On January 3, the Delaware 87ers will be hosting a Nickelodeon Night featuring SpongeBob Squarepants—and the uniforms look glorious. The combination of jersey and shorts serves up an image worthy of everybody’s favorite animated sea sponge.
While it’s funny to think of grown men donning these uniforms in an actual game, it’s heartwarming to know that the proceeds from ticket sales and a jersey auction will benefit CHILD, Inc. The Wilmington, Delaware based charity advocates for neglected and abused children in the state.
Come out of your pineapples under the sea and join the Sevens & Reybold Group for Nickelodeon Night featuring SpongeBob SquarePants on Jan. 3! Ticket sales and jersey auction to benefit CHILD, Inc. :: TIX: https://t.co/IrWecgtHAk pic.twitter.com/T7v3bHrd5n
— Delaware Blue Coats (@blue_coats) December 18, 2017
This latest promotion is proof of the continued promotional dominance of minor league sports teams. This is exciting for G League basketball, as the usual suspects in the promo game tend to be minor league baseball teams. Some hits from recent times include the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs’ cheesesteak promotion, the Bowie Baysox’ David Bowie themed night and the Syracuse Chiefs’ night as the Salt Potatoes.
It’s no secret that minor league sports are nowhere near as popular as their top-tier counterparts. There are plenty of reasons for this, such as competition level and stadium size. Not only this, but many minor league teams play in small cities or towns far away from the major cities that tend to host top-tier professional franchises. Because of this, these smaller franchises depend a lot more on promotions to get fans to come out to their games. This has led to the development of an open and creative environment in which distributors thrive and franchises strive for weirder and bolder promotions.
It seems that distributors would be wise to take advantage of the opportunities offered by minor league teams. While major league sports attract more fans and money than their counterparts in the lower leagues, they aren’t always as willing to go all out on promotions to attract fans to games. In the minors, however, teams are constantly seeking opportunities to rebrand temporarily, and this eagerness is sure to generate nice contracts for distributors that are up to the task.
