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The National Football League and Major League Baseball are worlds apart when it comes to protecting their trademarks.
The NFL would never allow anyone to run an event called the Super Bowl of Poker.
Yet MLB has no qualms about the annual event called the World Series of Poker.
What gives?
The NFL has always been especially uptight about protecting its trademarked names and phrases, including the names of its 32 teams but especially the phrase "Super Bowl."
Every year, for example, you hear about casinos in Las Vegas that get in trouble with the NFL for running Super Bowl parties.
The NFL doesn't want anyone using that phrase without permission, so any casinos that advertise their Super Bowl parties in newspapers, magazines and flyers eventually have to pull or change any advertising using the phrase.
The casinos aren't even allowed to post signs on their own property promoting Super Bowl parties.
And if Las Vegas asked the NFL for permission to run a poker tournament called the Super Bowl of Poker?
Disgraced ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner would have a better chance of being elected President of the United States than there would be of having a SBOP.
But strangely, the powers than run pro baseball seem not to have any problem with the phrase "World Series" being hijacked by a gambling competition.
There's no question who had the phrase first--the baseball World Series has been played for over 100 years, while the WSOP has only been played since the 1970s.
And as far as is known, there's no deal between MLB and the WSOP for the WSOP to use the phrase "World Series," either for free or for a fee.
But obviously MLB doesn't mind--if it did, it would've taken legal action years ago.
Apparently MLB feels that any and all uses of "World Series"--regardless of purpose--is good publicity for THE World Series and therefore good for MLB.
Conversely, the NFL feels that any and all uses of "Super Bowl"--regardless of purpose--is bad publicity for THE Super Bowl and therefore bad for the NFL.
Who's thinking is right?
Well, Major League Baseball is thriving right now, while the National Football League may not even have a season this year.
Progressive thinking or uptight thinking?
You decide.
By Tom Somach
Gambling911.com Staff Writer
