Reds COO Phil Castellini said that the city of Cincinnati "outdid itself" for MLB's All-Star week, adding that he was "told by several top major league officials and players that Cincinnati was one of the best hosts in the history of the event," according to James Pilcher of the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER. Castellini said, "We got everything out of this that we could have as a community." Reds officials announced that total attendance for the three days at Great American Ball Park was 130,904, the "second-highest three-day total, coming only behind the three playoff games" hosted by the Reds in the '12 NLDS. That figure "included 43,656 for the All-Star Game itself." Castellini said that while most of the actual game and TV revenue from the event went to MLB, the Reds "saw a spike in season ticket sales beforehand to boost local profits." In addition, $8M "was raised for different charities and local park projects through" MLB and sponsors such as Procter & Gamble. Castellini said that aside from Monday night's Home Run Derby won by Reds 3B Todd Frazier, his "favorite event was Saturday's color run, which brought in more than 15,000 participants" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 7/16).
FAN FRIENDLY: MLB said it ended the ’15 T-Mobile All-Star FanFest in Cincinnati with an attendance of 123,312, a 7% increase from last year’s event in Minneapolis and the fifth-largest attendance in its 25-year history. Cincinnati is MLB’s smallest media market, but this year’s FanFest was aided in part by the close proximity between Great American Ball Park and the Duke Energy Convention Center, site of FanFest, to create a critical mass of activity. As a result, the figure neared the ’13 FanFest draw of 129,849 in N.Y. (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer).
RAZOR'S EDGE: In Cincinnati, Carol Motsinger reports the 20 mustache statues that were placed throughout Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky as part of ASG festivities "aren't going to be shaved from the sidewalks for about two more weeks." Reds PR Manager Michael Anderson said that the statues "will remain throughout the city until about July 28." He added that each statue was "funded by private donors and sponsors, and will go to them at the end of the month" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 7/16).
