Giveaways, Free Stuff, and More.

I have been thinking about new topics on how to make baseball great again. I wondered what attracts me as a consumer of baseball games to find new topic. Obviously cheerleader would be a HUGE plus (That's a good idea. I'm going to keep note of that.) but there are many other ways fans want to come to games.  Then it hit me, what does every fan or consumer always want, free stuff. Many baseball franchises give away free stuff on "promotional" days to attract customers. But these only happen maybe 30 out of the 81 home games that are played. They sometimes have cool promotions such as free replica jerseys, free hats, or even free mini bats. Or they have real bad ones such as coolers,  stickers, coupons, even a 10 cent beer day (Plautz). Baseball teams should give away stuff EVERY home game. Just give it to the first 10000 in attendance. Not first 25,000 to 30,000 fans. That way you can get more attendance while not losing money giving a lot of merchandise. Imagine having a promotion where you can get a free hat, you would be attracted to go. there is no one in this world that would say, " I hate to get free stuff." It is one of the few things in the world nobody hates. As a fan myself, I get attracted when I see a free hat giveaway, or a free jersey. I want to go to those games MORE than other games. Now imagine there are millions of me, and they all feel this way. But the promotion are 4 out of 5 games. I would have a reason why to go to those games more than the others. Ballparks attendance would go through the roof. More and more people would want to come to a game. Leading to a rise in attendance. This idea, I believe, will help make baseball great again.




---EL


Sources - Plautz, Jason. "Five Ballpark Promotions That Went Wrong." Mental Floss. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 April 2016.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/16719/five-ballpark-promotions-went-wrong

Noise Level and Hype of a Baseball Game

A major factor in any sport, are the fans. Every game is defined by the loud screams and cheers of the home team's fans. They fuel the home team and give energy to any game. Football, basketball, soccer, hockey, etc. all have booming crowds that cheer 24/7. In baseball, however, it is a very mellow game if the game is low scoring. There is a not cheering and yelling 24/7 which can get boring for some people. They sit in the sun for 2 hours until the 7th inning and start to think,"I hate baseball." Usually the action of a baseball game starts around the 7th inning. rarely a game is exciting every single inning. This alone can make people not want to go a watch the beautiful game of baseball. I have a solution. Baseball should do more promotions and such. (Miller ) During the 7th inning of the game, after the "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" song, have a big event. Some ideas include throwing a baseball into a target for $10,000.  You can also have someone try to hit a baseball into a target for $1,000,000! This captivates me as a fan to see a person sink a half court shot for $500,000. (Saw this in real life.) The possibilities of the advertisements are endless. Anything to bring some interest to the game. A big one is to HAVE THE PLAYERS SIGN MORE AUTOGRAPHS. This would bring loads of fans to the games if they know the chance of getting an autograph from their favorite player. Getting autographs from players in a rare event, but if the baseball clubs made their players sign autographs before games. It would be amazing. You could assign 3-4 players per day to sign at home games and have them sign whatever at away games. Personally, getting autographs from players will bring ME to games just for that. The game would just be a huge plus. Get the home fans something to treasure over the years, and earn more fans abroad. it a win-win. Big promotions and autographs are two major things that could make baseball more popular, and make baseball more fun again. 

---EL
Sources - Miller, Sam. "Analyzing the /"baseball Is Boring/" Stigma." FOX Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/just-a-bit-outside/story/is-baseball-really-boring-020515

Bat Flipping: Does it Make Baseball Fun Again?

One of the major arguments in the MLB is the subject of bat flipping. Some of the MLB players are arguing the "unwritten rule" of no bat flipping after a home run. One major figure in baseball, (Bryce Harper) clearly shows his resent for the anti-bat flipping critics. He believes baseball is getting boring. He also is stating that he will make baseball "fun" again. The exact topic of this blog. Will bat-flipping make the game more fun and exciting again? I looked online the pros and cons of bat flipping in the game, and found mixed results. If you are not familiar of what a "bat-flip" is let me explain. It is when a batter smashes a ball into orbit, and to celebrate throw his bats out of his hands. The gesture is more like a, "HA! Hit that one ya idiot." Many batter believe that it is their natural right as a hitter to show off to the pitcher with a bat-flip. Many old baseball critics shun this because it violates the unwritten rules of baseball. It's in Section 23, Line 23- No bat-flipping after a home-run or the ghost of Babe Ruth will haunt you forever. I believe the batter DOES have a right to bat-flip. Even as a pitcher, the batter does have the right to bat-flip. The pitcher served up a juicy pitch and the batter smashed it to Mars. You got to take whatever he does, and suck-it-up. When I strike someone out, I have the right to fist-pump or scream into my glove. It comes with the intensity of the game. The bat-flipping is also getting promoted by the MLB. They know as well as I know that it is a new and good marketing tool. Kids are now bat-flipping because it is "cool" and their favorite players do it. (Turbow). The MLB realizes they are not getting the viewers they used to, and they need to bring them back with something, bat-flipping. I believe bat-flipping with make baseball more fun and help the popularity.

---EL 
 Sources: Turbow, Jason. "Tag Archives: Bat Flipping." The Baseball Codes. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
https://thebaseballcodes.com/tag/bat-flipping/

Intro to My Blog

         I searched deep into my soul to find a long, intricate blog topic. I searched online googling, "Best blog ideas." Nothing seemed to interest me. All I found was how-to's on cooking, cleaning, and a bunch of other, 30 going on 40 mom topics. I wasn't going anywhere. Then I asked my mom for a topic and she told me to use a topic that you are familiar with. Bingo! Anything about baseball should intrigue me. So I clicked off the mom topics and searched a big question in baseball, is baseball becoming boring? Over the years, baseball has went from the Gold Medal sport in America, to the Bronze medal sport in America. Critics blame this on how baseball is "long, put-you-to sleep, and only older folks watch nowadays." Well, I know from playing baseball for more than a decade of my life that it can be really fun or really boring. Making a diving catch in the outfield attempting to impress the one girl in the stands? Fun. (Crowder) Striking out that one kid who you hate. More fun. Hitting the game winning hit with that SAME girl in the stands. The best. But, the big question does have a big answer, and I will cover it in this blog.

--- EL

Sources:
"Chris Crowder: Make Baseball Fun Again." The Michigan Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. https://www.michigandaily.com/section/columns/chris-crowder-make-baseball-fun-again-mlb-bat-flipping