CLEARWATER, Fla. — When fans walked through the gates of BayCare Ballpark on a recent Friday night, Spider-Man, Tony Stark and Ghost-Spider greeted them with high-fives and big smiles.
Children dressed in superhero-themed outfits — from a Wolverine suit to Marvel T-shirts — beelined toward the characters. Parents, some of whom also wore costumes and Marvel-themed outfits, took photos and watched on.
No, these fans didn’t accidentally stumble into a Low-A baseball game instead of Disney World. They went to the next best thing: the Clearwater Threshers’ Marvel’s Defenders of the Diamond Night.
“(I like) seeing the look on everyone’s faces when they come through the gate,” said Jason Rawley, one of the superheroes working the game. “We get to do games on the field sometimes, and watching fans get really into cheering on their favorite characters is a lot of fun.”
The Threshers, a Low-A Phillies affiliate, held their annual Marvel night featuring themed jerseys, movie giveaways and activities between innings. The event is among several creative, fan-driven promotions held by Tampa Bay-area Minor League Baseball teams.
Both the Threshers and Bradenton Marauders, a Low-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, have an annual Star Wars night. The Dunedin Blue Jays, Toronto’s affiliate, honored alum Chris Weinke, a Heisman Award winner at Florida State, with a commemorative bobblehead and celebration. Several teams also honor groups like first responders, the LGBTQ+ community and educators through promotions.
Why plan elaborate giveaways and theme nights? For area clubs, promotions not only drive attendance, but allow them to engage with communities and causes they care about.
The Threshers’ Star Wars and Marvel nights typically rank in the club’s top-10 attended games each year, according to promotions and entertainment manager Dominic Repper.
“They are critical to drawing people because you put out a good product and fun entertainment,” Repper said.
Rebekah Rivette, assistant general manager of the Bradenton Marauders, said typical nightly attendance ranges from 750 to 1,000. Their fan appreciation night, which includes nine innings of raffles, has drawn 3,000 fans in the past, Rivette said.
These types of promotions and giveaways are common throughout both Minor and Major League Baseball. The Rays host many promotions throughout the season, from a Colombian Heritage Celebration to USF Day to Batman Day.
When planning these events, the Blue Jays, Threshers and Marauders don’t usually pay attention to who the Rays are playing or their promotions.
The Blue Jays have several competing markets, assistant general manager Matt Woak said, but the team doesn’t see any drawbacks to holding events when the Rays have a homestand.
Some fans see events like Star Wars Night and Marvel Night as a way to get the whole family involved. At the Threshers’ Marvel Night, attendee Joe Stillwell dressed as Thor, his wife Jen was the Scarlet Witch and their two sons wore superhero-themed costumes, too.
“It’s a chance to dress like a superhero and it’s not Halloween,” Joe Stillwell said.
As a Threshers season ticket holder, Joe Stillwell said he likes the variety of promotions and the feeling that no one cares what he’s wearing in the ballpark.
Each year, volunteers with Costumers With A Cause work the Threshers’ Marvel Night. The group supports several children’s organizations in Tampa Bay. At this year’s Marvel Night, the Threshers auctioned jerseys to support A Kid’s Place of Tampa Bay, a partner of Costumers With a Cause.
Lindsay Altman, a volunteer dressed as Spider-Gwen, said she likes greeting the children and bringing their favorite superheroes to them.
She remembered playing peek-a-boo with a shy little girl one year. The child eventually worked up the courage to come over and high-five Altman, who was dressed as Supergirl.
“We have a picture of that moment where I’m laughing because I enjoyed getting that connection with a kiddo,” Altman said.
Many teams’ promotions are connected to charitable causes. The Threshers’ Star Wars night supports Make-a-Wish, while the Marauders’ Star Wars event supports disability awareness and the Miracle League of Manasota.
For Repper, the Threshers’ promotions supporting first responders and veterans are especially meaningful.
“Those are feel-good nights,” Repper said. “We highlight first responders and veterans and the military. We strive hard to make sure they understand they’re appreciated and that we recognize how valuable they are to the community.”
When brainstorming promotions, ideas tend to come from everywhere. For the Marauders, Rivette said some events, like Star Wars and Margaritaville nights, remain each year because of their popularity. The Pirates’ Florida Operations staff also comes up with new ideas each fall, typically inspired by other minor league teams or teams they used to work for.
“We sit down and identify which ones will work well with the demographics of our fans,” Rivette said. “(Ideas) we think we can go all out as far as theming with the video board. Is there a giveaway we can tie in? Is there a concession item or merchandise item?”
It’s a similar process for the Threshers, who try to prioritize long-standing, charitable theme nights before creating other promotions. Repper said he printed out a calendar of national holidays for last year’s planning meeting, which led to a National Flip Flop Day giveaway and promotion.
Repper, who grew up attending Threshers games and has worked for the club since 2004, feels his colleagues’ excitement toward their work is clear in the variety of theme nights and promotions.
His favorite promotions? Anything that’s a “call to action” for the crowd, like Star Wars night, where he said up to 70% of the crowd comes in themed outfits.
“That’s the reward for all of the hard work of putting the promotions together,” Repper said. “If you see those guests coming through the gates taking part in it, you know what you’re doing means something.”
