Editorial: Baseball Silences The Scribe

Editor’s Note: A point of clarification on this topic – beat writers affected are those employed by Major League Baseball/MLB.com.

Baseball hasn’t banned cameras. Yet.

Aaron Gleeman on HardballTalk broke the news that Major League Baseball has banned baseball beat writers from using Twitter for anything but baseball-related topics and “scolded” players for using Twitter all together.

I’m speechless. I’m flabbergasted.

How, in the age of digital marketing, can a brand so in need of positive re-enforcement, take away a clear and effective avenue for fans and strangers to interact with not only those who cover the game but the ones who actually play it?

This isn’t the 1940′s where beat writers road the trains and looked the other way; the time when Average Joe started his morning with the paper, box scores, coffee and cigarette.

This is the 2010′s where connection is as quick as a “follow” or a “like”. The same 2010′s that has paper’s hope of maintaining relevancy on the shoulders of the iPad.

I do understand that MLB, as a company, has a brand to protect. But this is a complete overreaction to the fear that someone associated with the brand might have an interest about something other than baseball or have an opinion that might not be in with the company line.

The long arm of the law has silenced those whose ability to have discourse with their readership is paramount to keep them engaged. When success is based on followers, page views, user retention and search-engine optimization papers, journalists, and yes, even you baseball, needs to keep the public engaged in anyway they can.

Is there any wonder as to why baseball struggles to keep the younger demographic interested in their brand?

There shouldn’t be after a ruling like this. Baseball has proved themselves to be Luddites.