In the spring of 2006, I wrote an in-depth feature on the marketing of Chicago’s two major league teams. The article features an exclusive with White Sox Vice President of marketing Brooks Boyer and 670 the Score’s Dan Bernstein
https://www.therealchicago.org/0104cubssox.htm
And here’s a recent piece from the Kane County Bulletin describing my night on the field and behind the scenes with the Kane County Cougars.Â
It was doggie night at Elfstrom Stadium
The Clinton Lumber Kings welcome home their first runner of the evening
On-Field with the Cougars Promotion Team
By Paul M. Banks
Outrageous and unorthodox ballpark promotions are one of the first things many people often associate with minor league baseball. These promotions are perfect examples of the way a minor league baseball organization attracts the consumer. Baseball is the product, the fan is the consumer, and the promotions are part of the brand: the experiences, thoughts, and emotions that the fan associates with the game. My night being both behind-the-scenes and in the public eye with the Kane County Cougars was their ‘Bark in the Park Night.’ I joined the on-field doggie parade, set to the BahaMen song ‘Who Let the Dogs Out?’ This may be the dogs’ day, but this is the home of big cats. The Cougars logo behind home plate is freshly painted every day. It is there that I received my orders to spend most of the game shadowing Shawn Touney, team media relations director. Being on the other side of an event was a unique type of experience; I didn’t really get to watch the game at all because I was more fixated on the job. I helped out with ‘Human Bowling Ball’ and the ‘Lawn Care Olympics,’ but I’ll always remember the ‘Nicor Ball Blast’ most of all. I’ve attended many games where I sat quietly and watched while others went nuts trying to catch the t-shirts and free giveaways that are thrown into the crowd. I didn’t really concentrate too much on where I was throwing, but I did follow orders in trying to spread the love around equally to all sections. The opposing team also likes to participate in this promotion. With a crowd of about 10,000 on hand, the help was definitely needed. “I think that’s one of the unique qualities of the minor league experience: the player-to-fan relationship. What makes it even more special is the fact that we not only involve our players, but the opposing team to take part in this particular promotion,†Touney proclaimed
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The Clinton Lumber Kings, the visiting opponent that night, open the scoring drought in the fourth, with a monster inning. It coincides with us waiting in the corridor behind their dugout to take the dog contest winners onto the field. The long inning delays our field entrance and our obligations impact the schedule of later events. On game night, team employees often have to change their job duties at a moment’s notice. In the minors, assistant GMs sometimes have to scrub down tables or pour beers. Department heads often work parking or even have to be the mascot one night. Organizational hierarchy aside, employees have to wear many hats. “With our full-time staff, everyone must be prepared to handle multiple responsibilities, or even responsibilities that sometimes do not fall directly under their job description. From that, an entire staff builds a sense of camaraderie that is fairly difficult to find in other lines of work,†Touney stated.