Fresh Off a Last Place Finish The Boston Red Sox Are Raising Ticket Prices And Adding These Hideous New Patches On Their Uniforms
Ignore Cotillo's weird "New Jersey" typo and focus instead on the Red Sox continuing to sell their soul. To be fair, the Red Sox aren't alone in selling advertising space on the uniform. MLB said last summer that this would be allowed next season so they aren't alone. The Padres, for example, have already announced they would have a Motorola patch for next year. But at least theirs doesn't look like a black armband for a deceased former player.
The Red Sox one is especially bad. They seem to know that as well. Check out this great presentation:
The Red Sox have every right to put advertising on uniforms. This MassMutual sponsorship sounds like it's for a lot of money as they will also have the signage spot above the Jumbotron that John Hancock used to.
But do the Red Sox NEED to do this? Despite going 78-84 and finishing in last place last year, they have announced they will raise season ticket prices and now they are slapping a life insurance billboard on their classic uniforms. Red Sox fans can let shit like this go more easily when they aren't trading away Mookie Betts or letting Xander Bogaerts go to free agency.
When I was a kid, the Green Monster didn't have any ads on it. When John Henry took over, they expanded ads to go on on the wall and because ownership was spending money, people didn't really complain even as the advertising started to permeate not just the ballgame experience but also on NESN broadcasts.
Susan Walsh. Shutterstock Images.
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Here's how Fenway Park looked in 1994. There aren't seats on the Green Monster but there aren't any ads on it either. I get it. Business in baseball changed but are the Yankees are going to stoop to this cash grab? At least the Padres ad looks like their uniform. This MassMutual patch is a rushed eyesore. Red Sox fans didn't seem impressed:
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Finally, why announce this today? They didn't want to wait a little bit to sign a player and come into the MassMutual announcement with something no one will like with at least some goodwill? As with all these things, we'll get used to patches on uniforms and it won't be distracting after a short amount of time. But when it's this ugly and feels slapped on in a rush, it's just another reminder that this team can't do anything right lately.