Editor’s Note: (re-publishing this Aaron Judge Jedi bobblehead post today, to honor #MayThe4th. It originally ran in April of 2018, as the first Star Wars movie in 13 years was set to premiere)
May the 4th be with you today. If you’re attending the opener of the New York Yankees‘ next home stand, then this Aaron Judge Jedi Bobblehead will almost certainly be with you as well.
Yes, May the 4th will see the Yankees will host their third-annual Star Wars Night, with the first 40,000 guests in attendance receiving that Aaron Judge Jedi bobblehead that you didn’t know you really needed until just now when you saw the picture.
These aren’t the droids you’re looking for, but this must be the promotional bobble giveaway that you’ve been searching for, from Coruscant to the Outer Rim Territories.
It really is astounding, how #MayTheFourth #MayThe4th has really become “a thing” nowadays. And if you will criticize the idea of just how much of a thing it is right now, you will end up as bantha fodder.
As part of the Yankees’ (who are often called the Evil Empire of MLB by fans of rival teams and neutrals) festivities tomorrow night, approximately 80 Star Wars characters will greet fans and be available for photos throughout Yankee Stadium (which is often referred to as The MLB DeathStar by fans of rival teams and neutrals.
Just in case this post still hasn’t had enough promotion of sports/entertainment marketing synergy for you, it’s worth noting that Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard — who directed Solo: A Star Wars Story— will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
It is of course a very natural fusion between Aaron Judge and the Jedi; they are the heroes you’ve paid to see.
“Judge plays in a major media market, where a lot of people pay attention and he has this titanic presence, he has all the barometers to be that face (of MLB in general),” says ESPN’s Adnan Virk.
“People love home runs, big guys hitting home runs, people either love or hate the Yankees, so if he can sustain whet he did this year, then he can no doubt help fill that void of star power which I think is one of the biggest challenges baseball faces, the sport has become too regionalized, you got to have people that transcend it.”
“The Ruthian blasts of Aaron Judge that’s what’s going to get attention,” Virk concluded.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.