Millennials are getting older. I know because I’m one of them. The things we are nostalgic about, the things from when we dictated what was cool and popular, were decades ago. And that’s why events like Emo Nights are so popular right now. They capture us in a moment of “Aw man, I remember this song from high school. My back didn’t hurt when I jumped around as much, and I could have more than a beer without getting a headache the next day.”
The idea of an “Emo Night” at the ballpark, therefore, is a genius idea. The St. Louis Cardinals announced “Emo Night” at the ballpark, and executed the whole thing perfectly with an all-time great ballpark giveaway T-shirt.
Just look at this.
The Cardinals are hosting an Emo Night next Friday and they're giving away a "My Cardinal Romance" shirt 😭 pic.twitter.com/rmdSGxEXew
— MLB Life (@MLBLife) July 26, 2023
10 out of 10. No notes. Art.
It perfectly uses the My Chemical Romance font with just enough home team tie-in. The original design of the cardinal holding a baseball and rocking the emo style is beautiful. There are so many ways the team could have done this and it would have been, as the kids say, cringe. But, this has just enough of the spirit of the evening without going too heavy-handed with it. It still keeps the brand (the Cardinals) top of mind.
And in a world where ballpark giveaways tend to follow a playbook of magnet calendars, throwback T-shirts, Hawaiian shirts, and even fedoras for some reason, this is a breath of fresh air.
There will no doubt be demand for this shirt at the gate as well as after the fact.
If it’s any indication of how good this shirt is, I am steadfast in my dislike of the St. Louis Cardinals, but I want this shirt so badly.
Please, Phillies, figure something out like this. The Phanatic would look great with swoopy bangs.