MLB AND ALL 30 CLUBS TO CELEBRATE INAUGURAL ‘PLAY BALL WEEKEND’
All 30 Clubs will feature a variety of customised and unique ballpark elements in support of PLAY BALL WEEKEND, with popular examples including pre-game parades of young players on the field and cap gifts from Major League players to youth league players. Additionally, Clubs will collectively distribute more than 320,000 plastic bat & ball sets throughout the United States and Canada, both in ballparks and at community events.
In addition to in-ballpark support, many Clubs will host specialised activities throughout their respective communities to encourage participation and highlight the fun of youth baseball and softball. Examples include MLB players hosting clinics, playing opportunities at unique locations (i.e., event at the beach in Los Angeles), surprise visits at youth baseball fields and games, special contests for youth leagues and teams, kids-only press conferences, ticket and equipment donations, and many more. Clubs will announce these activations separately.
Additionally, Major League players, coaches and managers all will wear specially made PLAY BALL t-shirts during batting practice and PLAY BALL patches on their uniforms during the weekend’s games. Many home ballparks will feature PLAY BALL field stencils and will run in-ballpark public service announcements in support of the PLAY BALL initiative. The effort will be bolstered by a national television and radio advertising campaign as well as customised local advertising campaigns by Clubs, including digital and social media promotions.
Organisations such as USA Baseball, ESPN, Little League International, Ripken Baseball and PONY Baseball and Softball also will support PLAY BALL WEEKEND. USA Baseball will promote the initiative to its membership and support MLB Club activations with appearances by Team USA coaches and staff. ESPN and Little League will renew an effort, which launched during the 2015 Championship Season, to highlight Little League Baseball during Sunday Night Baseball and Baseball Tonight broadcasts. The first activation of the 2016 campaign will be Sunday, May 15th at Dodger Stadium. Little League also will host PLAY BALL WEEKEND activities at the Little League World Series facility in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Ripken Baseball and PONY will provide digital and social media promotional support.
PLAY BALL WEEKEND is proudly supported by MLB corporate sponsor Scotts. Scotts and MLB will be joined by Hall of Famer and MLB Youth Programs Senior Advisor Cal Ripken, Jr. in Ladson, South Carolina to