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SAL1 Charleston RiverDogs

Goldklang Group offer unprecedented presidential promotion

July 22, 2004 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston RiverDogs News Release


(Florham Park, NJ)- From Abraham Lincoln to George W. Bush, nearly every President of the United States has embraced the game of baseball. Andrew Johnson followed the Washington Nationals. Richard Nixon was reportedly offered the commissioner's job after he left office. Woodrow Wilson and George H.W. Bush were pretty good college players.

The natural tie between baseball and politics has existed for some time. Gerald Ford once said, "In baseball, when they say you're out, you're out. It's the same way in politics."

It has become tradition for the President of the United States to throw out a ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day. As we approach the November Presidential election, baseball fans have begun to ask a very important question: Who will be delivering next year's first pitch?

Using polls, surveys and dry erase boards, political pundits are struggling to answer this question.

Meanwhile, one baseball operator is willing to take on the task of giving the nation an early look at who will win the November Presidential election.

Leave it to promotional guru Mike Veeck not only to invite the challenge, but to do so using bobblehead dolls in a coordinated promotion spanning seven states and unmatched in the annals of sports history.

Monday, August 2, 2004 will serve as Bobblection Night, sending baseball fans to the polls in seven different ballparks. From Massachusetts to Minnesota, South Dakota to Florida, the event will be an early indicator in this Presidential election year.

The Charleston (SC) RiverDogs, Fort Myers (FL) Miracle, Hudson Valley (NY) Renegades, St. Paul (MN) Saints, Brockton (MA) Rox, and Sioux Falls (SD) Canaries have teamed up to provide the country with a unique campaign event. The New Haven (CT) County Cutters, who play in the home ballpark of Yale University, the alma mater of both Presidential candidates, have agreed to participate as well.

The promotion is being sponsored by The Goldklang Group, in which Veeck is a partner. The Goldklang Group is an ownership, management and consulting firm based in New Jersey.

Each club will give away a number of bobblehead dolls (ranging from 1,000-2,500), half of which will be the Republican candidate, President George W. Bush, and the other half the presumptive Democratic nominee, Senator John Kerry. (continued)

Bobblection 2004 is believed to be the first organized promotion of its kind in professional sports to be performed simultaneously by different teams in different markets.

As fans pass through stadium turnstiles, they will be directed to election booths. Once inside, they will have the option of casting their vote for President Bush or Senator Kerry. For participating in the voting, they will then receive the Bobblehead doll of their choosing. When one candidate runs out of Bobbleheads, he will be declared the winner of that ballpark's Bobblection. The other candidate's remaining dolls will be counted in order to get an accurate measure of the margin of victory.

Six of the seven clubs have home games the night of August 2, with Hudson Valley (NY) hosting a special night for fans to participate in the election.

Polls will close at 9 p.m. (EDT) and results from all seven ballparks will be sent to Bobblection Headquarters in St. Paul, where the Goldklang Group will declare a victor based on number of states won.

There will be Bobblexit polling and voters will be asked questions about important Bobbleissues that may have influenced their selection in Bobblection 2004. Some of these issues include: wood vs. aluminum bats, natural grass vs. artificial turf, The War: Yankees vs. Red Sox or Cubs vs. Cardinals, and switch-hitters.

The Goldklang Group is operated by Marv Goldklang and partner Mike Veeck. Known for a "Fun is Good" attitude and "Off the Wall" antics, clubs associated with the Group have repeatedly made national headlines for their promotional endeavors.

In 2002, the Charleston RiverDogs received local, national and international publicity in an attempt to set a record for fewest people attending a professional baseball game with "Nobody Night." Last season, the Fort Myers Miracle attracted national attention with timely promotions that poked fun at Sammy Sosa's corked bat as well as the Randall Simon sausage incident in Milwaukee. In 2002, the St. Paul Saints gave away seat cushions with the likenesses of Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and Major League Player Union chief Donald Fehr to permit fans to "vote" their allegiance by seating themselves on the other's visage. Earlier this season, the Brockton Rox received national attention for creation of a Grady Little Bobble-arm Doll.

For more information, please contact Jeff Goldklang at (973) 377-2929 or by e-mail at jgoldklang@goldklanggroup.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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