Practically since Abner Doubleday perfected baseball (“invented” wouldn’t be an accurate statement, because it evolved from rounders, an old English ballgame), players have migrated south to prepare for the upcoming season. In 1870, the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox held camps in New Orleans, and, by 1910, the “Grapefruit League” formed as most teams trained in Florida. With the advent of West Coast baseball teams, camps subsequently sprang up in Arizona.
The annual rite of spring has increasingly attracted fans who crave warmer weather and seek a chance to interact more casually with players than at regular-season ballparks. And, the preseason camps built a free-spirited atmosphere. When asked his cap size before camp started, legendary Yankees catcher Yogi Berra reportedly said, “I don’t know; I’m not in shape yet.”
As a rookie, former Reds third baseman Chris “Spuds MacKenzie” Sabo reportedly worked at McDonald’s in between practices and games for extra money in case he didn’t travel north when camp broke.
As spring training has transformed from a secluded camp to a bona-fide tourist attraction, teams increasingly depend on appealing signage and graphics to provide sponsorship opportunities and improve fans’ experience with effective wayfinding and environmental graphics. These case studies highlight the balancing act Major League Baseball (MLB) teams and their service providers perform by both reinforcing the team’s brand and a creating a distinct sense of place that differs from home-base digs.
Please visit www.signweb.com soon for several case studies of Major League Baseball spring-training signage.