Stuart Elliott: Take Me Out. To the Ball Game?

The sentence above illustrates why baseball is having such a tough time marketing itself to the new fans it so desperately needs to remain vibrant It39s almost impossible to write about baseball without using words like quotdecadesquot or quotgenerationsquot Sure tradition is fine Millennials research indicates find attributes like authenticity appealing but baseball seems quotoldfashioned and stuck in the pastquot the comedian Chris Rock warned recently on HBO39s quotReal SportsquotquotBaseball is dying literallyquot Rock said quotBaseball should be terrifiedquotTake for instance a digital ad shown during a game one night this month at Citi Field home of the New York Mets Wise potato chips the ad proclaimed are quotthe classic American snack for the classic American pastimequot ZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzOn the other hand it was nice to see a commercial on Fox for the Apple Watch the tech product of the moment during last Saturday39s game between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels Too bad there was a commercial for Viagra during the same gameAs a devoted baseball fan whose uncle owned a delicatessen near Ebbets Field when the Brooklyn Dodgers played there I39m delighted to offer ideas nine in honor of the number that baseball revolves around on how to market baseball to help make it more contemporary while still keeping heritage as a selling point1 Major League Baseball ought to turn one of the two oldest stadiums Fenway Park in Boston or Wrigley Field pictured above in Chicago into an urban theme park for the sport where fans could watch exhibition games meet players current and retired and learn about the finer points of the game from umpires coaches and managers The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum could continue to focus on history2 Advertise more outside of game coverage Fans of other sports are a logical target for example why not a commercial during the Super Bowl declaring there39s only X days before pitchers and catchers report for spring training If the National Football League says no run spots during localmarket station breaks3 Encourage baseball39s official sponsors such as Bank of America Bayer Coldwell Banker Ford MasterCard and PepsiCola to feature the sport39s more mediagenic stars in ads promotions and other marketing initiatives Procter ampamp Gamble already has done that with humorous commercials for Head ampamp Shoulders shampoo with the Angels pitcher CJ Wilson Imagine Jacob deGrom the Mets pitcher with the long locks in a haircare spot Enlisting as pitchmen other young standouts like Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs Matt Harvey of the Mets Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Mike Trout of the Angels could benefit the brands as well as baseball4 Reach out more to minority groups In Rock39s rant he complained that baseball is losing AfricanAmericans which is a red flag quotBlack America decides what39s hot Lose black America you lose young Americaquot And MLB needs to really rev up its efforts to address the growing LGBT market a new line of official pride merchandise is a good step but a small one with shirts and caps for only seven of the 30 teams5 Follow the scarcity model of sports such as pro football and reduce the number of regularseason games With all the new additional rounds of playoffs the regular season can feel like more of a slog than ever6 When teams present OldTimers39 Day or Turn Back the Clock games increase engagement by encouraging fans to participate Tickets would be cheaper or free for fans wearing throwback uniforms and team gear or sporting oldtimey beards or mustaches7 And while they39re at it come up with a new name for OldTimers39 Day8 The major leagues ought to borrow a page from the playbook of the minor and independent leagues and put on promotional events that eschew tired traditional themes for offbeat timely or tongueincheek concepts likely to be catnip on social media whether salutes to expectant mothers on yes Labor Day treasure hunts searches for quotBaseball39s Best Burgerquotamp160or quotumpirelessquot games A caution There39s a fine line between clever and stupid as demonstrated last week after a minorleague affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays canceled and apologized for a promotion that would have mocked the steroid troubles of the New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez by giving away juice boxes9 Ask the media partners that telecast games to stop running ads for Viagra and other erectiledysfunction drugs not on grounds of taste but because they make baseball seem old and out of it10 I know there were supposed to be nine ideas but move the Dodgers back to Brooklyn or award an expansion team to the hot and cool boroughThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Media Village management or associated bloggers Image at top courtesy of Corbisamp160amp160amp160

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Stuart Elliott: Take Me Out. To the Ball Game?

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