In Northeast Ohio, spring is our season, sports fans.
The Indians are back. The Cavs are lining up for another playoff series. And the Browns certainly aren’t much fun to watch, but spring draft day brings hope, always hope, for a better season.
Those of us who remember the Miracle of Richfield and The Drive, and more recently an NBA championship and a near-win in the World Series, know it can be thrilling and frustrating — and did we mention thrilling? — to be a Cleveland sports fan. No one knows that better than people who have played the game here or helped others develop a love for our teams.
Retired Indians and Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Rick Manning is the color analyst for the Indians for SportsTime Ohio. He’s played and watched plenty of games over the years. His grandkids range in age from 2 to 18.
Baseball has long been criticized for being too slow and not exciting enough to generate a younger fan base that’s used to faster-paced entertainment. Manning’s take? Baseball is great just the way it is.
“I’m not a fan of making the game faster. I think people are so distracted now. Hey, when you play 162 games, you’re going to have some boring baseball,” Manning says.
With so many games over several months, fans can catch a few games a week and still follow the season.
Manning’s grandkids know he played baseball, and the older ones enjoy it. His tip for getting kids interested in baseball? “If you explain it to them, play catch with them, that’s what makes them aware of the game.”
As for the Cleveland fans, the NEO market has among the highest Major League Baseball TV ratings in the country.
“If Cleveland wins a World Series, you’re going to see a huge fan base emerge,” he says. “It’s a long journey, it’s a long ride, and hopefully when it’s all said and done, we’ll come up a winner.”
And now that the Chief Wahoo issue has been settled — the controversial image will not be part of the Indians’ uniforms beginning in 2019 — Manning says it was a part of the team’s history. “In today’s world, you change and you move on.”
Meet a Pro
Bob Rosen is president of the 56-year-old Wahoo Club, with more than 2,800 Indians fans. The group hosts game trips and fan/player events, and is heading to Cooperstown this summer for Jim Thome’s Hall of Fame induction.
“The greatest way to make a fan is if (a kid) gets to meet a major league player and get their autograph — that’s key. Then they’ll want to go to a game or follow the player,” Rosen says. “It’s just so much fun to meet players in any sport. The world has changed, but just play catch and keep it fun.”
Retired Cavaliers great Austin Carr says, “My father when I was growing up, he put a baseball, football and basketball in the crib and whatever happened, happened. If a child enjoys a game with you, usually it carries on.”
Hope goes a long way toward building loyal fans, says Carr, who is the color analyst for Cavaliers games on Fox Sports Ohio. A flurry of February trades for younger players may refocus the team.
“These guys are playing like we have hope. There’s advantage to having veterans, but too many of them, uh, huh,” Carr says.
Carr says pro basketball has changed since his Cavaliers playing days in the ’70s.
“There’s more clutter now because there are more things you can be focused on. (Professional) sports has added more entertainment value. There’s something for all people at the games,” he says.
Having a player like LeBron James helps, too.
“To me, he’s solid,” Carr says of James, both on and off the court. “No other pro player that I know has given as much to his community. He doesn’t forget where he’s come from.”
A Good Product = More Fans
Retired Browns player and Fox Sports Ohio analyst Doug Dieken says Browns fans of all ages have been tested, especially in the past few years, and that doesn’t do much to build a fan base.
“Free agency took the word loyalty out of sports,” he says. “Winning cures all. Give young fans a product they want to watch. You can’t manufacture excitement. The product has to be exciting.”
The bottom line on how to build a young fan base? Give kids a ball, and play with them. If you get a chance to go to a pro game or meet a professional athlete, do it. And finally, keep your fingers crossed that your team has a good season. Time, opportunity and luck.
“A little kid who doesn’t know anything about sports gets to hold a Super Bowl ring and get their picture taken with it — who wouldn’t be a fan?” Rosen says.
Marie Elium believes she could take a decent swing at a major league fastball, although her friends say she’s nuts.
