Crossing I-35 into Texas’s New Baseball Mecca
Brady Pieper, Casey Ellis, Cecilia Rodriguez
In looking for inspiration, our team scouted a few innovative teams around the sport of college baseball and peered into our own university’s athletic improvements. Profitable college baseball organizations like Georgia and Texas Christian University made for good proof-of-concept examples for the team. The Bulldogs integrated a “Pawdcast” to their weekly posts that was judged well by the fans and got more people engaged with the team and players. The integration of a Longhorn baseball podcast produced by students in conjunction with the team could be an opportunity to reach out to new fans using the Georgia model.
Engaging fans through social media channels and providing more content about the team and players would be a massive step in developing and engaging the fanbase. Many Texas baseball fans already use Twitter as their primary source for team information. Over 65% of our survey respondents received their baseball updates through Twitter or Instagram. Incentivizing fans to continue to use this method with weekly trivia and giveaways throughout the season would be an engaging and relatively inexpensive way for the team to gain more traction and interest in fans buying tickets.
Longhorn baseball needs a consistent student and alumni fanbase attending games for the team to start increasing engagement. The Texas brand has never been the problem as Longhorn fans and alumni are devoted, but getting the crowd across I-35 and to the stadium for a full nine innings has been a struggle. The I-35 barrier has been addressed by the athletics department in the past with public transit to every game via a bus which picks up on campus. Many current students we polled were unaware of this as an option and were unsure on whether it would be an option they would use in the future. Revamping and strongly-advertising a new party bus (Flyrides) or large ride-sharing service (Fetii) allowing for a fun, unique and free way for students to get the game by themselves or with friends might be an idea to explore.
Crossing I-35 and approaching Disch-Falk Field, Red & Charlene McCombs Field, and the neighboring cemetery leave a lot to be desired when it comes to setting the stage for Texas baseball. Surveyed fans and students noted the pre- and in-game experiences as areas needing improvement. Starting with a new set of banners, signs, and Texas baseball advertising on campus and next to the stadium, the area across I-35 could become a mecca of baseball culture at Texas. In-game changes including trivia, live-skits, a revamped video board experience, and special student nights during weekdays make for an all-new fan-driven experience at the ballpark this Spring. No one loves Texas baseball more than Longhorns themselves, and we’ve listened.
