Sponsor Presence Palpable At Comerica Park’s All-Star Party

By Jon Show, Staff Writer

While the “Sponsor Zone” area outside of Comerica Park appeared dead before the Century 21 Home Run Derby last night, the presence of sponsors inside the ballpark was extensive. One fan was overheard saying to a person wearing a Century 21 golf shirt, “You all have some serious promos out here tonight.” Century 21 distributed branded home run signs to fans, played ads on the centerfield videoboard, displayed backstop signage and on-field placards, and entitled the Home Run Derby’s two-tone ball, which was used when a contestant had nine of his ten outs in each round. Century 21 donated $21,000 to charity for each home run hit with the special ball, resulting in a total of $294,000 in charitable contributions. Also, a fan whose fate was tied to the winning contestant received $250,000 toward the purchase of a home. MasterCard, which placed “Hit it Here” tarps in left and right field, awarded an ‘06 Chevy H.H.R., its new crossover vehicle, to one lucky fan after Braves CF Andruw Jones dropped a home run into one of the banners. The chart below lists the players who hit home runs with nine outs last night.

Andruw Jones' Drive Nets Fan '06 Chevy H.H.R.

PLAYER	GOLD BALLS	$
Ivan Rodriguez	4	84,000
Bobby Abreu	3	63,000
David Ortiz	3	63,000
Carlos Lee	3	63,000
Andruw Jones	1	21,000
TOTAL	14	294,000

OTHER SPONSOR ACTIVATION AT THE HOME RUN DERBY:

• Gatorade gave three fans each a base, one of whom was awarded with a free year's supply of the sports drink after the first round.
• XM, which holds MLB’s satellite radio rights, sponsored the concession trays.
• The “Pepsi Porch” in right field benefited heavily from the dominant left-handed batters in the contest smashing shots into deep into the stands.
• Ameriquest and Nike played spots on the centerfield videoboard during TV commercials.
• Comerica Park features the GM Fountain in centerfield, which erupted with a blast of water each time a player hit a home run.

FOR MORE FROM DETROIT: Staff writer Jon Show is writing from the All-Star Game in Detroit. To read his daily feed, visit sportsbusinessdaily.com/OnTheGround.