For a couple years I have withheld from communicating my opinion on Major League Baseball’s decision to deny any type of press or media asset credentials to bloggers. After an informative and revealing meeting held by the Arizona Interactive Marketing Association (AZIMA), I have decided to share some pretty insightful information that I hope is useful to some of the enthusiasts and bloggers out there. In a way, I am glad that I waited this long. To get a better understanding of the challenges that the individual ball clubs face, we need to understand the organization of MLB, it’s clubs and MLB Advanced Media. Keep in mind that how each ball club decides to handle their interactive marketing is up to them and each situation is unique.

In order to better conceptualize the situation, it is important to note that MLBAM is it’s own entity. MLB Advanced Media controls everything digital for MLB. This includes mailing lists, iPhone applications, team websites, specific Twitter accounts, Facebook pages and the list goes on. In order for a club to get any interactive marketing campaign going, it all has to be approved by MLBAM. This creates a bit of a challenge when it comes to credentialing bloggers as members of the media. This new understanding of what is required behind the scenes puts things into a whole new perspective.

I would personally like to thank the Arizona Diamondbacks and their Marketing Director Karina Bohn for taking the time to communicate this to the audience at the AZIMA event. There is no doubt that this was a difficult item of discussion and their presence and candid response is invaluable to enthusiasts and bloggers. I, for one, will continue to blog and pledge to continue to keep my posts within the highest regard of MLB and it’s clubs in an effort to keep the community properly informed.