People win the opportunity to throw the first ball at charity auctions. “We strategically will rotate between season-ticket holders, sponsors, and someone from the community,” said Lou DePaoli, the chief marketing officer for the Pittsburgh Pirates. “Every now and then we’ll say: ‘We know we have a first pitch available, this key account is coming up for renewal and the C.E.O. is coming into town. Let’s offer them the first pitch to make them feel good.’” Throwing the first pitch has stooped to the same level as placing an ad in the outfield. Catching these random pitches can be humiliating for the catcher too. Apparently, Regis Philbin was given multiple tries at the plate. While I understand that baseball is a business, and there is no crying in baseball, it still makes me sad to see how commercialized the first pitch has become. To read more on this article visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Just a Pitch
What is happening to baseball? Specifically, what is happening to the opening pitch? Baseball is a game filled with tradition and superstition. Even the Cubs can not seem to shake the curse of the billy goat, and continue to blame every losing season on something that happened in 1945. We religiously sing the National Anthem and "Take me out to the Ball Park", eat hot dogs, peanuts, and popcorn, and even get completely crazed when anyone talks about making a change to any one of our historic ball parks.
The first pitch of the game has historically been reserved for U.S. presidents and dignitaries. In recent years, the honor has shifted toward celebrities, and is now sliding deeper into simple publicity stunts. Justin Bieber and Snoop Dog have thrown out the first pitch. Shockingly, someone in a Hello Kitty costume has even stepped onto the mound.
People win the opportunity to throw the first ball at charity auctions. “We strategically will rotate between season-ticket holders, sponsors, and someone from the community,” said Lou DePaoli, the chief marketing officer for the Pittsburgh Pirates. “Every now and then we’ll say: ‘We know we have a first pitch available, this key account is coming up for renewal and the C.E.O. is coming into town. Let’s offer them the first pitch to make them feel good.’” Throwing the first pitch has stooped to the same level as placing an ad in the outfield. Catching these random pitches can be humiliating for the catcher too. Apparently, Regis Philbin was given multiple tries at the plate. While I understand that baseball is a business, and there is no crying in baseball, it still makes me sad to see how commercialized the first pitch has become. To read more on this article visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/
People win the opportunity to throw the first ball at charity auctions. “We strategically will rotate between season-ticket holders, sponsors, and someone from the community,” said Lou DePaoli, the chief marketing officer for the Pittsburgh Pirates. “Every now and then we’ll say: ‘We know we have a first pitch available, this key account is coming up for renewal and the C.E.O. is coming into town. Let’s offer them the first pitch to make them feel good.’” Throwing the first pitch has stooped to the same level as placing an ad in the outfield. Catching these random pitches can be humiliating for the catcher too. Apparently, Regis Philbin was given multiple tries at the plate. While I understand that baseball is a business, and there is no crying in baseball, it still makes me sad to see how commercialized the first pitch has become. To read more on this article visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/
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