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League of Fans Founded by Ralph Nader, League of Fans is a sports reform project working to improve sports by increasing awareness of the sports industry's relationship to society, exposing irresponsible business practices, ensuring accountability to fans, and encouraging the industry to contribute to societal well-being.Alerts is League of Fans' email announcements list. Alerts provides news, information, the actions of League of Fans and/or Ralph Nader regarding sports issues, and calls-to-action for subscribers. All email updates are either selected or written by League of Fans. League of Fans is motivated by people, just like you, who are upset with what has become of our sports and would like to make a difference. We work with concerned citizens, sports fans, civic groups and communities to increase awareness of the sports industry's relationship to society, influence a broad range of issues in sports at all levels and encourage the cooperative capacities that make the "sports powers-that-be" capable of helping, not just dominating, our society and culture. We often think of sports as outside the realm of everyday citizen concern. But the many benefits to society that sports can provide are sometimes undermined by a different set of values, often based on the quest for higher and higher profits at the expense of fans, taxpayers, communities, culture and social justice. Get Involved! Your involvement will improve sports for communities and fans, and encourage the sports industry to better contribute to societal well-being. |
VICTORY! - League of Fans thanks sports fans and sportswriters who actively protested, reversing MLB’s plans to allow advertising on the field May 7, 2004A day after Major League Baseball announced that it would allow Sony to put ads on first, second and third base, the pitching rubber and on-deck circles of all home fields on the weekend of June 11-13 to promote the upcoming “Spider-Man 2" movie, MLB reversed its decision due to overwhelming outrage from fans across the country.
“We understand that a segment of our fans was uncomfortable with this particular component and we do not want to detract from the fan's experience in any way,” Bob DuPuy, President and Chief Operating Officer of Major League Baseball, said in a statement released Thursday night.
League of Fans would like to thank everyone who took the time to voice their opposition to MLB’s actions. Fans have the power to change the way sports business is conducted. Ad-creep and over-commercialization are shifting the focus of sports from showcasing skill and competition to creating yet another forum to sell more things. Americans are growing increasingly fed up with the intrusion of commercialism into nearly every part of our lives and culture.
We still encourage fans to protest other parts of the “Spider-Man 2" promotion which are still planned, including signage, giveaways and movie trailers on video boards. (See below to contact MLB and Sony).
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News
Baseball fans score victory over Spider-Man's reach
Fans extricate baseball from insidious web of commercialism
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Take Action!
1) Contact Bud Selig and tell him that you are still not satisfied with the high level of commercialism in Major League Baseball, including the scaled back plans for the “Spider-Man 2" promotion.
Allan H. “Bud” Selig
2) Send an email to Ann Morfogen, Sony USA’s VP for corporate communications, telling her that you are still not pleased with the “Spider-Man 2" promotion. Tell her you will consider not buying Sony products or seeing Sony’s movies, because Sony is insulting baseball fans and our national pastime.
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