I was perusing Whitespace, (Paul Scrivens’ place to think aloud). He had started a discussion about design and its inevitable tension with commerce. Well, he didn’t put it that way; but I am.

Anyway, it was a mere hop, skip and a leap for me to take those thoughts to baseball. What’s the connection? It’s commerce. Yes, it will all become clear. Baseball is usually referred to as America’s Game or America’s Pastime. Generally that’s why we have such a hard time dealing with the scandals starting with the 1910 World Series fix by 8 players on the White Sox team (now referred to as the ‘Black’ Sox).

Why would anyone bother to “fix” a game? They wouldn’t if there were nothing to gain from it. But, to fix a business deal, well that’s a different matter. Even back then the “game” was all business. As you can see by Charlie (Duke) Farrell’s baseball/cigarette card from the late 19th century, there has always been money to be made in baseball.

So, why can’t it be cleaned up? I have feeling it’s an overall unwillingness, by the public, to accept that it’s a business. If it were looked upon as a business, there would be calls far and wide for regulation by the states or the feds. All aspects of the business would be under scrutiny from the use of performance enhancing drugs to gambling by players to revenue from ancillary items. MLB, after all, is a self-regulating industry, we shouldn’t forget that. Would we allow any other multi-billion dollar industry to fall into such disrepute, especially when the workers lives are at stake?

I love the game, but I hate the crap that goes with it. I used to also be an avid basketball fan, but when the NBA relaxed their rules about recruiting, teams became just a series of star performers making their pirouettes, they lost me. If they were regulated, the NBA wouldn’t be scooping kids off the street and discarding them when they’ve used them up leaving them without even an education. I couldn’t even tell you who’s on what team anymore. I just don’t care and baseball’s not far behind.

Professional sports are commerce. We just need to wrap our heads around that concept. The sports business won’t straighten up until we do.