Not So Minor Attractions
The major success of minor-league baseball
By Kelli Anderson
Few things are as apple pie, flag-waving
American in our collective psyche as baseball.
And increasingly, since the late 1980s, few
things are as popular with American families as
our venerated national pastime thanks to a
virtual revolution in minor-league baseball's
marketing strategy and shift in focus. These
days the minors are batting a thousand.
The way we were
Baseball, like any business, has had its many
historical ups and downs. By the early 1980s,
minor-league baseball was well past its glory
days of post-World War II America—a time
when nearly every city and cow-town had its
own minor-league team to the tune of more
than 450 in the league's association. After its
peak—and still standing record attendance in
the late 1940s—such things as television
brought the major leagues into our living rooms
and began a stagnation and decline of minorleague baseball's appeal.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE KANE COUNTY COUGARS
Ozzie, the mascot of the Kane County Cougars,
at a post-game fireworks show in Geneva, Ill.
Today, with only 160 AAA, AA and A affiliate teams in the association—now called Minor
League Baseball—attendance is soaring and rivaling those earlier record numbers of
attendance.
"Last season saw a total attendance of 38.8 million—that's the second highest in minor
league's 100-year history," says Jim Ferguson, director of media relations for Minor League
Baseball. In the last 10 years, 75 new stadiums have been built and more are on the way.
Stands are packed, and minor-league baseball is back on top of its game.
What has revolutionized minor-league baseball in just 15 years has been the dramatic shift in
its focus to a family audience, a shift in product identification from baseball to entertainment
and a departure from traditional marketing methods to a more effective business-educated
marketing strategy.
All in the family
The last 20 years have seen a dramatic change
in the mindset of American parents. As the
average number of children per family has
declined, parental focus on children has
increased, according to Jay Coakly, professor
of sociology for more than 30 years in sports
and leisure, now teaching at the University of
Colorado in Colorado Springs.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TENNESSEE SMOKIES
Members of the Tennessee Smokies sign
pre-game autographs for fans.
"Kids have a greater concentration of parental
attention than ever before," Coakly says.
"Parents are expected to account for the
whereabouts of their children in a way that is
unprecedented in human history—in no society
have parents been held accountable 24-7 for
the whereabouts and behavior of their children
as they are today."
For businesses, that translates into the need to be more accommodating to parents who insist
on taking their children with them and where safety issues and child-friendly environments
become paramount. Minor-league baseball, now focused on the family market, has developed
a successful strategy to pursue and win the American family audience.
Hitting a Home Run with Families
The minor leagues have made some major discoveries about appealing to the needs and
interests of the American family.
1. Money matters. Keeping the total cost of a family outing low and the perceived value
high is an instant hit.
2. Safe and kid-enticing surroundings. Parents want to pursue their own interests
and will feel secure knowing their kids are safe, within view, and having a good time of
their own.
3. Comfort and convenience. Facilities that are comfortable and offer the little extras
of family-friendly convenience go a long way to making a family feel welcome and willing
to come back.
4. Education and community. Offering educational incentives to involve youngsters in
your facility (reading programs, school-sponsored field trips, art contests) can go a long
away.
5. Food. For those businesses offering food and drinks, include kid favorites packaged in
creative ways.
Cheering for the cheap seats
"Minor league has worked hard to keep very
affordable," says Ferguson, who notes that for
many families wanting to go to a major-league
game, the price is often prohibitive and doesn't
even offer discounts for children—a seat is one
price, no matter who sits in it. A survey of 160
teams in June 2000 conducted by Minor
League Baseball showed that for a family of
four, the total price of a trip to a minor-league
ball game including four hot dogs, two sodas,
two beers and parking was less than $40. Add
to that the frequently free promotional hats and
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TENNESSEE SMOKIES
T-shirts, and most would agree that you've got
Crowded stands at the Tennessee Smokies
a pretty amazing cost-for-value. Comparison
Stadium in Kodak, Tenn.
wise, a similar outing to a major-league game
might cost the family budget a ballpark figure of $100 or more. Quite a big-league difference.
Here's the pitch
But what really makes the difference is entertainment.
"We consider ourselves to be G-rated, family-fun entertainment," says Curtis Haug, assistant
general manager of the Kane County Cougars, class A affiliates of the Florida Marlins, in
Geneva, Ill. "Baseball is secondary; entertainment is number one. Our most popular thing is
post-game fireworks, and we also do between-inning games and promotions. It's big. At pregame we allow families on the field. They get autographs from the players, and kids can run
the bases. We've even had nuns and people in wheelchairs out there."
Minor-league baseball has spared no expense or creative energy to
keep the audiences coming. And those in the industry are not shy
about sharing what works.
