MLB (http://www.mlb.com)
common sense media says
Baseball's official home is saaaafe, but has ads.
parents & educators say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that baseball's official site has so much advertising and sponsorship, it could be a model for how to combine promotion into every facet of a Web site. The strikes: There's not only the obvious e-commerce areas (official shop, auction pages, a ticket sales center), but there are also more subtle forms of advertising such as smaller banner ads, sponsored sweepstakes, and upgrades for premium site privileges. If that wasn't enough, banner ads are customized based on user interest (search for Philadelphia Phillie Chase Utley, and get directed to Utley's player bio page where there happens to be several banner ads for Phillies M&M's candies). The home runs: Safe message boards and enough baseball info to satisfy even hardcore fans.
Educational value:
Not applicable.
Violence:
Not applicable.
Sex:
Not applicable.
Language:
The message boards are one of the few places to watch. Although there are strict guidelines that appear to be enforced, users have found ways around this. Many times this is in the context of adult-oriented discussions not having anything to do with baseball. For instance, one discussion on gay rights used the word "ga.y" to keep the message from getting flagged. Another discussion was about abortion, clearly not relevant to an MLB board. Violators can at least be easily reported.
Consumerism:
Large portions of the home page announce sales on merchandise, ticket specials, and auction deals. There are also games and contests promoted by advertisers and banner ads galore.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Not applicable.
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