CHICAGO (AP) — It started as a limited promotion for a specialty theme night. Then the Chicago White Sox heard from their fans.Everyone wanted a pope-themed hat.“When things go bananas ... that’s when it gets really fun,” said Brooks Boyer, Chicago’s chief revenue and marketing officer.Fun is the overarching theme when it comes to stadium giveaways, and business has been good at major league ballparks this year.An array of creative promotions — everything from the New York Mets handing out fake glasses and mustaches for a Bobby Valentine Disguise Night to the Texas Rangers giving away a Nolan Ryan bloody lip jersey — has played at least a small role in an MLB-wide average attendance of 29,618 through Tuesday’s games, the highest such number for a full season since 2017.
Texas Rangers fans in the stands wear Nolan Ryan jerseys during a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, May 29, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
Bobbleheads remain popular — like the Brandon Nimmo Bull Riding bobblehead in Texas, or the butter-churning Nick Kurtz “Big Amish” bobblehead with the Athletics — but it’s not just those iconic figurines that are drawing big crowds. The Brewers handed out 25,000 bar dice sets to fans 21 and over on Saturday, and they had a crowd of 40,625 at American Family Field.The pitch clock and other innovative rules introduced by MLB in 2023 are often credited for spurring fan interest. But it’s clear from the long lines — and occasionally astronomical resale prices on eBay — what a clever giveaway can do for ticket sales, too.“I definitely think across the league, there’s been an increase in demand and desire, and even necessity, to do things that are outside of the box,” said Meagan Hermosillo, the director of marketing and promotions for the Arizona Diamondbacks. “For us, we can’t really do a standard bobblehead or a standard anything. It has to have some kind of unique factor if we want it to move the needle.”
