2016 World Series Case Study

Running Head: CASE STUDY 1

Sport Event Management Case Study

Ian Burgess

Colby-Sawyer College


Description

The event that is being covered in this case study is the 2016 Major League Baseball

World Series. The World Series is a best of seven series where the best team from the American

League takes on the best team from the National League, to determine who the best team in

baseball is for the season. For the 2016 season, the two teams that played in the Series were the

Cleveland Indians of the American League and the Chicago Cubs of the National League. The

team that hosts the Series is determined by what league wins the All-Star Game played in July.

This past season, the American League won, which meant that four out of seven games would be

played at Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians. The World Series started on October

25, 2016 at Cleveland with an 8:00PM start. One more game was played at Cleveland the

following day at 7:00PM, before the Series was shifted to Chicago for three games. The players,

coaches and media had a travel day to get to Chicago from Cleveland, so games 3-5 were

scheduled for 8:00PM start times on October 28-30, 2016. Since the Series was not decided after

these 5 games, another travel day was taken on October 31, 2016 to go back to Cleveland, where

games 6 and 7 were played on November 1-2, 2016, both with 8:00PM start times (CBS, 2016).

The World Series itself is the last round of the larger entity of the MLB playoffs, being

the ultimate deciding series on who the best team in Major League Baseball is for the year. The

playoffs start with the Divisional Series, where there are eight total teams, four from each league,

playing against the other in a best of five series (Two National League Series, Two American

League Series). After this round finishes, there are two teams from each league left, and the

format stays the same (American v. American, National v. National) but in a best of seven series.

After this round is over, the two remaining teams (one American League and one National

League) play in the World Series, which is also best of seven (first to four wins is the champion).


The participants in this event would include fans in attendance, umpires, players, managers, as

well as radio and television broadcasters. The event serves all of these people, along with fans

watching at home, because it brings heightened awareness to each team, especially if something

that extends beyond winning the World Series itself is at stake for one or both teams. For

example, before winning this past World Series, the Chicago Cubs and their fans had suffered

through 108 previous years without winning a championship. Conversely, the Cleveland Indians

had gone 68 years without hoisting the World Series trophy. It is this factor that makes the 2016

World Series so memorable, because two teams that had been known as lovable losers finally got

the chance to duke it out to be the world champions of baseball, and ultimately, the team with the

longer drought won. Businesses also took advantage of the Cubs’ 108-year World Series drought

coming to an end. One example would be Adidas, who sponsors Cubs star third baseman Kris

Bryant. After winning the World Series, Adidas Baseball designed a shirt that read “Kurse

Breaker” playing on Bryant’s initials and the fact that he recorded the final out to end his team’s

World Series woes (see appendix).

Governance Structure

The World Series is run exclusively by Major League Baseball. The facilities that are

being used will have been booked based on what teams make the playoffs and the results of the

previous rounds of the playoffs leading up to the World Series. As teams get eliminated, the

venues they play at will become open to host other external events.

The internal stakeholders for this event would include both teams, along with the

manager, general manager, CEO, president(s), and owners of both teams. External stakeholders

would be fans as well as businesses. The biggest interest that the internal stakeholders have is

winning the Series itself, as it would validate their team as the best in professional baseball for


the 2016 season. Winning would also provide increases in revenue that other teams would not be

able to have. After each round of the playoffs, apparel that commemorates the team winning

each round is sold to the general public. If you win the World Series, you will have three extra

revenue streams (apparel from winning the World Series as well as the previous two playoff

rounds before it) that all 29 other teams would not have. The biggest interest of external

stakeholders such as fans would be wanting to see their local team win because it is a boost of

pride and morale for sports fans in that area of the country. That boost in pride and morale will,

in turn, cause some fans who don’t want to wait on packages to be delivered or to pay for

shipping and handling to rush their local sporting goods stores to get all of their team’s World

Series championship gear. This not only helps the stores themselves, but the entire local

economy of the championship team, as revenue that was originally spent on this apparel will

continually change hands in the local economy, benefitting multiple local businesses (Matheson,

2006).

Personnel

The World Series operates with event staff hired by each individual major league team.

