How Do You Help Convert the Casual Fan?

by louismg on Apr 17, 2008 9:28 AM PDT Comment 64 comments

If you're an avid AthleticsNation visitor, you're an elite fan. You likely watch or listen to every A's game. You know all the position players, the starting pitchers and can go six deep in the bullpen. Most of you have a pretty good idea of the A's prospects in the minors. Many of you can rattle off stats for the A's and their opponents, not just for this year, but for years past. And all of us have a good reason that we chose the A's as our team.

But step outside of the AthleticsNation bubble, and it's not too hard to realize we're still a minority. We're a minority of total A's fans. A's fans are a minority of baseball fans. Baseball fans are a minority of total sports fans. While AN continues to grow rapidly, there's clearly a lot more work that needs to be done, not just to bring A's fans to the site, but, simply put, more fans to A's baseball in the first place. So how do you do it? And how do you try to explain baseball to someone who doesn't have the background you do?

I'm reminded of one Saturday when I brought a friend to a ballgame. We had great tickets, on the field level by the visitor's bullpen. As the game got underway, and I readied for questions, she loudly asked, "Are we by third base?!", which got every beer-sodden fellow fan to turn and glare at me for having invited this newbie to partake. After having picked myself off the floor, I explained, starting with first base, each of the bases. I explained the position players, the bullpens, how many outs to an inning, how many innings to a game, and the nuances of stolen bases or the sacrifice fly. Needless to say, it tried my patience, but I found she slowly got it. By the time the game was over, she was following along.

Similarly, my mother had always tolerated baseball, but it wasn't until the fourth game of the 1993 World Series, which the Blue Jays won 15 to 14 over the Phillies that she was glued to the screen. That game, an anomaly, was ridiculous, but very exciting, and had her eager to see game 5.

In another example, I once had roommates who would rather debug programming code than catch a sports game, but as the A's won game after game during their 20-game win streak, with heroic hits by Miguel Tejada and Scott Hatteberg taking games 19 and 20, we listened together to the MLB.com streaming audio and celebrated gloriously. What had once been foreign ground to them was understandable. The excitement was true, and they felt sorrow with me when game 21 ended up being a loss - unthinkable. And earlier that summer, we had gathered around the laptop as Mike Cameron belted four home runs and came feet away from an unprecedented fifth blast.

But it doesn't need to take a historic game to make your friends, your family, your colleagues and others turn to the game of baseball and make it part of their lives. They don't necessarily need to make it an obsession. And while we all know they'd be better off being an A's fan, just getting the rules and interest in the game are the first steps. So what do you do, and what can you do, to help convert the unconverted?

One more teaching opportunity comes this evening at 7:05, when the A's take on the Seattle Mariners in the second game of their two-game series. Be you casual, aware or insane, we welcome you here.

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It's simple

Get a bigger slice of the media pie.

The Giants get more casual fans because they have nice new shiny stadium and a majority of the advertising media in the Bay Area.

Radio – KNBR has a percentage ownership of the Giants (or vice versa?)
TV – Giants are 30% owners of Comcast Sports Net

Unless the A’s, Warriors, and Sharks were to band together and get their own network, there isn’t a lot that can be done to attract casual fans. Currently if somebody happens to decide “Hey, lets go watch a ballgame” it’s far more likely that they will see the Giants advertised somewhere and go to Phone Booth Park instead of an A’s game.

by mikev on Apr 17, 2008 9:41 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

agreed

It’s all about making headlines. When a typical family thinks to themselves “lets go to a ballgame!”, they usually think of the giants just because they hear about them more, regardless of how good they are.

"It's like déjà vu all over again." -yogi berra

by Cheezombie on Apr 17, 2008 9:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

So how do you help convert Giants fans?

Prior to posting this, I thought about suggesting a Giants fan amnesty program, but I couldn’t remember if I’d already posted something like that in 05 or 06.

More than just ANtics: http://www.louisgray.com/live/

by louismg on Apr 17, 2008 4:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

They're bitter.

Fans don’t feel like they matter. So instead they cling to hockey and football and basketball.

< /elitist fan >

"God doesn't pay attention to your cute little hypotheticals." -- Jeff from LL

by oblique on Apr 17, 2008 9:57 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

+1

I was trying to figure out how to finesse that comment. You nailed it.

