Oh Dear

Newly Revealed Kevin Mather Video Shows Mariners Still Doing Kevin Mather Things

On February 22nd, after allowing Kevin Mather to resign and, after thanking him for his “many years of service to the organization”, Mariners majority owner John Stanton said that Mather’s comments “were inappropriate and do not represent our organization’s feelings about our players, staff, and fans.

Since that press conference it has been commented on, both here and elsewhere, that continuing with the path that Kevin Mather’s leadership laid out for super prospect Jarred Kelenic does little to distance the organization from the former executive. Now, thanks to an anonymously-sourced video we’ve received of Mather from last offseason, while still working as Mariners president, it’s apparent that many of the team’s ongoing business practices and fan experiences have Mather’s fingerprints all over them.

Some quick context on this video: It was recorded late 2020, well before Mather’s infamous February 5th call with the Bellevue Rotary.

The transcript: 

“On the other hand, there’s things we are going to do coming out of this COVID that we will … blame COVID but will never come back. You will no longer have cash at the ballpark. You’ll come to the ballpark and everything’s touchless, cashless, which allows us, on that five dollar hot dog, it’s now $5.50 because we’re charging sales tax … $5.53. We don’t care. We used to care because we didn’t want to slow the lines down while we were digging out quarters and pennies and dimes to make change. … The lines will go quicker. The simple answer is we’ll just add ten percent to everyone’s cost of their concessions; the fact of the matter is that we’re going to lower concession prices and come up with all kinds of value propositions to get people back to the ballpark. … We let people carry backpacks into the ballpark, of course, we go through them, we’d have magnetometers and search through them; you won’t be able to bring a backpack into the ballpark.

A quick check of the Mariners current T-Mobile FAQ, reflecting policies announced on March 29th which again, is well after Mather’s resignation on February 22nd:

Can I bring a bag to T-Mobile Park?

During COVID restrictions, no bags will be allowed. This is required to speed up entry and reduce contact and cross contamination between fans and staff.

Can I bring my own food into the ballpark?

During COVID restrictions, we are not able to allow guests to bring outside food into the ballpark. The only exception is for sealed plastic bottles of water, 32 ounces or smaller.

Does T-Mobile Park still accept cash for retail or concession purchases?

To speed up service and reduce cross contamination, T-Mobile Park is cashless.

As always with the Mariners and these things, there are a variety of things to say that are only mildly relevant to the point, but still worth addressing. It should be noted that a scientific study has revealed that COVID is overwhelmingly not transmitted through surface contact. It also bears mentioning that cashless stadiums present significant obstacles for low-income fans. It’s of course hard to think who is made safer by prohibiting bags and outside food, beyond the team’s profit margin.

Beyond those issues, however, is the fundamental one – the Mariners have tried to distance themselves from their former president for the crime of outlining exactly the onerous and non-consumer/labor friendly ways they make their sausage, and then have continued to continue to make that sausage in exactly the same way that executive said they would. Mather’s crime in the organization’s eyes was telling the truth. Whatever your opinion of the Mariners current stadium policies, that Mather makes it crystal clear that our ongoing global pandemic merely provided a convenient excuse to enact them should tell you all you need to know about the organization’s priorities.

The situation reminds us, again, that a sports franchise is more than wins and losses on the field. The way they communicate and treat their employees and fans is not something we want to hear about, but rather see practiced in good faith both in the immediate and long term. The respect and honesty of our team is not something Mariner fans should want solely during a press conference after yet another scandal, but something lived out through daily, consistent practice. Both the on- and off-field behavior of the organization make feeling respected as a fan increasingly difficult.

Jarred Kelenic is set to debut in Seattle tomorrow. We all – management, front office, players, and fans – are united in hoping it heralds the dawn of a new era of baseball in the Pacific Northwest. We all hope this is the beginning of a path that leads to pennants, playoffs, and World Series appearances. More than that, and much more within this ownership’s control, we hope whatever success the Mariners experience on the field is not used to cover up what happens off it, but to reflect it.

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