I've got MLB draft night fever

In light of this evening's draft festivities, I just wanted to take a moment to share this awesome article/infographic, Top 100 Draft Flashback: What States Produce, published by Matt Eddy over at Baseball America. Being a Georgia boy, I obviously would like to draw attention to the production of the Southeastern states (most notably GA and FLA).

Building a Digital Ballpark Experience

In 2012, Major League Baseball launched the "At the Ballpark" application in an attempt to build a consolidated portable device-driven ballpark experience. With the explosion of mobile devices and social media, Major League Baseball saw an opportunity to amplify the digital experience of ball game attendance. The "At the Ballpark" application is this "opportunity" put to action. 

In general application allows attendees to:

• Access ballpark information/maps/etc.
• View schedule/ticketing information
• Access team statistics
• Order food/beverages (in select stadiums only)

Socially, attendees are able to upload/share photographs of their experiences at games, and participate in social media conversations with others in attendance/watching the game.

As a whole, the MLB "At the Ballpark" application does an exceptional job of creating a centralized digital experience for attendees, and has been positioned for continued success well into the future.

*Also worth noting is the fact that MiLB teams have begun making attempts to build a digital experience around ballgames. (See IronPigs Launch MiLB's First Social Media Hub).

MLB Social Media Policy: A Monumental Leap Forward

Two weeks ago I posted a piece on the value of social media as a tool in regards to building athlete commercial value. In conjunction with that post, I thought it appropriate to briefly comment on Major League Baseball's 2012 trip into uncharted waters to adopt a social media policy addressing social media use by employees and players.

The principle take-away from the 2012 MLB CBA policies implemented is that social governance is highly centralized. These very policies set forth by Major League Baseball are "law of the land." Meanwhile, ballclubs themselves are restricted from creating social policies in contradiction with MLB. Additionally, punishment can be lain on a player via the Commisioner Office directly OR by their respective baseball club (punishments may not be handed down by both organizations for a player's violation of policy... simply put, one or the other).

*Note: All 4 of the following policies can be found on page 254 of the 2012-2016 Major League Baseball Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Expanding upon the 2012 MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement, a memorandum released by Major League Baseball in March 2012 set forth greater detail regarding social media policy.

Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk does an exemplary job of summarizing the "don'ts" of this memorandum (2012 MLB Social Media Policy):

"The policy itself is more of a legal document, but it basically consists of a list of ten prohibitions:

• Players can’t make what can be construed as official club or league statements without permission;

• Players can’t use copyrighted team logos and stuff without permission or tweet confidential or private information about teams or players, their families, etc.;

• Players can’t link to any MLB website or platform from social media without permission;

• No tweets condoning or appearing to condone the use of substances on the MLB banned drug list (which is everything but booze, right?);

• No ripping umpires or questioning their integrity;

• No racial, sexist, homophobic, anti-religious, etc. etc. content;

• No harassment or threats of violence;

• Nothing sexually explicit;

• Nothing otherwise illegal."

While these control measures are fairly straightforward and common sense, the very fact that Major League Baseball has set guidelines to govern player social behavior represents an acceptance of "new media." Furthermore, it goes without saying that Major League Baseball recognizes the crucial role that social media plays in the lives of the young, a demographic that MLB must accommodate in order to remain sustainable and popular.