And what did we do once we discovered a rift in the fourth dimension? We launched a monkey into it. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Apr 17, 2008 10:51 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agree with this comment

The cult of clubhouse secrecy sometimes makes it seem as if they wish there weren’t any fans around asking nosy questions. Other sports seem to be more open about their personnel issues, and it’s easier to become interested when you know something about the people you’re watching.

Also, I think longtime fans should be mindful of not sneering at newcomers to the game. I freely admit that I have only been a fan since 2003 (shown the light by a Diamond Level experience), and I often feel like I have to keep my mouth shut around more knowledgeable fans who seem to prefer flaunting their expertise to sharing it.

"If you make up your mind not to be happy, there's no reason why you shouldn't have a fairly good time." -Edith Wharton (The Last Asset)

by Oakville Athletic on Apr 17, 2008 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've become bitter...

...and I’ve been a devoted long-time fan since the 70s. I don’t go to nearly as many games anymore because I feel taken for granted. I feel that their attitude is “Herd ‘em in, take their money, herd ‘em out.”. I’ve come to the point that I actually gain more enjoyment from watching on television than going to the games. Any team, really, not just the A’s.

"Rebuilding" is loser mentality.

by UncleLeo on Apr 17, 2008 3:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agree with you on the stadium experience

nearly $20 for parking (if not that at this point) $35+ for the tickets i generally get and a 200% or better markup on the cost of food and the gas to drive there (north bay) OR sit at home for free and watch the game? I’ll go to a few games, but I can’t say it’s actually a better experience for the money it pulls out of my pocket.

In search of a new signature. Say something funny and you may see your comment here!

by DMOAS on Apr 17, 2008 3:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The way I see it on costs...

Is that if you needed to give your money away to a charity, why not have it be the A’s? I can’t think of a better organization (outside of my family) that I’d rather give my money to. So, while I do cheat and go to the free BART parking lot, I always eat at the park and get the best seats I can. I feel that the more I spend, the more likely they are to get better, more expensive players.

More than just ANtics: http://www.louisgray.com/live/

by louismg on Apr 17, 2008 4:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well

in that case the most charitable thing you can do in this case would be to sit at home and watch them AND all their advertisements and make sure to buy a lot of whatever their ads are for (marines here you come!) since a lot more money is made through tv dollars.

In search of a new signature. Say something funny and you may see your comment here!

by DMOAS on Apr 17, 2008 5:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

What does it say about my viewing habits ...

that it seems that the majority (okay, plurality) of commercials I see are for ExtenZe—“All natural male enhancement, for that certain part of the male anatomy”?

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Apr 18, 2008 12:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That you watch a lot of

Spike TV, the television channel for men?

by Dilferules on Apr 18, 2008 11:14 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't, though ...

I almost never watch Spike (since it’s not in HD here) ...

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Apr 18, 2008 11:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow

”... if you needed to give your money away to a charity, why not have it be the A’s? I can’t think of a better organization (outside of my family) that I’d rather give my money to.”

Seriously?

by 74mk on Apr 17, 2008 10:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Really? A for profit institution is your #1 charity?

AIDS, lack of safe drinking water, near (or actual) genocide in Africa? Poverty in Appalachia, the rural south and the exurban rust belt? The 10s of thousands of children getting left behind in the foster system? Hell, the lack of access to inner-city sports, if we’re that devoted to baseball? Just to name a few presumably non-controversial tragedies currently afflicting our world …

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Apr 17, 2008 10:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not to pile on overmuch here,

but I also was pretty taken aback by this statement.

You can literally save someone’s life in an underdeveloped area for a couple of hundred bucks.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Apr 17, 2008 10:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

sure, but what's their value over replacement person?

And what did we do once we discovered a rift in the fourth dimension? We launched a monkey into it. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Apr 18, 2008 4:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That first-hand experience

I enjoy taking newbies to a game (beer-sodden glares aside). And my entire office is more in tune with the A’s because I have them on the radio or am dressed in G&G for home games.

