Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy said the fans who draped a banner over the Green Monster at Fenway Park on Wednesday "will be treated differently." In Boston, Brandan Blom notes the Red Sox sign policy "allows fans to bring signs into the ballpark as long as they don’t disturb other fan’s enjoyment of the game and aren’t affixed" to the ballpark. Kennedy: "There’s a big difference between engaging in hate speech or vulgar offensive language and a sign that says 'go Dustin Pedroia' or 'I love you Andrew Benintendi.'" Kennedy added that the consequence for violating the sign policy is "handled on a sign-by-sign basis." The Red Sox are "not looking to switch to a clear bag policy like the one implemented by the Patriots" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/15).
ROGER THAT: In Vancouver, Harrison Mooney notes Canucks officials on Thursday spoke of "additional changes to the in-game experience that fans can expect when this season gets underway" at Rogers Arena. Fans can expect "new music selections, including after goals and when the players enter; new shopping options, with the addition of an in-arena Adidas kiosk; new video content on the JumboTron during games; and a more energetic crowd atmosphere, as the Canucks try to appeal to the next generation of hockey fans" (VANCOUVER SUN, 9/15).
GENERATION GAP: The Vikings this week hired an 18-year-old as their "Gen Z guru," someone who will be consulted on digital media and fan activation. ESPN's LZ Granderson said the hiring is “smart” because if “you want to appeal to a certain group of people it would probably be smart to actually have those people engaged in the conversation." Granderson: "I'm so sick and tired of organizations saying, 'What can we do to attract millennials,' and then you look in the room and there's not a single millennial there to offer insight” (“SportsNation,” ESPN, 9/14).