The first area of event staff that fans see when they attend a game would be parking attendants,

who are set up in zones in the stadium’s parking lot as well as several franchise-owned lots that

are within walking distance of the stadium. These people are very important because it is their

job to streamline parking for the event so that when the event is over, it quick and efficient for

the fans to find their cars and exit the stadium.

Another area that would be necessary for the World Series is the use of ushers as it would

be much harder than usual to find your correct seat in a playoff atmosphere than it would be


during the regular season. Attendance was no lower than 38,091 people and got as high as

41,711 people (MLB.com, 2016).

With so many people in attendance, they are all bound to get hungry at some point. This

is where the role of concessions would be huge, is it presents an easy opportunity for the team

hosting each game to make a good profit on overpriced hot-dogs, nachos and even drinks like

water, soda and beer.

Another even more important sector of staffing would be security. With so many fans in

one confined area, a good portion of which are probably consuming alcohol, it would not be

uncommon for security to have to intervene when fans of both teams begin to get rowdy. Fights

in the stands during games occur frequently during the regular season, so when there is a world

championship on the line, having top notch security at both venues would be an absolute must.

When fans attend such a meaningful sporting event such as the World Series, they would

naturally want to have something to remember the day by. Some may settle for photos at the

venue, but most people combine picture-taking with going to the team store and buying a

souvenir. This is where having people to run the store is very important, and having multiple

checkout stations to make the purchasing process as quick and efficient as possible is a must.

When fans buy tickets to the biggest series of the baseball season, they expect everything to be

top of the line.

Without a competent maintenance staff on-site at both venues, fans would not receive

what they know as a “major-league” quality experience when attending such prestigious games.

If you have a department dedicated to making sure the concourse and seating areas top notch, a

similar group should be made responsible for doing the same to the playing field itself. This


where the grounds crew come in. They mow the grass, drag and wet the infield dirt at every

position. In this year’s World Series, during game seven, it began to rain late in the game, and

the grounds crew had to pull the tarp over the infield so that it wouldn’t become muddy and

deemed unplayable. Last, but certainly not least, it is extremely important to have umpires to

officiate the game.

Umpires are booked directly though the MLB itself. Everyone else, with the exception of

the independent food vendors, is hired by through the individual teams. Any independent food

vendors that are sponsors of the team pay to have their brand seen at the stadium. After paying,

these sponsors get to have signage for their business put up throughout the stadium along with a

small stand, so that their business can benefit from the large masses of people that attend MLB

games.

Security and medical personnel at the World Series are required to be CPR and First Aid

certified. Security personnel must also take in-depth training courses to be ready for an event of

this size and importance. United States Sports Academy offers physical and online courses.

FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security offer free training courses. The other type of

training everyone on your security team needs is security exercises. According to Homeland

Security, there are seven exercises they need to perform. Some of these are discussion-based.

Seminars, game simulations, and table-top exercises all fall into this category. The other type is

operations-based. Actual security drills and exercises are considered operations-based (Redwire,

2016). The rest of the event staff would need to have a good understanding of where everything

in the stadium is located, such as bathrooms, concessions, the team store, as well as first aid. Any

food vendors would have to be in possession of a license to sell food and beverage, especially if

they are selling alcohol.


Activities and Elements of the Event

In addition to the World Series games themselves, there are several things offered to fans.

One ancillary event that is offered for fans of the winning team would be the parade that begins

shortly after the World Series concludes and the champion is crowned. Normally, the city will all

but shut down for the day, several streets being closed off as the players ride around their home

city in either duck boats or double-decker busses, hoisting the World Series trophy for all fans in

attendance to see in person. After the Cubs won the World Series, their celebratory parade drew

5 million people to the city. After compiling some data, it was reported by Fox 23 Chicago that

this parade was marked as the seventh-largest gathering in human history. This can draw back to

the earlier point made about pride and morale for the fans of the winning team (Flosi, 2016).

A lot of times when attending major league games as a whole, it is more common for fans

to park their cars in a commuter lot and take a train or bus that will drop them off at or within

manageable walking distance of the field. In Chicago, they strongly encourage the use of public

transportation, as it will help limit the gridlock of cars trying to leave the ballpark and its

surrounding area after a game (ChicagoCubs.com, 2016). However, for fans who insist on

driving themselves to the game, there are three lots that are all under 1.5 miles away from the

stadium that charge no more than $15 to park your car there for the game (ParkingPanda.com,

2016). In Cleveland, they have a very similar system, but they also include a free trolley system

as a way of transportation to the ballpark. For parking, Progressive Field is conveniently located

near several parking lots and garages, ranging from a cost of $5-$20 (Indians.com, 2016).

