Comments on: Game 98, Indians at Mariners

By: joser

joser — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:17:57 +0000

From my experience they’re mostly not transplants. The guys with the beat-up old “B” hats, sure. But the loudest ones wearing the most gear have probably never set foot in Boston, or did so only on a visit. And they have a bunch of Yankee gear in storage dating back to 1996-2000 (notice how there seem to be fewer NY fans at M’s games now, and more Boston fans?) If the Cubs win this year and go on to dominate the NL Central and return to the WS a couple of times and otherwise look like a “winner” these people will ditch their Red Sox junk for Cubs paraphernalia. They are obnoxious twits but I have no problem with anyone, including the M’s, trying to take as much of their money as possible and having their sales taxes pay for local things.

By: IHaveALittleProject

IHaveALittleProject — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:59:52 +0000

I think you’re right on that…there are plenty of overly passionate transplants who already have plenty of Red Sox stuff to wear to the game.

I suppose what made me cringe when I saw the gear was that it seemed like a Mariners-sanctioned extension of the “invasion” that happens when those teams come to town.

By: Jeff Nye

Jeff Nye — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:55:14 +0000

While I can sympathize with the sentiment, I’d imagine that very few of those people bought that stuff at Safeco.

By: IHaveALittleProject

IHaveALittleProject — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:43:18 +0000

Shrug, difference of opinion then I guess. I just don’t like seeing more visitors gear being worn at Safeco than home gear, which seems to happen when the Red Sox or Yankees come to town.

By: Jeff Nye

Jeff Nye — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:34:01 +0000

I’m pretty sure they’re all supposed to (as joser points out, merchandising is done on a pretty collective basis), maybe it’s not something that gets policed all that much by the league, though.

In any case, I don’t think this is the integrity issue you want it to be; a lot of people who live in Seattle are transplants from other areas, and I don’t see anything wrong with them being able to buy a jersey for their “home team” when that team comes to Safeco.

By: IHaveALittleProject

IHaveALittleProject — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:22:25 +0000

Not true. There isn’t another team’s gear in either New York stadium or at Fenway, for example.

By: Jeff Nye

Jeff Nye — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:20:59 +0000

Every team in MLB does this.

By: IHaveALittleProject

IHaveALittleProject — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:19:24 +0000

To me, its like selling Omaha steaks at a mom and pop butcher shop. I would like the Mariners to be proud enough of their brand to not sell the competing team’s product, regardless of the profit margin.

By: joser

joser — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:41:22 +0000

Yeah, there are always some opposing gear rolled out for the upcoming series. A buck’s a buck. Why should dignity have anything to do with it? (And when is there any dignity associated with a store anyway?) You do realize that the M’s make the same amount of money no matter which team’s logo is on it? When a Yankees jersey is sold in Nowhere Idaho the M’s make just as much money as the Yankees do.

In fact, if people are going to buy Tigers (or Yankees or Red Sox or whatever) gear I’d rather they bought it at the team store rather than over the internet or in Detroit or wherever, since then the sales taxes goes to our city and state.

By: cdowley

cdowley — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:49:03 +0000

67: It was the same when I was there for the Tigers series last month (don’t ask me why I went to the Tigers series, I’m still not sure why to be honest…). I think they always put out a few things to make the visitors happy.