Fans rally to Mike Trout's defense after MLB commissioner calls him out
On the big list of things wrong with Major League Baseball, having one of its biggest stars be just too good of a person would not seem to be near the top of that list.
But for commissioner Rob Manfred, that would seem to be exactly the accusation he leveled at Angels superstar Mike Trout.
Manfred criticized Trout for “not marketing himself,” according to an ESPN report.
Trout, it would seem, prefers to let his prowess as a baseball player do the advertising for him, airing one heck of a commercial in that vein when he hit a home run in the third inning of the American League’s 8-6 win in the All-Star Game last week.
But Manfred apparently thinks the game of baseball isn’t interesting enough on its own to sell the sport of baseball.
“Player marketing requires one thing for sure — the player,” Manfred said earlier in the day. “You cannot market a player passively. You can’t market anything passively. You need people to engage with those to whom you are trying to market in order to have effective marketing. We are very interested in having our players more engaged and having higher-profile players and helping our players develop their individual brand. But that involves the player being actively engaged.”
Manfred dug the hole deeper, managing to accuse a guy who spends all his time getting better at the activity that pays him tens of millions of dollars of being lazy when it comes to doing the things that would make the league and the commissioner millions.
“Mike’s a great, great player and a really nice person, but he’s made certain decisions about what he wants to do and what he doesn’t want to do, and how he wants to spend his free time and how he doesn’t want to spend his free time,” Manfred said. “That’s up to him. If he wants to engage and be more active in that area, I think we could help him make his brand really, really big. But he has to make a decision that he’s prepared to engage in that area. It takes time and effort.”
And as for the public response? Well, if social media teaches us anything, it’s that fans have Trout’s back.
Trout gave a little kid in Baltimore who showed up at the game in his hero’s jersey the gameday experience of a lifetime.
A couple weeks ago at Camden Yards, I watched Trout pull a 6-year old out of the pregame crowd. He spent the next 15 minutes with the kid by his side during BP. Stretched with him, chatted with him. Even gave him his bat. Never seen anything like it. It looked like this. pic.twitter.com/eZhagoXeb4
— Eddie Matz (@eddie_matz) July 18, 2018
Trout hung out with the kid during batting practice, chatted with him, even gave the kid his bat.
Seriously, here’s a kid who just showed up with his parents as paying customers and got a photo-op with his idol and a souvenir for the ages.
And this. pic.twitter.com/NIWJi1P5TU
— Eddie Matz (@eddie_matz) July 18, 2018
Stretch those legs, kiddo, you’re among professionals.
And this. (h/t Joe Noyes Photography for the stills.) pic.twitter.com/9wVrA7RYzs
— Eddie Matz (@eddie_matz) July 18, 2018
The Angels tweeted in April about Trout’s rapport with young fans, and with Manfred’s tone-deaf comments, it was high time for old wine in new bottles.
Bigger than baseball. pic.twitter.com/27cxnr1HAE
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 5, 2018
Fans, taking up the mantle, got a hashtag trending: “#MikeTroutMoments,” collecting videos and retweets of Mike being Mike out there.
Josh Howell, who knows a thing or two about marketing according to his Twitter bio, stepped up.
Since everyone is talking about @MikeTrout, here is a video he sent my son for his 4th birthday. Mike had never met me or my son but you should have seen how excited my son was when he saw the video. #Angels #MikeTrout @Angels pic.twitter.com/VvsNBFhqBb
— Josh Howell (@JoshTHowell) July 19, 2018
And who wants a selfie with Trout and some signed baseballs? Because there the man is, happy to provide:
One of my favs- Mike signed 3 baseballs I handed him from the Sailors, then took the time & invited them down to take a selfie with them! @AngelsWin #miketroutmoments Amazing moment! Mike is always there for the fans. pic.twitter.com/1ArHz38Ivn
— Jennifer ⚾️ 🏋🏼♀️ 🏃♀️ 🍾 🐎 🍻🍷 (@j_mo1414) July 19, 2018
Trout loves baseball, he loves kids, he loves fans, and he lives his life in a way that consistently shows the very best that an athlete can be.
“It’s cool,” Trout said. “Obviously not a lot of people see it, but I take time every day. I make sure I do that. As a kid growing up, I could see myself being in the same shoes as that kid wanting an autograph or wanting to meet their favorite player. I think it’s cool to put a smile on people’s faces.”
Angels manager Mike Scioscia stood up for his player as well, talking about the things he sees Trout do with fans “every day.”
“Every day,” Scioscia repeated. “He understands, I think, things that are important to fans that goes with a guy of his ability, and he’s incredible at it. He’s able to do things like that and still focus on playing the game. I think that’s what it’s all about.”
But sure Rob Manfred, make him thump his chest like he’s Kanye. Call him out in the media for not “marketing himself” or “building his brand.”
From here it looks like Trout’s got a perfectly marketable brand already.
“I’ve always been doing it,” Trout said. “It’s for the fans. They come to the ballpark to see you, they spend a lot of money to see their team and their players, and I think it’s pretty cool when you go out there and make a kid’s day.”
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