Major League Baseball bought a really hare-brained idea: a special promotion for the movie release "SpiderMan 2," with Spidey's image on the bases, pitcher's rubbers, and on-deck circles of big league stadiums the weekend of June 11-13.

Fans, including Washington Republican Congressman and U.S. Senate Candidate George Nethercutt, cried "Wild Pitch," so MLB backed down.

Wonderful, says Lakeland (FL) Ledger columnist Mike Cobb. But expect more, and worse. Cobb notes:

..sponsorships in sports..will...become more invasive...Teams rely on corporate sponsorships and signs at stadiums to pay the bills. They would go out of business without it....Teams play at Coors Field, Minute Maid Park, Tropicana Field and PETCO Park....Someday soon, we may see ads on chest protectors, helmets and bats. We'll probably see them on the uniforms, too.

Still, this spoof might be a bit far-fetched. At least for now.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at May 10, 2004 08:54 AM

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