The new Washington Nationals Ball Park is a winner even though the team is less than impressive this year. I visited today to watch the Nats play the Rockies.

It's a great fan experience from the minute you step off of the Metro (a quick $2.70 roundtrip fare). The food is festive and really good--I think I had the best nachos of my life, which is saying a lot! We sat on the third base line just past the bag with a $58 ticket. We were in Row K but it felt like Row C as we were that close to the action.

The service from the staff was also amazing. As we sat in the Center Field restaurant, we asked the bartender if she knew where the "Bengals Bar" in DC was. She asked a manager and 10 minutes later, we had a print out with directions to the Bottom Line.

Center Field is where it is happening in this stadium. For the kids, they have a PlayStation video game area with Guitar Hero and MLB video games...the place was packed. There is also the MLB-sponsor Build-A-Bear store.

The Nat's Foundation also has a kiosk where you can make a donation right there to help fund their cause. You can also purchase Vineyard Vine ties emblazened with the Nat's logo.

Next year, the area adjacent to the Ball Park called Half Street will open and feature condos, stores, restaurants. In Cincinnati, I think you might call this the Banks.

If you are in DC and want a great fan experience, I highly recommend taking in a Nationals game.

Off to update my Stadium Tour on Facebook.

Tonight, we get to meet Rosie the Red at Ladies Night at the Cincinnati Reds, as they unveil her at tonight's game as part of Ladies Night.

And our own, Betsy Ross, president of Game Day Communications, will be the stadium announcer. Regular announcer, Joe Zerhausen, has the night off tipping his cap to a lady. Tonight's gig for Betsy will complete her Cincinnati trifecta: she has called games at University of Cincinnati and is the voice of the Cincinnati Bengals stadium.

Here's a quick video with Betsy as she prepares to pronounce: Holbert Cabrera. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQjKW7WGjoI

But back to the promotion...I do like this estrogen-fest...the team has gone all out--pulling together interactive opportunities (wine tastings) and female-themed giveaways (a white Reds cap) to engage the crowd.

Let's see if this promotion moves the needle for attendance. Will we see a 30,000+ crowd?

Labels: baseball, Cincinnati Bengals, Cincinnati Reds

It’s one of my favorite issues of Sports Business Journal…the sports team promotions edition. Yes, the bobblehead wins again, but not so fast. According to the Turnkey Sports Poll, senior-level sports executives say the bobblehead is the top promotional giveaway in boosting game attendance. Then, why I ask, did the bobblehead drop to #3 on the list of MLB promotions. Topping the list is a cap followed by a shirt (111 different caps were given away by 27 MLB teams whereas 94 bobbleheads were given away by 28 teams).

Also of interest to me was the #1 promotion used by MLB teams…fireworks followed by a concessions discount (does this include a sale on beer?). A relative newcomer to the promotions game…Stitch N’ Pitch. What the hell, you say? Yep, the National NeedleArts Association has cooked up partnerships with 25 clubs this year and in Arizona and Seattle the promotion drew some 1,000 fans for each game. The sewers sit together and needlepoint, knit and/or crochet together (there’s a good joke here about the boredom but I won’t go there).

Corporate sponsors are also increasing their activation efforts through MLB events with Pepsi leading the way with 59 promotional dates where they provide a giveaway or sponsor a promotion. Coca-Cola is right behind them with 41 followed by AT&T, McDonalds and of course, the Stitch N’ Pitch ladies.

Thematic promotions with an experiential offering are also on the rise…Pets in the Park, Father/Daughter Day and Mother/Son Day have been successful for many teams.

So does the giveaway really drive a fan’s ambition to attend a game? Leave a comment on your favorite giveaway or promotion for an MLB game and let me know if it drove you to buy a ticket….

Last night, I saw firsthand how fans are ready for some football. The Reds hot shot second baseman Brandon Phillips was outdone on stage by a kicker and a defensive end. And, all over some rubber duckies auctioned for a good cause, feeding the hungry.

So back to football...We know Bengals kicker Shayne Graham is a good guy with fast cars and a great, accurate leg. But did we know DE Frostee Rucker was a nice guy?

All I can say is that these guys are great! They stole the show from Phillips and his baseball compadres, and the dough--from frantic bidders--at last night's CelebriDucks Auction at Newport on the Levee. Both were charming, good natured and funny. They were there to raise money for a great cause by shilling signed rubber duckies. It was a packed house for the FreeStoreFoodbank and they made more than$20,000 in auctioning signed celebrity ducks.

Frostee decked out in his USC garb wouldn't fall to Local 12's Brad Johansen's ribbing about Carson's comments about the Buckeyes. He took the high road and pulled a pair of sideline passes to the USC vs. OSU game out of his hat. His duck sold for $1400.

