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VIEWPOINT
Hardba l l R e ta i l L e s s ons
KEVIN COUPE
FOUNDER,
It's taken me almost a quarter-century to do
it, but I recently achieved a long-held dream.
I have been to a game in every major league
baseball stadium in the country. All 30.
A guy has to have goals.
In fact, I've done more than just go to every
major league ballpark. It has taken me so
long to achieve this goal that I've actually
visited 49 stadiums – 18 of them in cities
(Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, Houston,
Cincinnati, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Detroit,
Cleveland, Baltimore, Atlanta, Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh, Toronto, Chicago, Milwaukee,
and two in New York) that have replaced
those ballparks with new ones, and one of
them in a city – Montreal – that no longer
has major league baseball.
When I started on this endeavor, I had
as an ancillary goal the idea that I would
bring back a cap from every ballpark. But
my wife nixed that pretty early on; she was
willing to tolerate my going off to see a game
somewhere, or staying an extra day on a
business trip so I could catch a game. But
I had to stop bring home all those caps.
(I acquiesced. That's how I've stayed
married for 33+ years.)
By the way, this doesn't even count all the
minor league parks I've been to. (Like where
the Utica Blue Sox used to play when they
were a Red Sox affiliate. I wish I still had
that cap.)
I've had a great time visiting all these games
and stadiums. I've consumed an amazing
number of hot dogs (like Dodger Dogs and
Fenway Franks!) and a lot of beer – much of
it craft beer, especially lately – over the years,
and lately I've tried other foods at ballparks
that have improved their culinary offerings.
(More on that below.)
Which leads me to the business lesson that
I've learned during my baseball quest.
When I started on this, one of the things I
noticed was that minor league fields tended
to be a lot more fun than the major league
variety. The big league parks tended to be
a little more formal, a little more staid. But
minor league fields, in addition to being a
lot less expensive, also did a lot more
to engage with patrons. There
would be ice cream giveaways,
dime hot dog nights, handing
out of free t-shirts, on-field
races for kids –
all that sort of stuff. All stuff to get people to
the ballpark, to get fannies in the seats.
Back in the mid-90s, I interviewed Charlie
Dowd, a longtime baseball professional who
then was the general manager of the New
Haven Ravens. He explained it this way: in
minor league baseball, you can't market the
players because if they're any good, they're
going to “The Show.” So you have to market
the experience. Which means you have to
make it a differentiated experience.
These days, it is even more so.
The number of options on which to spend
one's entertainment budget are far more
numerous, and so major league teams have
adopted the minor league approach – lots of
promotions that help to entice and entertain
the customers. There are young people from
the promotion staffs wandering through
the stands, doing contests and giving away
prizes. There are kids racing mascots down
the left field lines.
Visiting every MLB ballpark has taught Me a valuable
retailing lesson.
| ALABAMA GROCER 20