Tyler Tumminia knew that fans attend minor league baseball games for many reasons. She understood their motivations. But she never knew who was who. To sort that all out, Tumminia, senior vice president for minor league baseball operator The Goldklang Group, developed the Be Your Own Fan marketing program, introduced in 2010 by Goldklang’s four teams. Fans who sign up choose a group — networker, family, super fan, giveaway hound, or others — and get color-coded wristbands to mark them as members. Throughout the season, they receive targeted emails that include coupons and other incentives. The teams get contact info as well as insight into why each fan comes. “I kept hearing all the time that it’s not only the person who loves baseball who comes to the games,” Tumminia said. “It’s not just stat-heads and people who want to see the players. There were demos we might be missing out on.”
 
Tumminia’s own connection to baseball runs deep. She is the daughter of longtime Chicago White Sox scout John Tumminia, and earlier this year she married Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington.