A rant about ads

Normally, I wouldn't do this, but I'm growing tired of what I'm seeing.

It's rather funny how often this came up during the season last year, and realistically it has little to do with the Rays play on the field. It was a much-debated topic, one that saw both sides fighting mightily to no end. Dead bodies were strewn all over the battlefield, and in the end, there was no clear victor.

I'm talking about the advertising that appears on this site.

The consistent argument that was presented was that if you wanted to make sure you didn't see these ads, the solution was as simple as downloading Firefox and using Ad-Block plus. At the time, I didn't use FF as my primary browser for a very specific reason, but I have since switched and use FF as my primary browser.

Using Ad-Block plus on the otherhand, that's completely different. AdBlock is a magnificent tool, but with a caveat. If Ad-Block is being used on your machine, there is no way that SBNation is making any money from your visit to the site. Generally, there are two ways that ads generate revenue, displays, and clickthrus. Obviously, if you don't click through, then there is no revenue generated, and that's fine. It's our option as viewers not to click through ads, and I often don't. However, Ad-Block also prevents the generation of ads completely through it's filters, so it never registers as an ad display through the content service provider, thus costing SBN valuable revenue.

Me personally, I generally default ABP to off on a majority of my regular sites. I leave it on for ESPN and the SP Times because their ads are simply too obnoxious for me to want to see them.

I've left ABP off for DRaysBay and other SBN sites because I want the company to make money off my visits. But if that's going to continue, seriously, shit like this:

Has to stop. I don't want to see ads for Red Sox gear, or Yankees gear, or Phillies gear. I'm not going to buy their gear, not even to wipe my ass with. I don't come to this site to talk about or read on about any of these teams. Rays ads are fine. Generic ads about last-minute vacations are fine. Ads to buy discounted Red Sox gear are not. Someone. Make. It. Stop.