At PNC Park in Pittsburgh, baseball fans can sip craft brews like local favourites Pennsylvania Pilsner and Allegheny Pale Ale, as well as a selection of suds from roughly a dozen other independent breweries across the U.S., while watching the Pirates play.

At Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark, there’s even a craft beer-focused bar, where Reds fans can sip dozens of independent brews such as the locally brewed Rivertown Brewing’s boldly bitter and aromatic Hop Bomber, and their much more subtle Bavarian-style Helles lager.

Almost everywhere in the major leagues, there are options for the craft beer-drinking baseball fan — even at ballparks named for big breweries or the families who founded them, like Colorado’s Coors Field, or Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

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But when the Blue Jays take on the New York Yankees in their home opener at the Rogers Centre Friday, the only beers available will be those brewed by Anheuser Busch-InBev, the largest brewing conglomerate in the world, which by some estimates makes roughly one out of every four pints sold on the entire planet. Think Budweiser, Bud Light and Keith’s, with the odd can of Stella available at some concession stands.

Last season, for one brief, shining year, fans could find some Steamwhistle, if they looked hard enough. The well-made pilsner, which was available at a grand total of one concession stand, is pretty much the dictionary definition of local beer — the brewery is almost literally in the shadow of the Rogers Centre.

But an errant tweet or two from the brewery telling fans where they could find the brew at the stadium resulted in the Jays giving Steamwhistle the heave-ho.

What’s the reason? Simply put, money. With all those multi-million dollar salaries to pay, the Jays — like any other business — are looking to maximize revenue. Big breweries like AB-InBev can afford to cut a bigger cheque than the little guys to secure the rights to pour their beer at the stadium. Those cheques are big enough, apparently, to convince the Jays that giving AB-InBev exclusive rights is a good idea.

Tossing Steamwhistle met with outrage on social media, and led to the creation of petitions demanding that the Jays reverse their stance.

So why should the Jays care what a few hundred hardcore beer geeks think? Aside from the old adage that for every person who complains in writing that 10 more feel the same way silently, there are plenty of good reasons.

For one thing, having craft beer around could help with major league baseball’s age issue. Of all the major North American sports, the average age of MLB fans is by far the highest, well over a decade older than the NFL and NBA. This is a problem the sport has been struggling to change for a while.

Craft beer drinkers, on the other hand, tend to be younger (and for another thing, have higher incomes) than consumers of mass-produced suds. In Pittsburgh, the craft beer is specifically being used to lure more fans in; the Pirates have a monthly game with a “beer passport,” which includes discounted game tickets, and a pre-game guided beer tasting.

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Another big reason the Jays should care is that big breweries are being more careful with their marketing dollars. In some cases, such as the Toronto Indy auto race, craft brewers have stepped into the breach. Alienating craft brewers — potential partners who they may one day have to come back to, cap in hand — is more than a little short-sighted of the Jays.

And finally, speaking as a fan who’s been going to Jays games since their first season, it would be a pleasant change to have a choice of something other than fizzy, pale yellow lager. Whether it’s a properly made pilsner like Steamwhistle, a wonderful wheat beer like Denison’s Weissbier, a hoppy IPA like Amsterdam’s Boneshaker, or just something crisp and refreshing like Mill Street Organic, there are plenty of local options that would fit the bill as good ballpark brews. Let’s hope the Jays get into the game.