TOP 10 REASONS WHY MLB'S LOYALTY INDEX IS FALLING

by DMtShooter, Five Tool Tool

According to Brand Keys, a New York-based market-research firm, MLB's loyalty index is just one point above the benchmark 100--well below its normal index of 111... the loyalty index scores are based on interviews with self-classified baseball fans, drawn from 30 markets. The index's parameters for fan loyalty are pure entertainment, authenticity, fan-to-player bonding and history and tradition... The Brand Keys study also says that for the first time baseball's index on "History and Tradition" as a driver of fan loyalty is down, from 110 to a 107. - MediaPost's Marketing Daily

10. Old-timers can't accept that men like Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle and Pete Rose could have ever succumbed to the desire to take every possible advantage by using performance enhancing drugs

9. Fan loyalty to non MLB+ markets like Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Florida is fading in the midst of their "See Our Stars Before We Sell Them Off" marketing and promotion plan

8. Boston and New York are the only markets still recognized as having tradition

7. Pure entertainment of the Tony LaRussa-inspired constant 30-minute half innings from the 7th inning on due to one batter pitching changes not quite connecting with younger demographic

6. Fan-to-player bonding strained when most fervent MLB fans are also completely heartless fantasy league bastards

5. Self-classified baseball fans now index highly with self-classified masochists, which tends to lower the survey scores a bit

4. Authenticity now on sale for $79.99 on individual team sites in the "Throwback" section (10% off if you order before Christmas!)

3. Considering that MLB, um, CANCELED THE FREAKING WORLD SERIES OVER REVENUE DISTRIBUTION AMONG SMALL AND LARGE MARKET TEAMS... it's amazing that anyone involved with the enterprise can even spell the word loyalty, let alone inspire it

2. This reason lost in the residual bitterness and abject hatred of reason #3

1. These kids today, what with their Internet and their iPods and their hip hop, what are you going to do? Why, when I was a kid, we knew what loyalty and being a fan really meant, dammit! Also, we wore onions on our belts, which was the style at the time...