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How To Fix Giveaway Days at the Rogers Centre

Are you tired of getting the same old promotional items every time you go to the Rogers Centre on a Sunday afternoon? There’s only so many bobbleheads you can display before your living room starts to look like the Jays’ Team Shop. While getting a new t-shirt does mean you can make it one more day without doing laundry, shirts aren’t moving the promotional needle like they once were; plus, if you’re going to have to wait in line, it might as well be for something good. Here are some fresh ideas for a revamped promotional schedule that should generate more fan interest and make promo days at the ballpark a little more exciting.

Buck Martinez Replica Wig Day

We’ve all been to the Rogers Centre enough times that we can do without another floppy, snap-back Blue Jays’ hat with a Home Hardware logo not so subtly plastered on the side. What we all could use, however, is an MLB Authenticated, Buck Martinez synthetic fiber replica wig. Whether you want to pay homage to one of the franchise’s longest serving employees, provide some artificial enhancement to a less than full head of hair, or simply need another piece for your Halloween costume, fans will go crazy for their replica wig.

Brett Cecil Sport Goggle Giveaway Day

See the game through the eyes of Brett Cecil, figuratively, by giving fans the same glasses and prescription as the Jays’ lefty reliever. Lens Crafters is the natural corporate sponsor.

Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract Giveaway Day

Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins have made it known that their front office will be run with a closer eye paid to analytics and progressive thinking. One way to get fans on the same page as their favorite team’s new executives is to ensure they understand their philosophy. Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract Giveaway Night will be the perfect way to inject a little knowledge into the fan base at a small cost. The first 15,000 fans through the gate will be treated to a free copy of this year’s addition of the 30,000-word Abstract. Fans will be demanding John Gibbons start employing Roberto Osuna as a ‘relief ace’ in no time.

Throw Back Thursday Beer Night

If you want a #TBT that fans will get behind more than unis and a different typeface on the Jumbotron, charge 1977 era prices for beer one Thursday every month. Management can even use the veneer of throwing back to a time before the craft beer revolution to keep fans from asking why all the beer sold at Rogers Centre is provided by one company. They can also help the local economy with all the extra security they’ll need to hire.

Joe Biagini’s Cat Ceramic Mug Day

People love animals. People love athletes who love animals. People love putting their animals on coffee mugs. The solution is obvious: The first 10,000 fans through the turnstiles will receive a ceramic mug with a picture of Joe Biagini’s cat on it. The very same one he can’t stop thinking about.

Radar Gun Giveaway Day

We all get concerned when pitchers like Drew Storen show a sudden loss of velocity. The Jays’ promotional department can put fans’ minds at ease by swapping out Blue Jays Pennant Giveaway Day with Blue Jays Radar Gun Giveaway Day. The promotion will keep fans interested and engaged while they clock the velo of their favorite pitchers. In an effort to build consumer confidence, the Jays can make sure the guns read hot too, in order to alleviate concerns about sudden dips in velocity.

Justin Smoak Chew Night (19+): Presented By Red Man

If Toronto is looking for a reason to land some free product to stock their clubhouse, they can use one of their giveaway days to shill chewing tobacco on a new generation of fans/dippers. The big South Carolinian provides a player tie-in to make the promotion feel less corporate too. The ethical implications of a promotion like this are murky to say the least, but if parents are concerned with kids watching their favorite players chew tobacco, they can always lie and tell them Smoak is just eating a mouthful of Skittles.

Hooked on a Feeling Fishing Tackle Promo Day

The Blue Jays can double down on their oft-detested stadium hype jam by offering “Hooked on a Feeling” fishing tackle to the first 20,000 through the gates. The branded hooks, lines, and sinkers will allow fans to keep the Blue Jays front of mind while cottaging, and provide the team with a smaller, more compact, promotional item than the usual fare. Many of the Blue Jays are avid anglers themselves, and this would act as the perfect promotion to generate interest in an otherwise sleepy midweek series with the Marlins or the Mariners.

Angus Mugford Fridge Magnet Day

There is more than one way the team can take advantage of their newly appointed Director of High Performance. Instead of the traditional fridge magnet featuring the team’s upcoming schedule, turn the giveaway on its head with a series of motivational and inspirational quotes from Angus Mugford. The boring, but informative blue and white grid of home and away games will be replaced with inspiring quotes such as “If you first harness the power of you, harnessing the power of your fastball will be simple.” It will help introduce fans to the new department within the front office and inspire them every time they reach into their fridge for a beer.
 
Admittedly, these promotional items fall outside of the conventional trinkets that you currently receive at the ballpark, and implementing these kinds of promotions would create some logistical issues that would need to be ironed out. I for one, would not want to be working the stadium cleanup crew after Ceramic Mug Day. But even if these promotional ideas are a little too experimental for the current powers that be (I thought they said the front office was progressive???), no matter what the Blue Jays do, for the love of God, bring back Mr. Sub Sports Bag Day.

Lead Photo:  Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

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4 comments on “How To Fix Giveaway Days at the Rogers Centre”

Matt Moore

Put me down for a wig & goggles.

Arjonn

How about a Jays glass half-full to commemorate almost the entire time since ’93?

Nick Dika

That is hilarious and totally should have been included in the article – send it to the promo department ASAP!!

Alex

They didnt sell beer at the stadium until 1982

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