Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
I went out to watch the Asheville Tourists play some baseball on Monday night, and was struck at the blatant commercialism that’s taken over our humble ball field. Everywhere you turn, you’re getting marketed to.
I don’t mind a few commercials, but I go to watch a live baseball game to get away from all that. If I wanted to get assaulted by endless advertisements, I’d stay home and watch TV.
It used to be quaint to watch minor league baseball teams get creative with promotions. Now it’s just gotten out of control. Here are examples from Monday’s game that I recorded in just the first three innings:
-Walk into the park and you’re handed an envelope courtesy of Capital Bank. Each envelope contains cash. Most contain a $1 bill. Everyone gets a coupon for a buy-one-ticket-get-one free Tourist promotion. And the outside of the envelope has a number written on it – numbers are called out later during the game for $100 and $500 savings bonds. A local Capital Bank doofus gets to hold the microphone and call out the number. (Don’t forget that on Mega Money Mondays, if a Tourist pitcher throws a perfect game, all ticket-holders get to divvy up $1 million.)
-The game starts with bases that are painted pink in honor of Mother’s Day. The bases are pulled up after the first half of the first inning, and the announcement is made that they’ll be autographed and auctioned off for charity.
-Every section of outfield fencing is a billboard. Small billboards top every section of seating. At one point, a Tourist employee walks into the Biltmore Oil/Eblen section and hands out a gift certificate.
-Ads blink beside the scoreboard. Then a video commercial for Jack Daniels plays. We’re encouraged to buy their “Country Cocktails” and reminded to “drink responsibly.” When did we start allowing hard liquor ads at the ballpark?
-Everyone is handed free game program when they enter the park, and between innings, the announcer tells everyone to turn to specific pages and look at specific ads. Monday night, if your ad for the Jewish Carpenter business had the signature of a Tourist player on it, you won a prize.
-A family is pulled from the stands and dubbed the “Lance” family. An employee of the Tourists holds what appears to be a large popcorn box with the word “Lance” on it. Talk about product placement.
-T-shirts – essentially wearable billboards for the Tourists – are sling-shotted into the stands, and fans old and young alike jostle for them.
-Commercials are routinely read over the public address system between innings. One ad for the French Broad Brewery microbrewery urged all listeners to “drink local.”
And that was just the first three innings. I was really feeling assaulted by all the come-ons. Am I being an un-American non-consumerist, or has the marketing at an Asheville Tourist baseball game gone too far?
I can understand your concern over the alcohol ads (except for Thursdays), but otherwise it doesn’t sound like anything too bad.
Ash,
Come on. How long have you been going to Tourist games? You’re just noticing the marketing? It sounds like they are doing a great job. The promotions are half the fun of a minor league ball game. Lighten up and buy some stuff.
Obviously you haven’t been to many events in the last few years. Everything for everything has sponsors and advertisers or they wouldn’t exist. Do you think the Tourists actually make money off ticket sales?
Pinko!
Just one of the reasons I rarely go to Tourists games anymore. I’m sure this is blasphemy to some, but I think it all started to go downhill when they renovated the stadium back in the early ’90s or whenever it was. The whole atmosphere seemed to change.