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Apr 17, 2008 10:02 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I am thinking of

dressing in black slacks, white shirt with black tie and going door to door around town….”Hi, can I have a few moments of your time….

alaska A

by ak_A on Apr 17, 2008 10:08 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

That's a great idea.

My brother did that for 2 years… in Philadelphia. But I don’t know that the A’s came up.

More than just ANtics: http://www.louisgray.com/live/

by louismg on Apr 17, 2008 10:26 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Will yoube riding around town on a bike?

And will you be trying to get fansin central America?

"Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it?"-Steve McCatty

by 5Aces on Apr 17, 2008 10:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You can't convert anyone ...

it’s a God-given gift. It’d be like trying to “teach” someone how to shoot like Michael Jordan, or run like Jim Brown.
You either have it or you don’t …

VacaAsFan

by Vacafan on Apr 17, 2008 10:11 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

That's a fairly elitist attitude.

by mikev on Apr 17, 2008 10:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sort of the Calvinist view of baseball

Except that Calvinists wouldn’t let people play games.

Which always struck me as a fairly odd attitude. If you believe in predestination, then it doesn’t matter what you do, right? Why not just goof off your whole life?

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Apr 17, 2008 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I try to do that anyway

(goof off my whole life, I mean)

by mikev on Apr 17, 2008 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I believe in predustynation

I let pitchers throw as many pitches as I want.

And what did we do once we discovered a rift in the fourth dimension? We launched a monkey into it. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Apr 17, 2008 10:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And that’s the heresy at the center of Lipstick Traces.

And what did we do once we discovered a rift in the fourth dimension? We launched a monkey into it. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Apr 17, 2008 10:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Calvinist view?

Just never caught on with him.

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Apr 17, 2008 11:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He made a Hobbesian choice

reference here for those like me who have no idea what this means

"Evidently, a large number of people said, 'We really need more vermin at the ballpark, Artie.'" - Nick (AN), 10/7/07

by doctorK on Apr 17, 2008 12:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

A Hobbesian choice is different from Hobson's choice.

Actually, a Hobbesian choice doesn’t make much sense. Thomas Hobbes is who Hobbes is named after though.

H-A-N-A-H-A-N. Hanahan.

by Rocktopus on Apr 17, 2008 1:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

How about a Butch Hobson choice?

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Apr 17, 2008 1:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I didn't know who that was so I looked it up.

I see he played for 3 teams: the Red Sox, the Angels, and the Yankees. That’s quite the trifecta. I also see that his career highlight was leading the league in strikeouts in 1977 and then posting the most errors in the AL next season along with the worst fielding average in 60 years. Somewhere someone decided that the correct Butch Hobson choice was, of course, to make him a major league manager.

H-A-N-A-H-A-N. Hanahan.

by Rocktopus on Apr 17, 2008 1:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

A "choice" fielder Hobson was not

But I imagine a few runners reached base on a fielder’s choice by Hobson.

I'm here to talk about the past.

by 67MARQUEZ on Apr 17, 2008 1:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

One of his nicknames was...

...”Butcher”... for his fielding.

"Rebuilding" is loser mentality.

by UncleLeo on Apr 17, 2008 3:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The run of Bill Watterson's delightful strip

turned out to be nasty, brutish, and short. Which is ironically also Frankie Menechino’s nickname at home.

There is an A in Whimsy.

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Apr 17, 2008 3:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nasty was Larry Smith, Short was Purvis, but who was brutish?

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Apr 17, 2008 5:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

PT!

Man, that impressed me (seriously) ... rather incomplete view of Calvinism, but great effort!!

No, I’m just saying that the “can’t live without it, have to watch every game” passion that some of us have … I think just kinda comes naturally … I’m sure there have been a few who “grow into it” ... but I think most of us have either been like that from the start, or not.

VacaAsFan

by Vacafan on Apr 17, 2008 3:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great topic

I wonder if it would be a good strategy for the A’s to have a small section - maybe even an unused suite - that was set aside as the Newbie Club, with a couple of designated friendly hosts who’d explain things and answer questions, some kind of special handouts, etc.

The candy and the baseball all night long: )

by Englishmajor on Apr 17, 2008 10:24 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Are you looking for a job?

How many games a year can you do, and do you want to be paid, or just get free tickets?

