* Here’s the good news. Tampa Bay Rays president Brian Auld made an appearance last week in front of the Hillsborough County Commission. The bad news: It had nothing to do with a stadium pitch.
But the good news was worth Auld’s cross-bay trek. It had to do with a new initiative for veterans and active military. It’s called “Honor Pass,” and it allows vets and active service personnel to get two free tickets to Rays home games.
* Much has been made of the Tampa Bay Bucs new “RED” program that targets female fans. It runs the gamut from “gameday style tips” to a primer on gridiron basics. Some think it’s demeaning and sexist. Others think it can help women have more fun watching a game in a social environment.
My take: This is marketing 101. And it underscores a pro sports reality. If you’re still relying on the traditional, hard-core fan base (guys), you can’t make it. You need couples and kids and a lot more than the old testosterone crowd. It’s why there are “Moms clinics” before the season begins and why there are bobble-head giveaways and kiss cams at the event itself. It’s more than a game.
This is about casting a wider demographic net to grow an audience. And, seemingly, it has been paying off. The NFL now reports that more than 40 percent of its fans are female–and, yes, they know what the “red zone,” “two-minute” warning and the “hurry-up” offense are.
* Let’s hear it for the Tampa Bay/Interbay Palma Ceia softball team that just won the Junior League Softball World Series championship in Kirkland, Wa. The locals, representing the Southeast U.S. region, defeated the team from Bulacan, Phillipines, 9-2, last Saturday in the ESPN-televised final. It was the second time in three years that the team from South Tampa won the championship.