"We use each other a lot—we talk to each other," says Brian Cox,
assistant general manager of the Tennessee Smokies in Kodak, Tenn.,
the season 2000 winners of Minor League Baseball's coveted
programming award, the Larry MacPhail Trophy. "We see it and don't
mind copying it. That's the best and nicest form of flattery to use what
others are doing."
Whether it's fireworks displays, themed playgrounds, crazy betweeninnings antics, lovable mascots, kiddie-sized concessions, speed-pitch
zones, inflatables or swimming pools, toddlers to teens find plenty to do
and enjoy during a typical game at any one of the minor-league
ballparks around the country.
And the entertainment appeal is broad—there is something for
everyone: Comfortable picnic areas, mouth-watering concessions,
specialty beers, deck-lounges and fantastic seating venues attract the
attention of the more mature audience.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE
KANE COUNTY COUGARS
Ozzie races a young fan
at a Cougar's game.
And let's not forget the baseball. Although minor-league teams can't win spectators based on
the names of their ever-changing rosters, they can market the baseball experience.
"A baseball fan would come here anyway, so we don't target them—we market to those who
may have no interest in the game and hope they have such a great time that they'll become
baseball fans," reasons Scott Hunsicker, assistant general manager of the Reading Phillies in
Reading, Pa. "We market to families and especially to the mother—if its a good place for kids,
the dad will be more likely to come, and mothers want that."
Parents can enjoy the game; kids can enjoy everything else.
Safety first
Part of the family's enjoyment comes from the fact that stadiums, both new and newly
renovated, have intentionally designed the children's attractions to be within eye-view of
parents. For a parenting generation that is keen to keep tabs on their children at all times, it is
freeing for them to know they can let their children roam within the safe confines of the ballpark
and within view.
"Since families are our main target, children come to the game, and families know that if the
kid wanders or wants to go somewhere else in the park, it's safe," says Ryan Bardi, a group
sales specialist from the Reading Phillies. "We try to keep it as clean as possible, and parents
have the peace of mind knowing their kids are having fun and that it's safe."
If you build it, they will come—in droves
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE KANE COUNTY COUGARS
Designing a facility that meets the needs of this
child-conscious market is another must.
Thanks, in part, to the 1989 Professional
Baseball Agreement, a contract between the
major and minor leagues to set up minimum
facility standards at ballparks, many ballparks
knew they either had to build a new park or
renovate existing ones. Although some, like the
Reading Phillies, saw the value of preserving
the classic look to give patrons a sense of
baseball nostalgia, the vast majority opted to
start over from scratch. The resulting designs
took the needs of all their patrons into account:
adults who go to actually enjoy the game, large
groups enjoying a special event, and families
wanting a safe and fun environment.
For example, in 1995, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, home of the Durham Bulls in Durham,
N.C., was built by HOK Sport, architects out of Kansas City, Mo. The lead architect on the
project at the time, Tom Tingle (now the project manager for the Durham Bulls), had extensive
experience designing to the needs of minor-league baseball stadiums with more than 20 parks
to his creative credit.
The Durham Bulls Athletic Park was designed to seat more than 10,000 and contains many of
the successful elements of a family-friendly facility.
"Among the trends in the last 10 years for families are playgrounds that are well designed and
positioned so that parents can watch the game and the kids," Tingle says. Picnic areas are
another popular feature that are more geared to group sales but also to children. Then there
are what he terms "the alternative areas of revenue"—carousels, video-game arcades, speedpitch batting cages and the like to occupy the attention of the children. Even concessions get in
the game, geared to kids with selections of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches served from kidsized counters.
Comfort with a view is another important factor. The Durham Bulls Athletic Park has roofed
seating for 2,500, all with extra-wide seat backs, lots of legroom and cup holders. Every seat is
up-close and personal, typical of the intimate, community feeling of many minor-league
stadiums.
Facilities are also designed to be flexible. With everything from carnivals to you-name-it preand post-game events, many ballparks now include a wide concourse outfitted with the
necessary power, water supply and weather-protection features to accommodate a wide
variety of ventures.
To market, to market
Minor-league baseball isn't all fun and games, however—it's also become a smarter business.
In 1988, Craig Stein bought the Reading Phillies, a AA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, and
hired Chuck Dominoe as general manager. Dominoe, then a recent graduate with a
newfangled degree in sports management from Biscayne College in Miami, Fla., was part of a
new generation with new ideas and marketing savvy.
"Craig never owned a team before, but I came with a vision for family entertainment—Craig
came with two young daughters—and then shared that vision," Dominoe says. "We wanted to
keep it upbeat and fun, and this was at a time when it was hitting home in the late '80s, and
everybody 'got it.'"
What Dominoe and others in the late '80s "got" was the answer to minor-league baseball's fanbase woes: families and the marketing techniques to draw them.