More than just ANtics: http://www.louisgray.com/live/

by louismg on Apr 17, 2008 4:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'll do it for free tickets ...

I’ll need wifi for my laptop, though, if I’m going to really educate them …

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Apr 17, 2008 10:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I almost think you have treat them like kids.

To get my kids interested, I have to find the things they will like about the game. This means telling them about the food and drinks, and the kids zone.

For a casual adult, it may not be the same (or it might be), but you have to find the reason they will immediately like to go. From there, you slowly start with the basics. But you have to find something to get them there first.

"Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it?"-Steve McCatty

by 5Aces on Apr 17, 2008 10:40 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Lock them in the closet until they agree to come to a game?

by mikev on Apr 17, 2008 10:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

is that you Jennifer?

Can we keep small-sample-size Bobby Crosby? Please? -Joey C.

by pam5981 on Apr 17, 2008 10:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

runs hands around chest area

Uh, nope. Not a chick.

by mikev on Apr 17, 2008 11:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

But you enjoyed it anyway...

admit it!!

"God doesn't pay attention to your cute little hypotheticals." -- Jeff from LL

by oblique on Apr 17, 2008 5:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Must...avoid...

trapped in the closet…jokes

"Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it?"-Steve McCatty

by 5Aces on Apr 17, 2008 12:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hello, my name is Tanya, and I'm an A's fan

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Apr 17, 2008 5:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Most teams are geared towards kids...

There is a general consensus that kids drive the market for family entertainment. Most parents, like myself, tend to go the Chuck-e-Cheese rather than a nice quiet dinner. Why? Because it’s easier on us and the kids have a good time too.
Think about your time at the park, it’s very similar to preschool.
They give away what amounts to toys, or things kids might actually want to play with: bobbleheads, blankets, magnetics schedules. As much as we like those things kids generally love those kids of things. If you gave a kid any one of those things they would rip it out of the box and use it as soon as they could.
The most popular food is not something we as adults would eat everyday, but kids could eat nachos and hot dogs for 2 weeks straight and never complain.
We play games on the big screen: dot races and trivia.
And just when we are getting tired they make us stand up and sing.

"The more I think about it, Nico is wright... castration is the answer."
jeffro

by BennyS on Apr 17, 2008 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If they're a naturally competitive person

Invite them to play in your fantasy league. I’ve “converted” probably a half dozen friends to baseball fanatics using this tried and true method.

MLBlackout.wordpress.com - Help put an end to MLB.tv blackouts

by HigherPie on Apr 17, 2008 12:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

My Method

I’ve converted my g/f into an A’s fan. It wasn’t easy as before she met me she had no interest in sports at all. She first agreed to go to a game with me because she knew how much the game means to me and I told her about all the great food and beer available. The first half season she was content to go to the games for the food/beer but after awhile she started to gain an interest because the A’s were winning and the atmosphere are the ball park was electric. Now I’m encountering another problem since the A’s traded Dan Haren and Nick Swisher (two of her favorite A’s) as she doesn’t want to go to games and become attached to players that they’ll just trade away. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get past this objection?

We can be considered David, David knocks out Goliath. -Eric Chavez PT-42

by norcaldevilasu on Apr 17, 2008 12:54 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah ... I've converted several girlfriends into fans ...

I guess, for the good of the A’s, I need to make sure I never settle down …

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Apr 17, 2008 1:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

that would explain that big "DEVO'S EXES" sign in LF

And what did we do once we discovered a rift in the fourth dimension? We launched a monkey into it. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Apr 17, 2008 3:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

They move there from the sign that says

“DEVO SEXES”

(Which is how I read it the first three times I looked at the post.)

"Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it?"-Steve McCatty

by 5Aces on Apr 17, 2008 3:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think I like that one better ...

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Apr 17, 2008 3:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Get attached to the front office.

H-A-N-A-H-A-N. Hanahan.

by Rocktopus on Apr 17, 2008 1:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Halloween trick-or-treaters

This year I’ll be giving out small “lots” of A’s baseball cards to trick-or-treaters on halloween. I also have some of the SGA magnet sets from the past few years. Hopefully, some of them will be converted into A’s fans.

by uci anteater on Apr 17, 2008 3:01 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

thats a great idea

I think Ill have to do that next halloween, dress up as an A’s player and hand out A’s baseball cards attached to multiple king sized candy bars. Instant A’s fan for life!

