American (I don't think that the NCAAP or the JDL will be sposoring teams anytime soon), it is about advertising the local casino.
That's right, major league baseball's restrictions about associating with gambling interests don't seem to apply to taking money from casinos. The Padres hem and haw about the fact that while you can play poker and blackjack at the casino, you can't place a bet on baseball there. Somehow this distinction makes everything kosher.
A few years back I went to the Midwest League All-Star game. That year it was held in Lansing, MI. When I opened the program I found a large at for the local "Adult toy store". Given that baseball projects a "family-friendly" image, somewhere along the way somebody should have called up the store and told them that their ad was not proper for the program, refunded their payment, and wished them luck. Major League Baseball took that step when Sycuan attempted to buy naming rights for the new stadium in San Diego. Thank you for your interest, but we don't think that assocation with your business works well with our goals and interests. The Padres should take the next step and sever all ties with Sycuan. For Pete's sake, do the right thing.
posted by David 8:46 AM
