What kid, having played baseball or seen a major league game, hasn’t dreamed of being a member of the Cubs, Yankees, Cardinals or even the Twins or Royals?
As this article from 2004 describes, little league baseball has been losing popularity for some time. The ironic thing for MLB is that if people don’t play or follow the sport as kids, they don’t tend to pay attention to it as PAYING ADULTS!
I understand the value of a brand, copyright and all the legal stuff that goes with it, but wouldn’t you think MLB would be better served if they viewed this as “imitation being the sincerest form of flattery?” I’ve got to believe that the value in goodwill and awareness is worth far more than the few bucks the league gets from their licensing agreement with the “official” uniform provider.
