Last night, Allan Kreda commented on how Barry Bonds' personal bottom line might fare if (when) he topples Hank Aaron's home-run record (he's currently 10 runs shy at 746). The controversial slugger is lacking in lucrative endorsement deals and facing hefty legal fees. Not that I feel too badly for the guy. One group that is hoping to benefit as Bonds continues to chase the record is television broadcasters. Polarizing personality or not, Barry Bonds is keeping baseball fans interested in seeing a new entry in the record books (even if an asterisk is involved).
Walt Disney's (NYSE: DIS) ESPN is hoping to break into its normally scheduled programming whenever Bonds comes to bat once there is the potential to tie or break the record. News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) FOX is working with Major League Baseball to air an extra game (outside of its set broadcast schedule) when the record-breaking is imminent.
I remember the summer of 1998, as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chased the single-season home run record set by Roger Maris in 1961. There was a palpable excitement in the air, a friendly rivalry between Cardinals and Cubs fans, and a certainty that whatever guy took home the crown, he would due so with a sense of class and respect for the Maris family (despite similar allegations of performance-enhancing drugs).
Bonds, on the other hand, has alienated plenty, from fans to sportswriters to Hammerin' Hank himself, who may not be on the scene to see his record toppled. The evening that year when McGwire tied the record earned ESPN its highest non-football ratings in the network's history; three years later when Bonds topped the St. Louis slugger's record, very few people tuned in. The difference this time around is that the record Bonds is shooting for has stood for nearly 33 years, not three, and was once regarded as impossible to reach.
Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.
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