More bang for the buck
Previously, minor league's idea of marketing was to have a company buy up 10,000 tickets for
50 cents apiece and give out free tickets. This was considered a great promotion. All it did,
however, was to cheapen the product. Nobody would buy. Stein and Dominoe decided to
invest the same $5,000 to buy quality, long shelf life items printed with the team logo. People
were willing to pay full price tickets to get a quality item.
"For the same money, we got a lot more bang
for the buck—3,000 to 4,000 people to buy a
ticket at full price and get an item with our name
on it," Dominoe says.
After getting a little successful, Dominoe says,
you get more people to buy tickets and reinvest
it in the facility. The facility grows, and you
invest some more.
With each new addition to the facility at
Reading's GPU Stadium, community interest
grew. A now 52-year-old classic brick ballpark
has been renovated several times over and
recently celebrated the completion of the $1.4million Reading Eagle Pool Pavilion. The 1,000
square-foot heated swimming pool with two
levels boasts water cannons and waterfalls and
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE READING PHILLIES
was created as part of a three-tiered deck
Fans can log some splash time at the Reading
picnic area off right field. And this is no ordinary
Eagle Pool Pavilion at the Reading Phillies GPU
Stadium in Reading, Pa.
picnic area—it features 31 picnic tables (each
with their own closed-circuit TV), an impressive
two-hour catered buffet, private restrooms and locker rooms. "It's just awesome," Hunsicker
says. "It's the baseline of our business."
Set apart from the crowd
Such mouth-dropping features at ballparks are part of an ongoing effort for each park to set
itself apart, to offer something that can compete with anything the community can offer.
"We had 460,000 last season," Hunsicker says. "The pool is the hinge that everyone talks
about. This is different. It's got waterfalls and cascades—we wanted it to be the best. We have
themes here: The traditional hot dogs and popcorn have an old-time park feel; the deck area is
like a restaurant; and the picnic area is as nice or nicer than you'll ever get for family reunions
and company parties. We try to compete with those people and just happen to have a game
going on too."
The young and the restless
Unlike major-league games where it might be a challenge for children to sit for long
uninterrupted periods of time, minor league is designed to allow little wigglers to move around
and enjoy the ballpark's many kid-friendly distractions. And what could be kid-friendlier than a
giant walking, talking furry mascot inviting the kids to come out to the field or to play with them
in the stands?
With the popularization of mascots, now an
essential ingredient at any minor-league
ballpark, have come a variety of marketing
successes: mascot fan-clubs, mascot
appearances in the community or for hire at
private functions, and mascot-inspired
educational programs.
The latter—baseball coming into the schools
and promoting education—has been a recent
big winner both for the schools and for the
ballparks. Many ballparks now sponsor reading
programs that reward the children at completion
with free games and the chance to be
recognized on the field in a special presentation
all their own. Kids love it, and ballparks love the
good PR
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DURHAM BULLS ATHLETIC PARK
Fans of all ages find extra fun at the Durham
Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C.
Even more exciting are entire curriculums being created around baseball in the off-season to
teach math, science, history, art—you name it—in which little junior's interest in baseball (or at
least the mascot!) is used as the vehicle to teach.
"We have education days," says Mike Birling, now in his ninth year as assistant general
manager of the Durham Bulls. "We take all the schools in North Carolina and get a lesson
plan. Teachers come on each day and talk about math, stats, history—and tie in a baseball
lesson plan. They do this for five days in Akron and sell out every time. It's very successful.
Then there's field trips—we want to do more stuff like that."
In the last 15 years minor-league baseball has turned itself into a family entertaining and
marketing success.
"We're trying to get the major leagues to look at what we've done," Birling says. "They could
learn a lot."
Major Programming in the Minors
Without question, the resounding No. 1 attraction at the minor leagues is—sorry,
players!—not the whiz, bang, flash of the ball, bat and players, but the post-game
fireworks shows. Hands down, fireworks are the top crowd pleaser, but after that, it's
pretty much up for grabs. Among wild and crazy mascots, traveling acts like the
Zooperstars "Sharky McGuire" or "Harry Canary" belting out the seventh-inning stretch of
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game," having fans wrestle it out in sumo suits or kids
frenetically running the bases between innings, it's not easy narrowing it all down to just
10 favorites for the attractions Hall of Fame, but we'll take a swing at it.
1. Post-game fireworks shows
2. Mascots
3. Concessions
4. Games within the games: sumo wrestling, races, birthday recognitions and
more
5. Picnic areas
6. Play areas: playgrounds, carousels and more
7. Water-related activities: pools, hot tubs, water cannons
8. Group areas: bars, decks, areas for large groups to gather
9. Giveaways
10. Traveling acts: concerts, comedy, magic acts, to name a few
© Copyright 2002 Recreation Management. All rights reserved.