Don't Boycott the MLB
A plea to Braves fans
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All-Star Game Relocates
So, Rob Manfred moved the MLB All-Star Game from Truist Park this summer in response to the new Georgia voting bill. It happened a week ago today and I am still not over it. I received the news seconds after I published last week’s newsletter so I didn’t have a chance to respond to it which is undoubtedly a good thing as I probably would have been one fuming hot mess spouting whatever popped into my head.
It’s not that I am so mad that the MLB got involved in politics (though I am not happy about that), it’s not that I hate Rob Manfred and think he should be fired (though that is true), and it’s not that I am a die-hard supporter of the bill (I haven’t even read the thing). I am so mad and disappointed because I was excited at even the remote possibility of being able to watch the Home Run Derby at Truist Park. I have been a Braves fan my entire life and being able to watch the Home Run Derby (I don’t even care about the All-Star Game) in the Braves stadium would have been incredible and something I have waited years to witness. I say all of that because I want it to be known that I am not happy, at all, about the decision to move the All-Star Game.
However, I don’t want to talk about that because I will just get worked up about it. Rather, I want to address the people who have decided to boycott the MLB in response to their decision to move the game. First, I completely understand why one would want to do this. When rumors were circulating that it was a possibility I said that if MLB went through with the relocation I would stop watching. I have since changed my mind for multiple reasons which I want to talk about.
It Hurts the Braves
After Manfred’s decision, the Braves pretty quickly released a statement distancing themselves from the decision and expressing their disappointment with it.
This is about as harsh of a statement from a team disagreeing with the commissioner as you will see, so it’s clear that the decision to move the game did not sit well with the Braves. This is important because, if you live in Atlanta, boycotting the MLB means boycotting the Braves.
This would be understandable if the Braves had been involved with the decision to move the game or had encouraged moving the game. It would even be understandable if the Braves had expressed approval at Manfred’s decision while not being actively involved in making the decision. However, that is not what happened. The Braves were and are clearly opposed to the decision so there is no reason to punish them by boycotting.
This takes on a level of seriousness when you consider the reality that the Braves employ over a thousand employees. Only a handful of these employees are the millionaire players and executives that will be alright even if a segment of the fanbase chooses not to watch the games. The majority of the Braves workforce are people who depend on these jobs for valuable income in order to support themselves or a family. Not to mention the employees directly responsible for planning, organizing, and bringing the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park. If Braves fans boycott the MLB by refusing to watch the Braves, then the loss of revenue will impact salaries and/or the job security of the people who rely on the Braves for income and, again, had no say in moving the All-Star Game.
This should weigh heavy on anyone’s decision to boycott, but particularly those who are decrying the economic impact that moving the game will have. I find it hard to justify criticizing the MLB for hurting the local economy and then deliberating wreaking economic hurt on a local employer that employs well over a thousand people.
Finally, a boycott of the MLB will disproportionally hurt the Atlanta Braves. It is well-known that the most conservative region of the country is the southeast which just so happens to be the Braves’ market. Because conservatives are the ones protesting, the Braves, who I would conjecture have the most conservative fanbase, will be hit harder than any other MLB team. Again, this is unjustified for an organization that clearly disagreed with the decision and does not support it.
Real Revenge
Do you think Manfred would have made this same decision if the All-Star Game were in New York City? I suspect that Manfred would have thought twice about moving the game if that were the case. Why? Because the New York market is just too large, there is too much money to be made, and too much publicity to be had to make such a decision.
Manfred was willing to make this move because Atlanta just doesn’t have the market that New York City does and thus there was not the same level of sacrifice required. The real way to get revenge on Manfred is to make the Atlanta baseball market so large and powerful that he realizes he made a mistake. It’s kind of like when you see an ex that broke up with you in public. You could completely ignore them out of bitterness or you could walk right up to them and strike up a conversation with them exuding confidence. Only the latter will leave the other person feeling like they let a good one get away. Braves fans should come out in full support of the Braves and seek to grow the Atlanta market so much that it forces Manfred to reconsider. Boycotting will fly in the face of this objective.
Now, I know that some people will immediately respond that boycotting is a way to show Manfred what he is missing out on. There’s nothing that people respond better to than a hit to their checkbook. This is correct in theory but the reality is that people, particularly conservatives, do not boycott well. Let’s take the NFL as a test case. The NFL, which has a significantly stronger brand to be fair, took a ratings hit of 11% after the whole Colin Kaepernick debacle. That means that only 11% of people stopped watching the NFL because of their belief that the league had gotten too political. Now, there is a possibility that this boycott of the MLB will be more substantial. However, I’m not sure that people are going to be more willing to stop watching over the relocation of the All-Star Game than over what they view as disrespecting the American flag. Color me skeptical.
