Replies to post #20667 on Baseball Chat (BASEBALL)

[BullNBear52]

We The Fans...
http://www.wethefans.com/statement.html

We can never forget the debacle that was the Major League Baseball talks of '94, right? So how could the NBA, a mere four years later, have the wild audacity to have a lockout that caused the cancellation of nearly half the season and the All-Star game? There were lots of meetings, but who was "refereeing" those talks? The only referee at those "collective bargaining" meetings was Greed! Who "should have been" refereeing those meetings? The Fans, that's who! It's The Fans that love the game! It's The Fans that pay the money! It's The Fans that fill the stadiums and arenas. Yet it's The Fans, that sit on the outside looking in; waiting for "the rulers" of the game to say when they are ready for us to watch them play. MADNESS!

The time is now for WeTheFans to take action. The owners and players just expect the Fans to just be passive.
Poor Luca.
Let's send a strong message (STRONGER than the dead fish in Luca Brasi's bullet-proof vest!) that "WE'RE MAD AS HELL AND NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!!" The power of the Internet, through WeTheFans.com, now makes it possible to unite today and bring our voice to the negotiations.

Think about it! By uniting season ticket holders from all of the MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL teams, WeTheFans will have the players' and owners' immediate and undivided attention! Once we get their attention and they realize that package ticket buyers and single game ticket purchasers are also united and yelling "WE'RE MAD AS HELL AND NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The FANS REVOLUTION will make it possible -- for the first time in history -- for the Fans to be recognized and heard on issues that concern them AS MUCH as the owners and the players! Why shouldn't the Fans be able to hear and see, FIRST HAND what is going on?

By joining WeTheFans.com, YOU could be one of the WeTheFans Union Reps who travels to MLB, NFL, NBA, or NHL Headquarters for the FANS REVOLUTION! WeTheFans can bring sports back to reality. WeTheFans can prevent holdouts, strikes, lockouts, "face-spitting," "choke-holds," "choker reinstatement," and "ridiculous choker lawsuits."

The FANS REVOLUTION will provide the clout to get to the bottom line of some burning questions. Like, out of "our $2 BILLION," how much is just flat-out-super-duper-boaderline-obscene-unecessary-over compensation? $33 million in a year? $100 million contracts? Luxury suites? Foreign labor-manufactured merchandise? Drinks that cost more than food?
"Greed is Good. Greed is Right"
Ticket prices going up year in and year out? United WeTheFans can stand against the Gordon Garnett...whoops, Gordon Gekko "Greed is Good" axiom. Greed is costing WeTheFans more money for each game, of every major sport, every year. When is enough enough? What's going to happen to save the Fans from being completely priced out? Better yet, WHO? WeTheFans, that's who! No one else has, no one else will, no one else can!

The collective voice of WeTheFans.com will give little guys, like us, the power to challenge the status quo. It will ensure that we will NO LONGER be price gouged as we exercise our right to view sporting events. Sporting events where WeTheFans, the majority, "provide the privilege for the privileged few" to "entertain us" by "playing a game." PLAYING A GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WeTheFans can stop the MADNESS by uniting today!

[langostino]

I'm thinking there are

three types of "fans" -- the type that have a sizable investment via season tickets, the type that come to the ballpark as an occasional outing, and follow the rest from the sports pages and on t.v., but are fairly attached, and then those who are "marginally attached", watch an occasional game on t.v. but by virtue of living in the city on the team jersey, claim the team as "theirs."

For the season ticket holders, and to a lesser degree, those who show up at the park on an occasional basis, there's an economic issue. Because MLB is an absolute monopoly, they are the weak sister in the customer relationship and subject to being taken advantage of on that basis. It always seemed to me if they were going to be dealing with a monopoly, they ought to at least have some way of pushing back -- starting with the basic issue of ticket prices, etc., then extending to other issues affecting the quality of the "product".

Typically, our society recognizes the distortions introduced by monopolies and either sets up a regulatory structure to govern pricing, or at least sets up a forum for customers to exert some push-back. That isn't the case for MLB and I doubt it ever will be. That being the case, the only way to balance things out is for the customers (fans) to have a way to apply their collective interest.