Shayne went all out to match his teammate. Also raising $1400, he threw in two tickets to a game, lockerroom passes and dinner at Morton's after the game. The big whollop came when he offered the opportunity to drive his Lamborghini in a closed parking lot.

Check out their live auctions in action at www.youtube.com/user/gamedayjreau

Off to work on my fantasy football team...

As the NAACP convention winds down, both two presumptive nominees, McCain and Obama, were in Cincinnati this week talking to the convention delegates. It got me thinking about what they might do for sports in our country.

The current President Bush says he won't golf out of respect for the soldiers in Iraq and their families. He gets booed when he tosses a first pitch at an MLB game, so he sticks to the solice of his mountain bike in Texas. (Note: this is not a political statement, just an observation)

President Clinton did well for U.S. Sports. He attended Women's World Cup games, golfed with Greg Norman and hosted numerous sports celebrities at State Dinners. He think he got a kick out of meeting the athletes just as we all would.

As you know, Obama has revolutionized internet marketing for politicians. So with a quick search (http://my.barackobama.com/page/group?cat=27), you can find a number of on-line groups: Runners for Obama (200 members), Red Sox Nation for Obama (240 members) and my favorite: Beer Drinkers for Obama (154 members). This is great stuff! I didn't see a Republican counterpart to these groups as I searched.

There have been many great U.S. presidents who have embraced sports and their heritage and importance in our country. John Kennedy: yes, yachting is a sport and Ronald Reagan: yes, horse riding is a sport to name a few.

Here's to a new First Fan, a president who will promote U.S. sports and be a fan like the rest of us.

I am always intrigued by the charts in Sports Business Journal that outline the college athletic programs ranked by total revenue. When I see these lists, I am always reminded of the comment OSU President Gordon Gee made on a sports radio show in advance of the BCS game a few years ago: "We are not in the business of entertainment," he said of there athletic program. Uh huh!

So leading the list in this billion dollar industry among all colleges is your Ohio State Buckeyes...

1) Ohio State, $109,382,222 total revenue/$109,197,910 total expenses
2) Florida, $107,781,004 total revenue/$92,111,182 total expenses
3) Texas, $105,048,632 total revenue/$89,313,533 total expenses
4) Tennessee, $95,401,868 total revenue/$92,557,525 total expenses
5) Michigan, $89,079,982 total revenue/$68,292,190 total expenses
6) Notre Dame, $83,586,903 total revenue/$57,406,114 total expenses
7) Wisconsin, $82,579,472 total revenue/$81,401,732 total expenses
8) Alabama, $81,946,464 total revenue/$71,463,235 total expenses
9) Auburn, $81,696,758 total revenue/$68,907,966 total expenses
10) Iowa, $80,203,645 total revenue/$70,904,103 total expenses

So some $100 million in revenue from just 10 teams with all making a profit--some very significant with four Big 10 teams leading the way.

Interesting stuff...

For your summer reading, I highly recommend A Few Seconds of Panic by Wall Street Journal writer Stefan Fatsis. The subtitle presents the book neatly: A 5-foot-8, 170-pound, 43-year-old sports writer plays in the NFL.

The 340-page book chronicles Fatsis' journey toward being an NFL kicker (at the age of 43 and he is not a Grammatica descendent!!!). With consent from the NFL and after asking most every NFL team, the Denver Broncos are the only team to accept him into their locker room with no question or field--off limits to him and his notebook.

I learned many new things about the kicking game in which I have never ever thought:
-In 2005, NFL field goal accuracy hit a record high, 81%
-Kickers account for nearly half of the points scored in the NFL these days, compared to just over a third in the 1970s

With that in mind, Fatsis is very respectful of the players and his role as a kicker (the kicker jokes are great!), therefore, they dish with him and drop a lot of "f-bombs." He is also very respectful of the game and takes time to get into NFL shape and works with a renowned kicking coach on his technique.

The Bronco's Jason Elam and the kicking crew take him under their wings like a little brother so there is boyhood banter, during the boredom of training camp for kickers. He also spares little details of the life of an NFL player filled with numerous physical ailments along with the tough love of the business side of the game. Reading about the players as they learned they were cut from the team was heart breaking but as they say "it is what it is."

If you liked Michael Lewis' Blind Side, you will love this one.

Mike Shanahan and crew took a big blind side leap on letting Fatsis inside of their world. I am still deliberating on whether or not this book will endear fans. I applaud the Broncos for their courage on green lighting the project.

Read it and let me know what you think.

**A Side Note: I could do without the barbs on the Bengals and their off-field behavior!