Day 356

Fresh Start_356: Improving the fan experience
Having gone to a fair amount of baseball games in my life, and well I think the game experience is simply amazing. Going to the game is something that still gives me goosebumps and butterflies. I always think “what if I see a perfect game, or a no hitter, or a game winning grand slam” the possibilities are endless and just being in the building makes me happy.

However, I am not naïve to the fact that the experience has some room for improvement. There is always something that you could bring to the game that wasn’t there before, and it’s like throwing thumbtacks at a corkboard one will stick. While these are just a few, they will be well received around baseball:
1.     Screens shielding the lower levels to protect fans
While it might not be fun to look through a screen while being that close to the action, but let’s not be stupid here, ball players aren’t being made like they used too. Guys like Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Joey Gallo, or even Bryce Harper who are hitting the balls off their bats at 105+ MPH. No matter what you do whether you are on your toes or not, the ball will find you and leave a mark. This move would be to keep the fans and just make people enjoy the game more knowing that they won’t get a 118 MPH ball to the face at any point in the game.

This will cut down on the number of foul balls that fans get, but it will save the balls because if you just shake the screen the balls will fall right back into ball. It will help players judge balls going in the stands, and it will help umpires determine if tough to judge fly balls down the lines are fair or foul. The minor inconvenience that this causes fans can be solved by getting to the ball game early to try and catch a batting practice ball, or just by a ball and get the ball autographed. Players are out before the game for that reason.

2.     Drones bringing fans food that they order
WE HAVE ALL BEEN THERE. Waiting on lines that are extremely long and just take away from the game experience. To be honest, I don’t like getting food at the game and I’d rather get food before and after the game not only to save time but money.

I don’t know about all ballparks in the country, but in Yankee Stadium if you sit in a certain section there are people who take your order of what you want to eat and will bring that food to you. Why not just have Amazon partner with Major League Baseball (they already have with Amazon Web Services) and have the drones programmed to take food to the paying customers. Have the drones go through the air (out of the field of play; the aforementioned screens will help with this) and drop off the food order for the people in the seats.

You may ask about the dozens of people who lug carts around as venders, and this will not impede of that business. You will have to pay for this service, the radius of this service will depend on the ballpark, but not everyone will get this luxury. You will have to have an Amazon account, but they are free, and who knows you might have to have an Amazon account to pay for tickets in the future. But, the venders that are selling Bud Light and frozen Minute Maid’s will still get the money that they have been getting.

3.     Putting interesting facts on the jumbotron    
I don’t know about you, but I like looking at the ridiculous stats that the team puts on the scoreboard next to the players’ picture and what they have done in the game up to that point. Watching the Little League World Series throughout the years, the youngsters get asked various questions that they showcase through the ticker when they bat or introductions before the game. Now, Major League ballplayers will not be asked questions like what is your favorite subject in school or what is your favorite cartoon, but switching it up to have the fans get to know the players playing for their favorite team will make the fans take something away that isn’t baseball.

While this is just a short list, I think these three improvements will help fans enjoy the game more, and make it more of an event than it was before, in turn making the game expand to a broader audience.

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