Part One – Join the Bandwagon Before it Fills Up
In Part One of this series, I talked about how fun this Mariners team is and what they can offer on the field. They are off to a hot start and lead the American League West Division. Any baseball fan in the region, including Oregon, can enjoy and appreciate what this team is doing.
What this team has to offer doesn’t stop with what they do on the field. Around baseball, there is an incredible push to attract fans to the stadium. When there are 81 home games a year, teams have to be creative with promotions and giveaways. The Mariners excel in this and are incredibly creative and thorough on how they connect fans with the game and team.
My wife and I were in Seattle a couple weekends ago when the team hosted the Los Angeles Angels for a weekend series. Unfortunately, it was the first series in 9 series that they lost. The Angels made some plays when they needed to and won all three games.
Despite the losses, the crowd was incredible. The excitement was palpable. When the stadium atmosphere is like that during losses, there is something special going on.
As I looked around the stadium, there are things to attract everyone. Baseball is truly a family game and the Mariners recognize that better than most.
In the centerfield bleachers, there is a family section, where no alcohol is permitted. A few of the families that I talked to thought that this was really great; the Mariners had them in mind when designating this area for families. Also out in centerfield, there is a play area for kids. Kids can play on the Mariners themed playground while their moms shop at the attached gift shop (strategic placement). If I were a kid, I would spend a lot of the game out there.
When you go to a ballgame, the concessions are obviously something that is important. When you think of baseball, you may just think about hot dogs, Cracker Jack, and a soda. The Mariners take it much further than that. Just like the Blazers have done to the Moda Center the past couple years, Safeco Field features a lot of great and local choices. Blazing Bagels, Ivar’s Seafood and Chowder, and Holy Smoke BBQ are my personal favorites.
On Sunday, as my wife and I sat behind the Angels dugout, we not only had a front row view of the action once the game started, but we had a front row view of thousands of Little Leaguers and their families parade around the warning track of the field. As they walked around the outside of the field, it was really cool to see their eyes light up as they walked on the same field they had seen their idols play on.
A few players would come in and out of the clubhouse to warm up. Something you don’t get to see enough in sports are the interactions between kids and the athletes. The kids were beaming, and the players (from both sides) were very gracious. With all the negative attention a lot of athletes get in the media, it is great to see them sign and take selfies with a bunch of kids.
From my experience covering multiple sports, baseball players tend to be some of the most down-to-earth athletes. This Mariners team is very involved and active in the community. On Tuesday, the team split up and went to a variety of elementary schools around Seattle. On their annual “Education Day”, they were able to connect with kids and show that baseball is much bigger than what happens on the diamond.
As much as this sounds like a promotion, or fanboy talk, for the Mariners, I assure you that I approached this truly as to why Oregonians need to get behind this team. Without a major league team in Oregon, Seattle is the next best thing. Not only are they a good team, they are a worthy cause to get behind.
In the third, and final, part of this series, I am going to delve into the rich history of baseball in Portland. Although Portland has become a basketball and soccer town, there is a genuine hunger for baseball. We will explore that desire, and talk a bit about … the future of baseball in Portland?
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