Mike Trout’s has been attached to controversy for the first time in his career, but it isn’t even his fault. We have all been questioning why Mike Trout isn’t more famous or why his name isn’t as monumental as the best player of a major American sport is. And why isn’t he viewed as the face of baseball when his talent says otherwise.
Commissioner Rob Manfred finally answered that answer, and his comments sparked a small bit of controversy. In an interview with USA Today he responded:
Mike has made decisions on what he wants to do, doesn’t want to do, how he wants to spend his free time or not spend his free time,” Manfred said in the hours before MLB’s All-Star Game at Nationals Park. “I think we could help him make his brand very big. But he has to make a decision to engage. It takes time and effort.
What Manfred said is technically true, it’s a two-way street, because if Trout does not want to spend too much time publicizing himself or getting more attention, then there is so much the MLB can do. Manfred has every right to say that, and he did his best to do so respectfully.
But, there are better ways of saying such things, and one can’t help but feel that it came off as shade and throwing him under the bus because it costs MLB lots of money not to market him. The Anaheim Angels definitely felt that it was a shot.
Today, the #Angels released the following statement on OF Mike Trout: pic.twitter.com/xFLURtZ4bT
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) July 18, 2018
But, there are lots of things at play here. Mike Trout is hands-down the best player in the game (one great season from Mookie Betts doesn’t change it until he does it for six-plus straight seasons). Even then, he’s not as marketable as you’d think, which is not a bad thing by any stretch.
The outfielder is just a lowkey guy who cares about playing baseball and doesn’t want to put so much time just to expand his brand. That is quite commendable, and further proves how much of a great guy he is. It shows even more that he dies’ play for the fame or just for money, but for the love of the game.
Everyone keeps questioning why the MLB does such a poor job of marketing him and not making him the unquestioned face of the sport. I myself have accused MLB of this, and we feel that it’s a big reason why the game is considered “dying.” But remember, it goes both ways.
And Trout plainly prioritizes things differently. So it’s also on us the fans, to stop pressuring both Trout and MLB into this. Can we all just leave him alone and appreciate him and his greatness? He’s that rare superstar, probably the only one, that does not focus on expanding his image. And it’s hard to remember a time when a sport’s best player is not worried about marketing himself, which makes him easier to love.
And the sport is not dying because of this. In fact, I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily dying. Attendance is down, but there is more and more money each year. A big reason for decreasing attendance is due to rising ticket prices each season.
It’s true that MLB stars are harder to market than NBA, NFL, and international soccer athletes (their Q-Scores are always lower). Some of that has to do with MLB’s mistakes of not marketing the right guys. There are guys out there that are incredibly talented and would welcome more money and publicity.
And the fact that baseball has not capitalized is a mistake from them. But it’s true that some of the nuances of the sport turn people off and frankly, it cannot be fixed. But MLB can stand to do a better job.
It feels like we are complaining about Trout not having a flair personality and we really want him to, which is hypocritical when you think about it. There is non-stop criticism of people like Yasiel Puig and Bryce Harper for playing with flair and “making baseball fun again.”
Baseball itself has created a culture where bat-flipping and showing emotion has been frowned upon. Love or hate it, this kind of stuff, in this day and age, is what will help draw people. Polarizing athletes are the ones that should be marketed because they are the biggest draws.
Don’t blame Trout. He does not owe us or MLB anything. He’s a standout citizen that does what he does. He gives back to the community, spends time with kids and fans, and is an all-around excellent role model. He’s never been involved with controversy, and it’s hard to do anything but like the guy and the player.
That’s the Mike Trout brand: Showing humility and being a great guy- sorry if you can’t make money off that.
The fact that, when healthy, Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani overshadowed Trout, the best player in the game, shows everything. Trout prefers to be under-the-radar and play ball. And if that draws eyes and attention, cool. But, he is totally fine with someone else getting all the shine. He probably wouldn’t care if someone didn’t know he was a baseball player.
That’s just the kind of guy he appears to be, and it’s refreshing. For those that do not know of him, their loss. So, can we leave Mike Trout alone and enjoy his greatness.
Featured Image via Flickr / Ian D’Andrea
