MLB and MasterCard International have reportedly cancelled plans for a marketing campaign that would have run during Barry Bonds’ chase at Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record.
According to published reports, the talks was scraped after grand jury testimony of the San Francisco Giants star in the BALCO case was made public late last week. In it, Bonds said he had “unintentionally” used steroids sometime during the 2003 season.
MasterCard International spokesperson Chris Monteiro told PROMO that no plans for a Bonds home run chase campaign had been formalized. He confirmed that the idea was a collaborate effort, but talks were just in the preliminary stage. MasterCard is an official sponsor of MLB.
“We continue to assess the ramifications that these issues will have on our business,” Bob DuPuy, MLB’s president and COO, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “It’s another reason why we need to restore the confidence of not only our fans, but of our partners.”
With 703 career home runs, Bonds is 11 behind Babe Ruth’s mark and 52 behind Aaron’s. He has averaged 45 home runs a year his past three seasons.
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