In-Game Entertainment Offerings On The Rise At MLB Ballparks

Rays One Of MLB Teams Increasing  In-Game Entertainment Options

The traditionalist MLB fan who "would be content with a hot dog ... does not figure to find relief" from in-game entertainment at MLB ballparks, according to Jim Luttrell of the N.Y. TIMES. Respondents to the Times' Bats blog have posted comments "along the lines of, 'I wish they'd turn down the music' or, 'Stop telling me when to clap!'" But Rays VP/Branding & Fan Experience Darcy Raymond said the team wants Tropicana Field to be the "Walt Disney World of baseball." Raymond: "You're really coming to see a show. To some people, the traditionalist, it may be sensory overload. If you're not into a sensory experience, the Trop is not for you. We're a new-school team." Raymond added, "If someone doesn't know baseball, it's a pretty boring sport. The ball's only in play for seven minutes. To a European person who has never seen baseball, it's pretty boring. But it's really a game of strategy, like chess. We try to build on that drama." Meanwhile, Sanderson Strategies Group Senior VP Denise Michaels, whose company consults with MLB and several clubs on branding and fan entertainment, said the company found fans "do like the music." Michaels: "They like to do the wave, and they get crazy when there's a beach ball coming around. They're looking for more value for their dollars. And the teams are trying to enhance the value of every dollar you spend at the ballpark" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/2).