Cleveland’s Worst Sport Promotion?
The Cleveland Indians wanted to boost attendance in 1974. So they informed their fans that the June 4th, 1974, game against the Texas Rangers would feature twelve-ounce beers, sold for a dime instead of the regular 65 cents price. The Indians had offered a 5-cent-beer night in 1971, without a problem. However, cheap booze in a game against the Rangers was a bad mix: a bench-clearing brawl in the teams’ last meeting had left many Indians fans with a grudge against the Rangers. The promotion worked great: over 25,000 people showed up. However, most were not there for the game: fans packed the concession stands to buy up to half a dozen beers at a time. They chugged down the bargain brew, then staggered back for more. Soon, the fans were wasted.
In the second inning, a heavyset woman stormed the field, flashed her big boobs at the crowd, then tried to kiss the umpire. The ballpark went wild, then fans began passing joints. Then firecrackers went off all over the place, and made the place sound like a war zone. When the Rangers hit another home run, a naked man rushed the field and slid into second base. Security failed to catch him. In the meantime, the beer lines grew longer at the concession stands, and the already drunk fans became belligerent. That was when the Indians’ management had another bad idea: let the fans get their brew directly from the beer trucks outside the ballpark.