Quad City River Bandits - Assignment 2

I had the priviledge to vistit the Quad City River Bandits (Single-A Affilliate of the St. Louis Cardinals), and beautiful Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, Iowa. I am from Moline, Illinois, so it only made sense to visit the Bandits, and learn more about their organization. The new ownership of the River Bandits took over in November of 2007. Changes in ownership were due to lack of interest in Quad City Baseball. When the Bandits came in, they had one goal. "To satisify the customer, with afforable pricing, and new attractions." The Bandits hired an entirely new, energetic staff to make baseball fun again. Within one season, the organization had record attendance. By adding fireworks, concerts, a tiki bar, and many other new attractions. Baseball fans quickly started flocking back to Modern Woodmen Park (Stadium). I had the pleasure to talk to the Assistant GM, Stefanie Brown. She went on to tell me, that there main focus was to cater to the needs of the fan. Every decision they make as an organization is based on the needs of the fan. They want the fans experience to be memorable. "People go to baseball games to get away, they bring their friends and family to help share a memorable experience.", she said. In 2008, the organization made a bold decision to make kids tickets free, every game. Here is a picture of some of the attractions they built to accomodate the new spectators. Here is more background on the Bandits. The name River Bandits was brought back by the community after a "Name the Team" contest. The new ownership group is a big fan listening to the communities wants and needs. The Quad Cities River Bandits are a single A team of the St. Louis Cardinals and is located in Davenport, IA right next to the beautiful Mississippi River. Which you can see the bridge from the field.

The Bandits exist because of the community support. The River Bandits front office likes to be involved in the community through their huge reading program, mascot and player appearances, donations, and volunteering time. We exist because we make the ballpark a fun and affordable place for families to visit. I talked to Kirk Goodman about the types of jobs that are available, and the best ways to get a foot in the door. He went on to say, " The best way to get into baseball is through internships and gaining experience. Almost every single person in the industry has started off at the bottom as an intern and working hard and taking on every task to work their way up." Also, The best way to get recognized as an intern is to not complain when things are asked of them and constantly asking, "What next?". He definately stressed that it is also vital to network. A lot of baseball opportunities come up because of who you know. So, getting to know and staying in touch with others in the industry is key. Besides front office jobs, there are over 100 positions for public relations, and promotional services. They have so many attractions, somebody has to run them. Like Mr. Goodman stated earlier, an intership is the best way to get your foot in the door. You go from blowing up the inflatables to more important jobs in the future. Here is a video clip of me sumo wrestling during the 7th Inning Stretch. (I'm in the Red).


Some of the current trends in the baseball entertainment industry are always changing. Always being on your toes and being creative are the best ways to get fans to remember their experience. Mrs. Brown said, "Current trends in minor league baseball is always being creative with promotions and things going on at the ballpark to get people talking". For example, she told me that they had a candy drop this year from a helicopter, where there were around 800 kids running around in the outfield trying to catch candy and marshmellows that were being dropped out of a helicopter. That is definitely something not only kids but parents as well will be talking about for a while. Mr. Goodman said it best when he said,"We say that we are in the memory making business and we are able to do so by again making the ballpark a fun and affordable place."


Leisure plays a huge role in the industry of Minor League Baseball. One of the main goals of marketing and promoting is to get fans to come back again and again. With so much going on with the recession, and loss of jobs, all people want to do is relax and forget about it. You go to a baseball game to watch America's pastime, enjoy your company, and clear your mind. There isn't much else like it. Mr. Goodman said, "A baseball game is unlike anything else, not many places let you forget about your concerns at work and home, I think I have the best job in the world. Where else can I do what I love and get paid for it?" Here is a picture of me and my friends enjoying the unique atmosphere.
. Lucky for us, there was a concert after the game.

My overall experience at Modern Woodmen Park was surely a memorable one. This industry has everything I am looking for when I apply for a job after college. I love sports, marketing, and public relations. I plan to apply for a summer internship for the River Bandits after school is over. The Quad City River Bandits definately qualify as part of the leisure service delivery industry because they are constantly finding innovative ways to get fans to keep filling the bleachers. Their main customers are the fans, that's what keeps this organization running, the fans. The pros of this industry are working with people, working in sports, meeting tons of new people, definately tons of upward growth within company. The cons would be that when you start out wages are low, other than that I really can't think of any cons. I would like to thank Mr. Goodman, Mrs. Brown, and the whole Quad City River Bandits organization.