7-Eleven Gets the Start in Chicago
This was one pitch on which the Chicago White Sox weren’t going to whiff.
The club confirmed Wednesday that “play ball” will sound at precisely 7:11 p.m. for weeknight home games next season in a promotional deal with convenience store chain 7-Eleven.
“In baseball, you want to have the financial resources to put the best possible resources on the field,” said Brooks Boyer, the team’s vice president of marketing. “This allows us to do that.”
The White Sox play 81 home games during the year, 55 of which will be affected, Boyer said.
Promotional gimmicks are nothing new to baseball. The White Sox have held kissing contests, Elvis nights and once triggered a riot when a “Disco Demolition Night” stunt blowing up disco records went awry.
But this promotion is more long-term -- the deal lasts until 2009, during which time 7-Eleven plans to hand out 25,000 coupons per game to fans.
“It’s great to be part of a winning team,” said 7-Eleven spokeswoman Margaret Chabris of the White Sox, which failed to make this year’s playoffs after winning the World Series last year.
Chabris said the company was in talks with other teams about similar deals to advertise its 5,300 stores and franchises.
“It’s not gimmicky,” she said. “We’re adding value to fans’ time.”
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