Mike Allen's Playbook has a pointer to what sounds like a great read in Sports Illustrated this week. Here's the summary Allen distributed:
The Righteous Franchise: The Tigers' Bold Stand with Their Fans.'
'This week's September 28, 2009, issue of Sports Illustrated features Comerica Park amidst a background of the Detroit cityscape … No city has been harder hit by the economic downturn than Detroit, forcing owner Mike Ilitch to take a most drastic measure: He RAISED the payroll and reinvested dramatically in the franchise. What's unfolded this summer at Comerica, one year removed from a last-place finish, has lifted a city. SI senior writer Lee Jenkins recently visited Comerica Park, the surrounding area of which filled with such unbridled optimism that people can temporarily forget about the downturn in the Motor City … The team has … implemented an aggressive PR strategy aimed at their blue-collar fan base: $5 for tickets, meals and parking; month-to-month payment plans for season ticket holders; giveaways of more than 80,000 tickets; and partnerships with more than 2,000 nonprofit organizations.
'The most stunning example of community outreach, however, did not involve a nonprofit organization but a bankrupt one: At the end of last season General Motors decided it could no longer afford to sponsor the fountain over the centerfield fence at Comerica Park, which shoots great plumes into the air whenever a Tiger hits a home run. The fountain is the most valuable piece of advertising space in the stadium, and two corporations quickly expressed interest in taking GM's place. One offered to pay $1.5 million for three years. Mike Ilitch, the Tigers' owner, considered the offer seriously. Then he rejected it in favor of a deal that would pay him nothing at all. Ilitch kept the GM name where it was, free of charge, and added the Ford and Chrysler logos on each flank, over the message: THE DETROIT TIGERS SUPPORT OUR AUTOMAKERS. To emphasize the point, the Tigers invited one employee from each of the embattled car giants to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day. Before GM inspector Loretta Abiodun went into her windup, she turned and looked at the fountain. 'It was breathtaking,' she says.'
[Can't find the link to this piece online. If you see, please post it in the comments.]