12477: MLB Drafts White Ad Shop.

Advertising Age reported Major League Baseball handed its creative account to Anomaly without a formal review. Why would a sport owning a history of exclusivity and racism—but now allegedly committed to inclusivity and teaming up with diverse partners—nonchalantly award its business to a White advertising agency? What’s next? Restarting the Negro Leagues? Posthumous Cooperstown inductions for Marge Schott and Al Campanis? Sure, MLB doesn’t abide by a version of the Rooney Rule, but the organization could at least pretend to execute a hiring process offering fair and open opportunities. Talk about major league Corporate Cultural Collusion.

Anomaly Picks Up Major League Baseball Account

First Work Will Be New Campaign for Upcoming Season

By Maureen Morrison

Anomaly has been named the new creative agency for Major League Baseball.

The MDC Partners agency picked up the “multimedia creative marketing agency” account without a formal review, according to the league. Work for MLB will include a new campaign for the upcoming season, as well as executions to promote Opening Day, the All-Star Game, postseason and the World Series. Anomaly will also work closely with MLB Network and MLB Advanced Media to create a cohesive message across all MLB entities, according to a press release. BBDO New York previously handled the work, which it won about a year ago.

“Baseball has never been healthier both on and off the field, with exciting players captivating fans on a nightly basis and more content available in more places than ever before,” said Tony Petitti, chief operating officer, Major League Baseball, in a statement. “We are very excited to work with Anomaly, whose work speaks for itself, and will look to them to capture the game, its stars and major events in new and creative ways.”

Anomaly is also the agency for Budweiser, which is a big MLB sponsor. Anomaly in the past has also created baseball-themed work for Dick’s Sporting Goods. “This is a dream of ours,” said Jason DeLand, founding partner of Anomaly, in the statement. “We want to work as hard as the players, be as passionate as the fans and help MLB in every way we can.”

The win is the latest in a string of new accounts. In the past year, Anomaly has won Panera, Google’s Android, Duracell, and the global Johnnie Walker account.

MLB in the first 10 months of 2014 spent about $24 million on measured media, according to Kantar Media. In 2013, it spent about $28 million.