Strike still haunts baseball

August 13, 1996: 8:28 p.m. ET

While labor deal seems near, advertisers, fans still recall walkout
From Correspondent Sean Callebs

NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Baseball players and owners are said to be close to a labor agreement that will finally bring labor peace to the game after years of acrimony.
     But even if the two sides reach a deal, baseball might never recover from the scars of the bitter strike that canceled parts of the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
     Although some of the fans who deserted the game during the strike are returning to ballparks, attendance is down more than 12 percent from pre-strike days in 1994.
     What's more, advertising executives say it's still more difficult to sell commercials for baseball than for football or basketball.
     At the same time, TV ratings have been less than stellar, even though the Fox TV network paid Major League Baseball more than $550 million for a five-year deal to televise games.
     Industry watchers blame Major League Baseball itself for driving away fans.
     "There is still that onus hanging over the teams as to what happens if there is another strike, and that is preventing some long-term commitments, particularly in some of the ancillary markets," said Dennis McAlpine, media analyst with Josephthal Lyon & Ross.
     Baseball must also worry about the long-term damage caused by fans' perception of the Big Leagues as a home for selfish, spoiled players and greedy owners.
     In addition, some analysts warn that baseball could be mortgaging its future by turning off younger fans.
     Marketing experts say the game needs to reach out to make baseball more accessible to kids -- or face problems down the road.
     Brandon Steiner of Steiner Sports Marketing said one way to attract the young is to play more day games and fewer night contests.
     He said that under the current setup, too many important contests wrap up long after the kids are asleep. (307K WAV) or (307K AIF). Back to top

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