Major League Baseball along with the NFL share similar crowd control policies. When

scanning tickets to enter into the ballpark, there are typically between three to five kiosks at

every entrance of the stadium where fans assemble in lines to wait their turn to be buzzed in


(Cotton, Wolohan, 2003). The lines may get long at times, but the process only takes a few

seconds per fan, so the lines tend to be quick moving. Also, at the top of every section of seating,

there is typically an usher tasked with watching that section to make sure that fans behave

themselves. Security officers can also be seen at field level, typically next to the camera well.

They are tasked with detaining any fans that run onto the playing field before, during and after

the game. Any fan caught doing this or acting insubordinately according to the rules of the

ballpark where the game is being played are told to vacate the premises immediately and are

followed out by security to make sure nothing else goes awry upon the fan’s ejection.

What is the Americans with Disabilities Act? According to Sport Facility Management:

Organizing Events and Mitigating Risks, The ADA “specifies what employers, government

agencies, and managers of public facilities (including sport facilities) must do to ensure people

with disabilities are not unfairly excluded from social life” (Ammon, Jr., Southall, Nagel, 2016,

p.133). Even though Wrigley Field is the second oldest ballpark in the country, it is still very

accessible for those that have disabilities of some kind. Cubs fan Juli Ann Patty wrote an article

on ADA compliance and recalls:

“I was just there the other day, and I noticed what a good job they're doing. There was

someone in a wheelchair in front of me, a man who'd broken his leg. Now, Wrigley Field

is nearly a century old, so its structure contains none of the accessibility considerations

we're accustomed to in modern buildings, but the owners of Wrigley Field have made as

many structural adaptations as possible” (Patty, 2010).

She goes on to highlight that in order to accommodate wheelchairs, Wrigley has made ramps by

pouring concrete over areas that used to be occupied by stairs. She noted that what impressed her

the most was that the staff had gone above and beyond to help the fan she saw in a wheelchair, as


two customer service representatives accompanied the man that sat in front of her, making sure

that he was able to easily access his seat. She concluded by saying, “It just showed that there's a

lot you more you can do than just make structural changes to make people feel comfortable and

well served” (Patty, 2010).

Conversely, The Indians installed 610 handicapped-accessible seats in a variety of

configurations. There are accessible seats at the end of a row without an armrest, seating for the

visually impaired behind the screened area, and wheelchair seating featuring either an open spot

or a pivoting seat for easy access (Reichard, 2009). Both stadiums have gone above and beyond

in regards to accommodate fans who want to attend a game to see their team win a championship

for the first time in a least over half a century.

One of the popular associations with the game of baseball is sitting down with some

popcorn, a hot dog and a beer to watch the game. Although this is considered the norm at

baseball games, the subject of alcohol at sporting events is very controversial. Drunk fans will

often times break out in fights, causing anything from injury to simply ruining the fan experience

for those around them. According to the study titled, “Baseball and Beer: An Analysis of

Alcohol Consumption Patterns Among Male Spectators at Major-League Sporting Events”,

“Forty-one percent of all participants tested positive for alcohol. The highest

consumption occurred in the 20- to 35-year-old age group. In this age group, 50.8% had

consumed some alcohol, and 10.8% had a blood alcohol level of .08% (intoxicated) or

higher. Almost 5% of all participants tested during the fifth inning collection were

intoxicated and claimed to be driving. Conclusion: Of the spectators tested, those in the

20- to 35-year-old age group were most likely to have consumed alcohol and to be legally


intoxicated. A disturbing number of spectators who had blood alcohol levels of .08% or

higher late in the game claimed to be driving home” (Wolfe, Martinez, Scott, 1998).

These staggering numbers help confirm why there is a heightened need for security at

ballparks. Officers are posted nearly everywhere and are much more likely to nip drunk driving

or fighting incidents in the bud and not have them end in serious injury or worse.

One final amenity that is offered to fans would be concessions. