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This isn’t a money play for Kerr and C’s co-owner Jeff Mooney. You’ll never get anyone to go on the record about it, but it’s common knowledge that teams like the C’s pay for their radio time, and use the ad spots to recoup costs. You can bet they’re doing the same with this TV deal.

So why?

You can’t fit many more people into the ballpark. The C’s announced attendance average for their 38-game home schedule this past season was 6,292. Nat Bailey Stadium lists capacity at 6,413, which means they were selling tickets at a 98 per cent clip.

The C’s have already added bleachers down the third baseline and beyond the left field wall in recent years. There’s only so much you can do with the Nat.

With that thinking, you can’t sell many more hotdogs or beers or ball hats or T-shirts. You can get more eyeballs on your team with television. And, as much as we in other forms of media hate to admit it, there’s a certain prestige and status tied to having your games on the tube.

“You’re always trying to find ways to grow your organization. Exposure is a great way to do it,” said C’s president Andy Dunn, who does have an ownership stake in the club. “And I do think we have a unique story to tell, being the only Canadian affiliate team.”

From a Rogers standpoint, it’s a chance to get some exposure for their up and comers. Blue Jays fans would have tuned in to see Marcus Stroman or Aaron Sanchez or Noah Syndergaard pitch for Vancouver a few years ago. In the past couple of seasons, when the Blue Jays have struggled, they could have sold Vancouver starts for the likes of Nate Pearson.