As I was reading the online version of the Deseret Morning News today, there was a sports article that caught my eye. The Orem Owlz, a single-A affiliate in the Angels organizations, are trying to flex their muscles with the media by threatening to pull credentials of reports if they don’t refer to the stadium as the Home of the Owlz.
A little background in a nutshell:
- The Owlz rent Utah Valley State College’s baseball field for their home games.
- Recently the school received a $1 million pledge from local businessman, Brent Brown, for the naming rights to the field.
- The Owlz claim the stadium is the Home of the Owlz during their home games and should to be referred to as such because of a Minor League Baseball rule.
- School officials insist the stadium’s name is Brown Ballpark.
One of the first things that the GM, Zach Frasier, who sent the threatening e-mails, should consider is that unless he is Microsoft, Google or another of business’ 800-pound gorillas, you shouldn’t call the media out like that unless there are some absurd inaccuracies in their reporting. Second, he should have followed the lead of other sports organizations like the Utah Blaze and the Salt Lake Bees, who are RENTERS of their stadiums and been happy to have a place to play. Also having a lead sponsor may present the organization with additional sponsorships and publicity.
The actions of the organization may not directly affect their current fan base, but it is a black eye to the team. Bottom line is no one likes an arrogant executive that thinks they can dictate editorial content. What should have the Owlz done? Dealt with the stadium naming rights behind closed doors with the school and not threaten the media and been happy that they’re covering your games instead of damaging a relationship.
It’s too bad they handled it the way they did because minor league baseball is fun to watch and needs all the support it can get.