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Soon, the entire sports calendar will belong to Major League Baseball. The champions of the NBA and NHL will be crowned, and the only major professional sporting events being played daily will be MLB games.
More news:MLB, Players’ Union Trade Statements as CBA Negotiations Begin
Is the league taking advantage?
Adam Schwartz, the Senior Vice President and Director of Sports Media for Horizon Media, sees an untapped marketing opportunity for MLB to turn Labor Day or Independence Day into a wall-to-wall baseball programming event.
“I think one of the other things that is unique to baseball is because it’s during the summer,” Schwartz told John Ourand on “The Varsity” podcast. “We’ve seen the NFL make no bones about trying to own days, right? What started out as just Thanksgiving has evolved into now Thanksgiving Eve, Black Friday, Christmas Day, trying to steal that from the NBA.
“Baseball doesn’t have a lot of competition on July 4th or Labor Day, you know? So they have these unique days as well that I think have been underutilized in the past, but I think something that the league definitely has their eyes on moving forward in terms of how can we elevate this and make this into an event so that they can ultimately generate more revenue and eyeballs across the board.”
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA – JUNE 20: The front entrance is seen at Rickwood Field during the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants on June 20, 2024 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Casey Sykes/Getty Images)
MLB has toyed with the idea in spirit — if not in the literal way that the NBA (Christmas) and NFL (Thanksgiving) have attempted to forge an association with two major holidays, when many families are gathered at home to begin with.
The Little League Classic is perhaps the closest example. Staged every year since 2017 on the Sunday between Aug. 17 and 23, two teams play a game at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to celebrate the Little League World Series.
More news:MLB Umpire Leaves Game After Enduring Unluckiest Inning Ever
On June 20, 2024 — the day after Juneteenth — MLB introduced the Rickwood Field game, a tribute to the Negro Leagues teams that called the Birmingham, Alabama, venue home. The event has a chance to become a tradition. This year, on June 19, MLB will stage the “East-West Classic” at Rickwood Field, a game featuring a home run derby and a game between retired major leaguers.
Of course, these events are at least a hop, skip and jump away from what Schwartz is suggesting. Juneteenth at Rickwood Field is a start — it’s a national holiday, and an appropriate time to honor the Negro Leagues — but it needs years to blossom into a tradition.
It may be mere marketing, but NBA fans know to set aside time on Christmas to watch basketball. NFL fans know to do the same with football on Thanksgiving. Can baseball forge the same association with a summer holiday?
For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
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More news:MLB, Players’ Union Trade Statements as CBA Negotiations Begin
Is the league taking advantage?
Adam Schwartz, the Senior Vice President and Director of Sports Media for Horizon Media, sees an untapped marketing opportunity for MLB to turn Labor Day or Independence Day into a wall-to-wall baseball programming event.
“I think one of the other things that is unique to baseball is because it’s during the summer,” Schwartz told John Ourand on “The Varsity” podcast. “We’ve seen the NFL make no bones about trying to own days, right? What started out as just Thanksgiving has evolved into now Thanksgiving Eve, Black Friday, Christmas Day, trying to steal that from the NBA.
“Baseball doesn’t have a lot of competition on July 4th or Labor Day, you know? So they have these unique days as well that I think have been underutilized in the past, but I think something that the league definitely has their eyes on moving forward in terms of how can we elevate this and make this into an event so that they can ultimately generate more revenue and eyeballs across the board.”
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BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA – JUNE 20: The front entrance is seen at Rickwood Field during the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants on June 20, 2024 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Casey Sykes/Getty Images)
MLB has toyed with the idea in spirit — if not in the literal way that the NBA (Christmas) and NFL (Thanksgiving) have attempted to forge an association with two major holidays, when many families are gathered at home to begin with.
The Little League Classic is perhaps the closest example. Staged every year since 2017 on the Sunday between Aug. 17 and 23, two teams play a game at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to celebrate the Little League World Series.
More news:MLB Umpire Leaves Game After Enduring Unluckiest Inning Ever
On June 20, 2024 — the day after Juneteenth — MLB introduced the Rickwood Field game, a tribute to the Negro Leagues teams that called the Birmingham, Alabama, venue home. The event has a chance to become a tradition. This year, on June 19, MLB will stage the “East-West Classic” at Rickwood Field, a game featuring a home run derby and a game between retired major leaguers.
Of course, these events are at least a hop, skip and jump away from what Schwartz is suggesting. Juneteenth at Rickwood Field is a start — it’s a national holiday, and an appropriate time to honor the Negro Leagues — but it needs years to blossom into a tradition.
It may be mere marketing, but NBA fans know to set aside time on Christmas to watch basketball. NFL fans know to do the same with football on Thanksgiving. Can baseball forge the same association with a summer holiday?
For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
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