There have been times in the past when an “invading” sports event was seen as a challenge to local teams who could be having their thunder, and even some marketing and ticketing dollars pushed off by consumers and brands and not coming into their venues. It was a challenge and impediment for success more than an enhancement.
Not so with the World Cup and MLB in many of the markets, and in most cases, especially in a city like Atlanta, the approach has been to lean in and be deeply part of the fans coming in to the city who may be looking for a slice of Americana tied to sport and outside of Buck-ees and barbeque (which were featured in this NYT story) that could lead to longer term fandom down the road.
While SBJ’s Mike Mazzeo highlighted the promotions clubs were doing tied to World Cup (link here), the ability to have fun and fill sections of distressed seats in the long MLB season has led to some fun moments in places like Texas, Miami and especially Boston where the Tartan Army of Scotland filled Fenway during a don Red Sox season.
As for the Braves, this approach to World Cup engagement goes way beyond just selling tickets for a game. As VP Adam Zimmerman explained in our recent podcast, with Atlanta hosting international missions for over 40 countries there is a long term play to educate, inform and grow relationships on and off the field with potential fans who had never been around baseball before. It is a long term cultivation approach in a global sports environment that could lead to brands, more merchandise, international partnerships and much more as the Braves literally expand their borders and open their amazing mixed use facility at The Battery to being even more of a tourist destination and a cultural hub away from just game day.
Listen to the whole podcast here.
Do some visitors come in and leave having not understood what baseball is all about? Maybe in years past that was the case, but now all the goings-on in and around the ballpark give something for everyone, and the breaks in the game probably lead to more cultural interaction than any other pro sport in North America, not to mention the fact that tickets are affordable, homestands are longer, and the weather plays in everyone’s favor, literally.
As we look to long tail effects on the positive side the World Cup may have, we may first think of the pitch and the pageantry that we are witnessing, but don’t sleep on baseball getting some longer term love off of The Beautiful Game” s well. Who knows, Scotland may become a World Baseball Classic hotbed after all the enjoyment around the diamond, and be on the lookout for that MLB swag showing up in places during your next European vacation.
The size of the ball matters less than the fun at the game.
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