Let’s take another example: Nike. Conservatives were up in arms over Nike’s collaboration with Colin Kaepernick (I believe rightfully so) in September 2018. Boycotts were threatened and people swore they would never buy Nike products again (I still haven’t). Has Nike gotten the message? That seems unlikely considering Kaepernick is still working with the company and the stock has been up roughly 58% in the last 3 years.
Once again, these examples tell us that conservatives are bad at boycotting. While it is good in theory, in reality boycotting by conservatives rarely affects companies in a meaningful way. As a result, I think it is safe to predict that boycotting the MLB will probably have similar (non)results. The more likely outcome is that there will be enough people that boycott, concentrated in more conservatives areas (i.e. Braves country), that teams like the Braves will feel the brunt of it without a broad enough impact to make a meaningful difference across the league.
If boycotting won’t work, then the only other option is to try and gain leverage of Manfred by growing the size and power of the Braves fanbase. I know that the Braves will never be able to reach the size and power of the New York City market simply due to numbers. However, according to Facebook stats (which I know is not the perfect assessment but its what I could find) the Braves have less fans than teams like the St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, and Detroit Tigers. While the Braves cannot compete with the major cities like New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, surely the Braves can compete with Detroit! I’m not saying it’s bound to work, but if you are looking to stick it to Manfred, it’s the better option.
Not Worth Boycotting
The last reason that I would encourage people not to boycott the MLB is that it’s simply not worth boycotting. Now, you may disagree with me and think it’s absolutely worth it. You are completely entitled to hold that opinion and I respect it. However, I personally do not think it is worth boycotting for a couple of reasons.
First, it hasn’t impacted the product on the television or on the field. You can watch an entire baseball and not get one reminder that the All-Star Game was relocated from Georgia due to politics. This was not necessarily true last summer when Black Lives Matter and other political slogans were plastered on the mound or around the stadium. That’s when I was significantly more frustrated with the MLB for being involved in politics because it was shoved in my face while I was trying to watch the game. However, this season I have not noticed any of that or any other political statements filling the screen, so it’s still an escape from the political world.
Next, some things just aren’t worth letting politics ruin. I have loved the Braves for as long as I can remember and I desperately want them to win the World Series. I have suffered through the rebuilding years and the heartbreaks of Braves playoff baseball. I have screamed at the top of my lungs for playoff grand slams and Upton brothers ninth-inning homeruns (Note: I purposely added links to the good moments for anyone who wants to relive those moments. Also, here is a greatest Braves moments of the last decade for fun). I wouldn’t trade any of these moments and I don’t want them to stop. The journey of being a Braves fan is just not worth giving up to prove a political point. Again, that’s how I feel, and I am not saying you have to agree.
Finally, there is nothing unethical about what Manfred did in relocating the All-Star Game. I don’t agree with the decision in the slightest, and I believe it was predicated on a lie about the voting bill, but Manfred did what he believed to be best for baseball (which I hate giving him the benefit of the doubt, but here we are). He is the commissioner of the MLB and that is his duty. I point this out because I believe principled boycotting against something that is unethical is entirely justifiable. This isn’t the case though. The move was entirely ethical, albeit stupid, frustrating, and political, so there is no moral obligation to boycott.
Again, this entire newsletter is my reasons for why I don’t think anyone should boycott the MLB, particularly as a Braves fan. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, and I don’t want to tell people what they should or shouldn’t do when the issue is as minor as this. We live in a free country and you are free to make whatever decisions you would like, but I will continue to watch the MLB this year and would encourage everyone else to as well.
God Bless,
Hunter Burnett
Braves Breakdown
The Braves lost their first four games (I don’t want to talk about it). However, they swept their double header on Wednesday against the Nationals behind a(nother) Panda pinch hit homerun and good pitching from Drew Smyly. The amount of bad luck so far that the Braves pitching has experienced is pretty hard to deal with, but it also means I am not too worried. Also, the hitting picked up on Wednesday and they have hit the ball hard even during the four game losing streak. I am still not feeling great about the bullpen, particularly Will Smith, but hopefully they can figure it out because I can’t handle a year of uncertainity late in games. I experience enough now as it is. Let’s hope for a sweep of the Phillies to make up for the opening series. Chop On!