It's great to see the Brewers finally acknowledging what is safe to say is much more than a trend and really the current state of baseball - that being, most fans are not at a ballgame to sit in their seats and actually watch the game for 9 innings. To use a golf pun, the Twins have been the "leader in the clubhouse" on this for some time; most recently, converting a giant club space into a bar accessible to all fans, creating a new kids area at the main gate, and even opening a gaming lounge. Baseball has been at a crossroads for years now in how to attract new and younger fans and it's things like social/entertainment spaces that help create that bridge. Baseball is certainly in a unique position to take their in-game experience to a level that no other sport can offer, because the pace of play, configuration of a ballpark, large quantity of games, and lower cost of a ticket are so much different than other sports. Many teams are starting to embrace a day at the ballpark as a 3+ hour entertainment experience that may or not be related to the game at all. So regardless how much of a baseball purist you are, and how much you may or may not like golf nor understand why it belongs at a baseball stadium, there's no denying that a ballgame as immersive entertainment is here to stay. So kudos to the Brewers on being on the forefront of something unique for once.
touch with baseball when his childhood heroes Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Jim Gantner retired but the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 reignited his passion. As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Erik became involved with the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. With this group Erik traveled to Portland, OR and Baltimore, MD to work on construction projects and help the group raise $25,000 to partially sponsor a house in Milwaukee. Also at UWM, Erik met Peter Nagel. The two attended their first Brewers game together during Opening Weekend 2003. Despite their failure to ignite the coals at their first tailgate, the two had a blast and were soon making weekly trips to the ballpark. Erik has gone on to several colleges and changed careers several times, and has moved all the way out to New Hampshire, but has always stayed true to his baseball roots by holding part-time stadium usher jobs. To this day he looks back fondly on his incredible cross-country journey.
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