Photo credit: Jean-Gabriel Fernandez
The legendary baseball maverick Bill Veeck Jr. once owned the Milwaukee Brewers—as a Triple-A minor league team playing at old Borchert Field—in the 1940s. He said, “There are only two seasons, winter and baseball,” and “the most beautiful thing in the world is a ballpark filled with people.” However, in 2020, as with other aspects of life, the COVID-19 virus basically derailed those notions with a shortened schedule and barring fans from ball parks.
The job of welcoming back their fan base has presented its own problems as well as becoming a delicate balance of discussions between the Brewers, the City of Milwaukee, and various health authorities. “We’ve had good talks and taken their recommendations,” said the team’s President of Baseball Operations, Richard Schlesinger. “We will have more information on expanded attendance and dates, as talks progress, although not by opening day. Things are trending in a very positive manner, so we’re optimistic.”
The priority of reconnecting with fans starts with the April 1 home opener against the Minnesota Twins, in the newly-christened American Family Field. The Madison-based actuary giant entered into a 15-year agreement for naming rights, when the Miller Brewing Co. contract expired after 20 years. “It’s hard to believe…we expanded our partnership with the Brewers, and we’re very excited to welcome fans back. This field has meant a lot to fans in Milwaukee and across the state,” said Bill Westrate, American Family’s president, during a Mar. 24 press preview.
No Tailgating (For Now)
Many changes have also come besides the facility’s new name: fans are no longer allowed to bring sealed food and beverages into the park, there is a “No Tailgating” rule in effect, and purchases in the park have gone cashless and touchless. It was indicated that these are precautionary measures, due to the COVID-19 virus.
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Individual ticket sales, for games from April 1 to May 2, can be made through the Brewers website. Groupings of fans will be in pod shapes of 2-6 people, utilizing only 25% of the park’s capacity (approximately 10,475 seats) for that period. While promotions and reduced ticket prices for select games will continue, remedial measures for promotions, from last year, have also been addressed.
The BP Gas “C’mon Back Club” offered vouchers for a select games, when customers filled up with 8 gallons of gas, seven times, at a participating station. There were also vouchers from “Fan Appreciation Days,” a “Thank You” event normally held on the weekend of the final home stand. The Brewers Ticket Office reacted almost immediately, when the season fell through. An alternate redemption program allowed for cards to be completed beyond the normal date to Nov. 1, and mailed by Dec. 15.
New ticket vouchers were mailed back for the 2021 season. Those are now redeemable for tickets to four games, between Apr. 26-29. Future dates will be announced.
Team mascot, Bernie Brewer, also gets to enjoy the improvements too, with a new chalet-style home that recalls the original frame-like structure from County Stadium. “He had strong opinions about what he wanted. He wanted a spa, he wanted a bar, a bed…none of that really made it into the budget,” said Schlesinger.
“Bringing the fans back to see the new features is exciting, and a long time coming. This is a stadium with great memories…we owe an obligation to nurture this place, to care for it,” said Schlesinger. We’re ready for the 2021 season and to get back into normalcy. The sooner we can have full crowds, the better for all of us. But, for right now, we’ll take what we can get.”