LETS GO OAK-LAND!

by thingswecarry on Apr 17, 2008 3:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's a HORRIBLE idea

Just think of all the kids that are going to run out and look for Dan Haren, Jason Kendall, Nick Swisher, Esteban Loaiza, and Mark Kotsay!!!

by mikev on Apr 17, 2008 3:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'll just use current players then

I plan on using the 2007 stadium giveaway Mercury News set. It has current players like Buck, Suzuki, Chavez, Crosby, Cust, etc. I also have the magnet set from last year, it still has Duchscherer, Chavez and Crosby. For the cards, I’ll just put them into plastic “top-loaders.” That’s not so horrible, is it??

by uci anteater on Apr 17, 2008 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

now thats what i'm talking about!

by uci anteater on Apr 17, 2008 4:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Tell a friend the starter's nickname is "Pecs"

Yeah, OK, it’s sexist. But whatever works.

:-)

by Batgal on Apr 17, 2008 3:48 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

create new A's fans

A good topic. I’ve been going to A’s games since 1971, and even though I currently live in the Austin, Texas area, I still make my A’s games. I’ve logged two so far this year.

First, I’ve converted two of my three daughters to A’s fans. My wife never “got it”, but the two daughters (both over 40) and I enjoy holding the minimum season ticket plan and get in out 20+ games per year. Now, I’ve given you a long term project. Raise your children right and the A’s will prosper! But, the games have got to be affordable enough so you can take them, and the atmosphere has to be such that you are willing to.

Now, for a mini rant. On April 4, A’s vs Cleveland, because of our season ticket package, we had a chance to get one of the luxury suites, so we did! My daughters invited a number of their friends, who are not baseball fans to come. Unfortunately, sitting in front of our suite were a bunch of “younger folks” several of which were either drunk or on drugs, and with our windows open so we could hear the game as well see it, we got more than an earful of nonsense that detracted from the whole experience. If the A’s want family’s to come, they’ve got to start controlling what goes on in the stadium. The Haas family turned the atmosphere around during their reign, and it needs to be done again.

The A’s need to make it easy to go to games. This means more than ticket prices. They shouldn’t keep fans waiting outside in cool (or hot) weather to get into the stadium (which we experienced on the 4th), they need to open the parking lots that allow quick egress from the stadium so you aren’t hung up for 20 minutes waiting to get out, and they need to open enough gates so the cars can get on the access roads. This last rant is a result of what was in my view very poor planning on the April 4th game, which had a total of only 13,000+ people. That’s no reason to limit the egress from the south parking lot to one lane, thereby creating a traffic problem where there shouldn’t be one.

All of this simply says, when you do get newbies into the ball park, do everything you can to see that they have a decent experience. You can’t do it by assuring a exciting game, as all games aren’t going to be exciting. But you can stop the drunks from making life miserable for those around them, and you can help people get in and out of the ball park.

Without a doubt, there are many other suggestions we-your fans-could make. I’d suggest, if you haven’t done it—A’s management, that you have some focus groups on what you might do to create a few more true A’s fans. It really isn’t that difficult.

by rcodd on Apr 17, 2008 5:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I've got some background here

First, you have to let someone that might be a casual fan that you are an A’s fan. Tell them about the game the night before. Tell them about a player you like. Get them to notice when something happens in an A’s game the night before. Don’t overdo it, because they’ll just stop caring if that’s all you talk about. Second, it helps if they are in a baseball crazy city. I had a friend that didn’t care about baseball AT ALL, then he moved to Chicago, 3 blocks from Wrigley, and now all he wants to talk about is baseball.

Might as well Jump! - Van Halen

by sprtsnwyn on Apr 17, 2008 6:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I´ts not that easy

I´ve been a fan since 1976. (I was six years old), and all this time i´ve never been able to convert anyone to the beauty and the spirit of the A´s baseball. I live in Venezuela (Baseball country) but in a soccer city . I think i´m the only fan in this town. Anyhow, i will keep on tryng.

by Armas on Apr 17, 2008 7:01 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs