Menu
Closing Bell

Baseball HOF's Idelson: '14 Induction Could Set Attendance Record

Baseball HOF President Jeff Idelson said the '14 class of inductees, representing the largest group of living honorees since '71, will help challenge the museum’s Induction Weekend attendance record of 82,000, set seven years ago. The HOF earlier today in N.Y. formally introduced the three players elected by the BBWAA: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas. The trio will join previously announced Expansion Era Committee selections Joe Torre, Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox.

"Expectations are very high. Topping 2007 will be very difficult. But when you think about the big Induction Weekends in years past, years like '07, '99, '83 and so on, this will be right there with them," Idelson said. "These players and managers pull fans from a lot of big, key markets like New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and St. Louis." The HOF last year drew just 2,000 people to Induction Weekend, when the BBWAA elected no one and three honorees from the Pre-Integration Era Committee were long deceased.

The HOF said it yesterday saw unprecedented spikes in inquires into museum membership, which in part can provide priority seating for Induction Weekend. Membership in the HOF’s Presidents Circle and Benefactor levels of giving are up 27% since the Expansion Era selections were announced last month, and continue to grow. "Our phones yesterday were lit up like a Christmas tree. I haven't seen anything like it," Idelson said.

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Closing-Bell/2014/01/09/hall-of-fame.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Closing-Bell/2014/01/09/hall-of-fame.aspx

CLOSE