Teams had a surefire way to pull a decent gate, and the fans who came out got a little free souvenir to go along with their paid admission.
So what if these "tokens of appreciation" were also vehicles to pitch the team's sponsors? I loved the promotional days and had plenty of calendars, bats, gloves, wrist bands, plastic helmets, and bobble-heads to prove it. Besides, when I stepped up to the plate in the schoolyard, adjusting my Yankees batting glove, gotten free of charge when I went through the turnstyles, the unsightly Manufacturers Hanover Trust logo emblazoned across the front of the batting glove boldly declared that "I was there!"
Recently, while we were watching a Yankees game on TV, my 5-year old son Ethan announced that he wanted to go to the upcoming "Key chain" day at Yankee Stadium (Ethan is currently entrenched in a trinkets mode).
I immediately bought tickets on Seatslink, barely able to contain my nostalgic pride:
My eldest son, helping to carry on a fine tradition of hoarding that comes complimentary with a great afternoon at the ballpark.
Remember the old days when "all fans in attendance" received the promotional item? Or, at least, if the item was age-specific, it might be "all fans in attendance 12 and under".
Well, fortunately I checked the fine print a couple days before the game because on Key chain day, free key chains would be provided for only the first 18,000 fans in attendance.
Really?
Really.
As far as I know, key chains have mass appeal. Adults like them and 5-year olds evidently like them. The former use them to organize their keys, the latter dangle them from their backpacks. So, why would roughly only 1/3 of the paying customers be getting key chains?
Regardless of the illogic I was determined we'd be among the first 18,000 fans, and I made sure that Ethan and I arrived at Yankee Stadium a good two hours early for a 4:05 start.
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| Ethan's coveted key chain has found a home, at least until he's old enough for a set of keys. |
The little silver baseball glove key chain, bejeweled with a tiny Yankee baseball, was a REWARD for being among the first fans to spend extra time at the Stadium and pump it with money. With the line for Monument Park a good quarter of a mile long, what else was I going to do with a 5-year old in Yankee Stadium two hours before game time, besides buy things?
My first thought was to take advantage of batting practice, stand in a spot where BP homeruns were sure to land. For me, it was exciting to be in the sparsely peopled seating area, taking in the ambiance and trying to shag a ball.
But, with no baseballs coming our way, Ethan could only take it for so long. It was hot out there for a little guy and the concourses promised shade, food, and a souvenir stand every five feet.
The key chain was fine. Not as impressive looking as it was on TV, but Ethan carries his proudly. Still, it didn't suffice when there were stuffed bears to contend with, not to mention stuffed monkeys, $15 Yankees Lego
figures, foam fingers, mini bats, and many another "must have".
I got off rather easily. A small stuffed bear in a Yankees jersey for Ethan, which he reasoned was a necessary purchase because it was identical to another small stuffed bear in a Nets jersey that he got the previous year at a basketball game ("They can be brothers!").
Speaking of brothers, considerate lad that he is, Ethan selected a different stuffed bear for his baby brother Dexter, because it would be rude not to bring something home for Dex. Fair enough... and interesting how a few days after the game, Dexter's bear somehow migrated to become part of Ethan's vast stuffed menagerie.
So, one free key chain and $30 worth of stuffed bears later, the pre-game souvenir run was over. But then came the food, and a little dessert, putting me $65 in the hole, still an hour to go before the game was set to begin. The game itself, as well as the post game were of course peppered with modest visits to the concessions.
The up shot was we had a great time. The Yankees launched 5 homers and cruised to a 7-1 victory. A freshly-initiated little-leaguer, Ethan took an actual interest in the game, applying his new knowledge of baseball fundamentals to what he was watching down on the field, chiding the aloof professionals who were not standing in "ready position". And when we reached what I thought would have been his expiration point after the 6th inning, Ethan suggested we stay to watch the Yankees bat once more. Attaboy!
Thus, we got a great game, we got the free key chain, and all was right in the world.
Try telling that, though, to another father I saw, who was busy placating his two disappointed sons who were not among the lucky 18,000, with extra souvenirs to make up for the key chains they missed out on.
With that, my mild annoyance, all but quelled during the game, re-emerged. Not only was the key chain a hook to bring you and your wallet into the stadium early, but it also served as a punishment for not getting there early.
What a shame because the game itself painted a classic father-and-son portrait of a day at the ball yard. Ethan was sweet, funny, excited, and a hit with the folks sitting around us. We joked, laughed, discussed the game, and tried like maniacs to get noticed by a camera man who might put us up on the jumbotron. Just as importantly, Ethan cherishes his key chain.
However, Ethan expected a little more of a souvenir than the key chain because, well, he's a kid, and he got hungry, so we ate. But, to be manipulated into bringing a 5-year old into a stadium extremely early, just to ring the register, or be guilted into ringing the register even harder if you missed out on the promotion is simply grating.
How hard would it have been to offer the key chain to everyone in attendance, whether they were among the first 18,000 or the last 18,000?
The truth is, I would have gotten to the Stadium early anyway, but would liked to have shown Ethan the places I grew up with outside the Stadium, along River Avenue. I would have been only too glad to buy Ethan any souvenir he wanted at Stan the Man's Baseball Land, where I used to go after every game to get baseball cards, and once a year, a Yankees Yearbook.
We could have taken a table at Yankee Tavern or the Court Diner and dined like gentlemen to a proper lunch of pastrami sandwiches, rather than wait in line at the stadium food concession only to munch away an hour before game time in our seats, with the hot sun beaming down on us (by the way, the wait to sit and eat at the Hard Rock Café in the Stadium was more than an hour, and therefore not a viable option for us).
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I promise not to use this space to plaster pics
of my kids. But, both Ethan and the bear are
integral parts of this tale, so here they are.
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For me, enjoying live entertainment has always been as much about the things I do outside the event as the event itself. I like to eat out around the venue, get a feel for the local scene and watch the other fans filter by. It's all part of the experience.
As opulent and convenient as the new stadiums and arenas are, they do as much to detract from certain aspects of the event experience as they do to enhance others.
What I find troubling is that since the new venues are designed as virtual shopping malls, and they use every trick in the book to get you to spend as much time and money at them as possible, the local businesses that are supposed to benefit from the crowds that the venues bring in, end up missing out. And, with that, an appreciation for the indigenous culture of a place is lost on many. In the end, the local businesses certainly suffer, but in many ways, the fans suffer as well.
Now, for a less shameful promotion.
If you are the kind of event-goer who feels that a live event-experience goes beyond the confines of a venue, then Seatslink is the ticket source for you.
Whether you want to educate your kids about the neighborhoods on the way to the stadium, enjoy a quiet dinner with your spouse away from all the excitement before a concert, or have a place for you and your friends to shift the festivities over to after the game, Seatslink offers its customers access to savings at local restaurants, bars, parking lots, retail stores, and car services, among others, so that you can enjoy a total event experience on your own terms.
You don't just have to go to a ball game or a concert and then head home, and you don't have to spend so much time in the venue that you're already sick of the place once the event begins. You can find recommendations on Seatslink for local services establishments, all convenient to the most prominent and popular venues in the New York area, so you can have a truly satisfying night out.
As Seatslink grows and solidifies its presence, its network of services establishments will evolve to highlight the best of what Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Newark have to offer.
It might even make up for it if you happen to miss out on a free key chain.
Please visit
www.seatslink.com
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