Other Event Baseball Games That Should Happen After the Speedway Classic

Major League Baseball has been doing its due diligence to expand the beautiful game over the years; with a game as beloved worldwide over the years, there have been efforts put in to have an international series on a yearly basis to start the year now.

We’ve had series played at Little League World Series sites for children and the future of the game to be able to see their idols up close and in person. We even had games in Dyersville, Iowa, at the Field of Dreams and the historic Rickwood Field game in Birmingham to honor the Negro Leagues. The event-izing of the game has been monumental in getting eyes on a particular series during a time when the sports calendar hits a lull to do something special.

This past week, we had the first-ever “Speedway Classic” that took place in Bristol Motor Speedway, where a baseball field was installed onto Bristol Motor Speedway in an effort to get as many fans as possible to a series in Tennessee where the Braves and Reds wore race car-themed unis.

While it did break the record for most tickets sold for a regular-season game at over 91,000, it was baseball’s first Fyre Festival.

It was a rain-induced logistical nightmare where you saw clips of fans attending the game with obstructed seats miles away from the field being visible, two separate rain delays and an eventual suspension where it was completed the next day, and concessions that featured cheese-less chips because they ran out and hot dog wieners because they ran out of buns by the first inning.

The viral clips were flying faster than Blooper, the Braves mascot, behind the wheel after a run was scored.

@espn (via @abbie) #blooper #braves #atlanta #georgia #baseball #mascot ♬ Very Sad – Enchan

Was it a planning nightmare? Yes, but that doesn’t mean that baseball should stop trying.

There are more creative ideas out there to try and expand the game, just as fans love attending themed giveaway nights or seeing a game played at a venue with dimensions we haven’t seen before, even from our television screens.

The question shouldn’t be “What went wrong?” and instead should be “What should we try next?”

Here are a few ideas baseball could consider going forward.

The Grand Canyon

PHOTO: Omer Nezih Gerek/Unsplash

Imagine the screen grabs of a baseball hit with the backdrop of a National Landmark as breathtaking as the Grand Canyon- enough to make a grown man cry. The attendance at the Field of Dreams game was relatively limited, and the same could be done here, given that a field and seating would have to be built essentially overnight, but it’s more about the event than selling tickets.

The Diamondbacks could host a game (with plenty of water or awnings due to the dry heat!) and the players would have a memory they’d never forget.

Omaha, Nebraska

There simply needs to be a better promotion of college baseball and a synergy created between the two. The MLB draft is an afterthought, and with the value of prospects and call-ups being earlier and earlier, there should be a series that takes place around the time of the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, that combines the two, and the collegiate game has grown just as well.

The Rose Bowl

College football calls it the Granddaddy of them all for a reason; it’s got the most beautiful sunset in the collegiate game, and could even have a weekend piled with a Hollywood theme where baseball movies are marketed, debated, and even promoted for a new one; we all have our favorites!

Think about the casts and crew of Major League, Angels in the Outfield, Moneyball, or A League of Their Own coming together to be involved in a cinema-based series in sunny Los Angeles at a sports cathedral!

PHOTO: visitcalifornia.com

Hawaii

Do you think the players of the teams wouldn’t enjoy getting to play a series, hitting dingers in beautiful Waikiki beach in Hawaiian-themed uniforms, and possibly getting several days off with their families? It would grow the game in a state that simply has the Rainbow Warriors baseball team and has a beautiful backdrop of oceanside volcanoes. College makes it work, and the pros may even get into a bidding war over who gets to play the series and take a vacation.

Savannah, Georgia

It’s time for Bob Manfred to acknowledge the elephant in the room: the Savannah Bananas. They’re taking over the league on their own in terms of popularity. Former World Series champion Shane Victorino is having to literally suit up for the team to get his son access to tickets because they’re such a hot ticket. The phenomenon is an unstoppable force.

The only way to slow down this craze and prevent Banana Ball from taking over is to acknowledge its existence and submerge. Have a Banana-themed weekend in Savannah, where the Bananas play to prevent going obsolete. Assume the dominance as the league that says, “We’ll play a series at your cute ballpark,” and be the alpha.

It’s all you can do to continue to expand the baseball we love.