SCC Blog
Minor League Baseball 2007: Promotions In Review
September 28th, 2007
As is usually the case, there were plenty of wild and whacky promotions featured throughout the summer at minor league baseball stadiums around the nation. There’s no doubt the promotions have been helpful in driving attendance to ballparks as minor league baseball announced that the 2007 season marked the fourth year in a row that a new attendance record was established.
According to the release, in 2004, the 106-year-old industry broke a record that had stood since 1949 by drawing 39,887,755 fans. The following season, the number jumped nearly 1.5 million to 41,333,219, an increase of nearly four percent. Last season, 41,710,357 fans came out to the ballpark and this season’s attendance has increased more than two percent over last season. Those figures do not reflect the attendance of the 52 games still to be played in the regular season.
Today’s post takes a moment to reflect back on ten notable promotions from the 2007 season:
Portland Beavers “Bob L. Head” Promotion
Robert Leroy Head of Maquoketa, Iowa, was selected as one of three finalists for a Portland Beavers’ promotion that will immortalize a real Bob L. Head with a bobblehead.
“I never put it together until they sent me this letter,” Head said. “My wife and I thought it was a joke.”
The Beavers, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, sent letters to every Bob L. Head they could find, including Roberts and Robertos, and Mauoketa’s own.
The team explained its promotion, then asked the Bobs to submit an essay explaining why they should be cast as a miniature, head-bobbing figurine.
Bob Louis Head’s campaign slogan: “No matter what the score, I am always a Head.”
Read the complete story here: espn.com
Indianapolis Indians “Warm Weather Guarantee”
With a 2 p.m. start time, the Indians-Clippers game was the first played in the Minors this season. The Indians, mindful of the fact that April in Indianapolis is not always pleasant, guaranteed that the game will be played in warm weather — at least 60 degrees. If the game-time temperature was lower than that, all fans would receive a free ticket to another game in April. At game time, the weather was indeed below 60 and the Indians gave away free tickets.
Source: indyindians.com
Fort Myers Miracle’s “Billy Donovan Night”
The Fort Myers Miracle’s “Billy Donovan Night” was recently named Minor League Baseball’s “promotion of the year.” In this much-lauded promotional extravaganza, the Florida State League franchise paid tribute to the painfully indecisive Florida Gators basketball coach (on June 1, Donovan signed a massive contract with the NBA’s Orlando Magic, but backed out one day later in order to return to the University of Florida).
On “Billy Donovan Night,” the Miracle did everything short of handing out flip flops to fans as they walked through the turnstiles. But at the heart of the evening was this little nugget of genius — any fan who had second thoughts about attending the game was given the opportunity to negotiate out of their ticket purchase by consulting with a lawyer and then (in certain cases) shooting a basketball through a hoop.
Complete story here: minorleaguebaseball.com
Fresno Grizzlies “Famous Fans” Promotion
The Fresno Grizzlies gave fans the chance to vote for which local celebrity they’d like to see honored at the ballpark. Cher edged out the likes of “Growing Pains” mom Joanna Kerns and “Chipmunks” creator David Seville, and was therefore the focus of the “Famous Fan Tribute” on April 27.
Source: minorleaguebaseball.com
West Virginia Power’s “World’s Largest Tighty-Whitey Race”
Another organization that generated a lot of buzz this season was the West Virginia Power. The Milwaukee Brewers affiliate staged off-beat tributes and contests all season, such as “Salute to Indoor Plumbing” on May 21. Then, later in the week, the Power held “The World’s Largest Tighty-Whitey Race” competition.
Source: minorleaguebaseball.com
Hagerstown Suns’ “Donald vs. Rosie Night”
Isn’t it amazing how much media coverage the feud between Rosie O’Donnell and Donald Trump received last year? Apparently the the Hagerstown Suns felt the same way when they poked fun at the feud with “Donald vs. Rosie Night,” in which the team had fans vote on who was the superior celebrity. A “Best Male Hair” contest was held in honor of Trump, and other celebrity feuds were highlighted all night long.
Source: minorleaguebaseball.com
Fort Meyers Miracle and “Mike Tyson Ear Night”
The Fort Myers Miracle were at it again in June when they hosted “Mike Tyson Ear Night.” The team celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the boxing match where Tyson bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield’s ear by giving away 1,000 fake ears. The team also gave away Tyson-style facial tattoos, and elephant ears were sold at the concession stands.
Source: minorleaguebaseball.com
Connecticut Defenders’ “Harry Potter Night”
The seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series was released at bookstores July 21. For Potter disciples who also are baseball fans, the Defenders of Norwich, Conn., teamed up with Borders Books to offer “Harry Potter Night.”
Kids and adults were encouraged to arrive at the ballpark in costume, and the Dodd Stadium concourse offered magical activities and games.
After the game, Defenders fans watched clips from Potter movies on the stadium big screen, played Potter-themed trivia games and watched a fireworks display. At midnight, fans who ordered the book earlier in the night received their copies.
Source: espn.com
Altoona Curve’s “Awful Night”
On its annual Awful Night, the creative Altoona front office staff aims to make the fan experience as unpleasant as possible.
In past few years the team has handed out giveaways such as squares of bubble wrap and color photos of a removed gall bladder. Between innings the video board has featured clips of Ben Affleck movies and David Hasselhoff videos. Meanwhile, non-celebrities have signed autographs and fans have munched on Spam and Cheese sandwiches.
The players are treated poorly, too, as their failing averages are posted whenever they come to bat, instead of their batting averages.
Source: espn.com
Hudson Valley Renegades’ “Toilet Seat Cushion”
After staging a plunger giveaway night last year, the Renegades of Fishkill, N.Y., are returning to the bathroom for inspiration, this time doling out toilet seat cushions to the first 3,000 fans to enter Dutchess Stadium. The cushions, which are actually stadium-seat cushions designed to look like ovular toilet-seat tops, are being provided courtesy of M&O Sanitation.
Source: espn.com
*** Questions for Classroom Discussion ***
1) Do you think promotions like these really do help drive attendance?
2) Why is attendance important to a sports team?
3) Why do you think we don’t see more whacky promotions like these at major league or collegiate level sporting events? Explain your answers in detail.
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