Apr
13
2010

Cleveland Pro Sports and Social Media: Tribe Social Deck

Thursday evening, I received an email out of the blue that started this way:

As a fellow member of the Cleveland social media community, we at the Cleveland Indians have identified you as a key player with a passion for the City of Cleveland, as well as our baseball team.

The Indians organization would like to extend to you the opportunity to attend Opening Day at Progressive Field this Monday at 3:05PM seated in the newly created Tribe Social Deck.

Tribe Social what?  After I realized it was not a joke, it described the Tribe Social Deck thusly:

The Tribe Social Deck sits atop the left field wall at Progressive Field near the base of Section 180 in the bleachers and provides not only stunning views of the action on the field, but also the opportunity to network with 9 other social media peers in your very own private section.

As a participant in a few social media and professional clubs in Cleveland, I have had contact with some of the professional sports teams in the past, but their interest usually fizzles. Mostly because they want others to do their work, but also because they don’t need to reach out (right now).

Yes, the Indians could use some positive, grassroots publicity, more so than the other pro sports teams in Cleveland, so this type of outreach shouldn’t be surprising. A few bad years combined with the Cavaliers success and Browns fans’ perpetual blindness has contributed to this as well.

I also know many, many bloggers/social media-ers that been invited to events or asked to host events, but I’ve been pretty hesitant to partake. I’m not a big fan of the quid pro quo of freely promoting other’s agenda for free stuff, as it can be a slippery slope. I realize I’m not Walter Kronkite, or even Dick Goddard, nor am I perfect (I’m a sucker for RT contests) but it can feel a little slimey.

However, the Indians staff reassured me that they’d want nothing in return other than feedback and did not expect any positive tweets, blog posts etc. From an updated email:

There are no expectations around in-game tweeting or live updates for this event.  We, as an organization, wanted to reach out to the social media community in recognition of their efforts and provide a new age variation of the press box for those who attend.

Game on.

On game day, I was running a tad late and because of it, I drove around downtown Cleveland for 45 minutes looking for a parking spot. So when I did arrive at the part at 3:17 p.m., I was the last of the invitees to attend and my choice of seats was limited, but more than adequate.

One of the biggest bummers about the social deck is a lack of WiFi, an issue the team is aware of and hopes to rectify “within the next week.” This problem was magnified when it became apparent that everyone in the park was using their mobile device and cell service across the board was almost non-existent for the first few innings (at least for me).  That meant tweets, Facebook updates, even large photo uploads were limited.

Another reason the lack of WiFi/cell service was a bummer was that we all received a press kit, media guide (helpful if I could bring my computer) and opening day press releases in order to give us content we could conceivably tweet out. Again, it would also help if I could get myself there on time so I could have reviewed it more thoroughly.

When I did get some spotty service, I checked into Foursquare and noticed that the deck had it’s own entry, a nice detail by the staff, who hope to utilize Foursquare more in the future.

We also learned the Indians utilize a variety of social media outlets including Twitter and Facebook, which have a different restrictions set by the team and/or managed by MLB (more on that later this week). Attendees also had a chance to speak with a senior member of the communication staff who visited with us throughout the game to garner feedback or ask what else would make our experience better.

As a whole, the experience was about as laid back as you can imagine. No hassle, no pressure, just “do what you’d normally do at a game.” Our section was pretty private, with signage and stairs separating us from the rest of the bleachers and home run porch, which is a good thing if you are trying to network or meet other people, but I also felt a little isolated in my corner seat.

This may also be a good time to learn that the gentleman coordinating the event had his first day on Wednesday and he’s not from the Cleveland area. So not only did he have to research who to invite and collect responses but also put the event together in just a few days, along with the typical opening day activities/nonsense. Knowing that, made pulling off the event with picky social media nerds even more impressive.

It also would have been nice if the Indians bullpen didn’t blow Fausto Carmona’s great start, but alas, our Erie Warriors lost 4-2 in 10 innings.

Hats off to the Indians staff for trying something most professional teams haven’t even touched, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it will evolve.

Full disclosure: Dear FCC and Google paid link gods, the ticket I received to the game was free even though I was going anyway. I also received a press kit, media guide and a $10 food voucher (which I did not use). Please don’t fine me or sandbox our site. Pretty please.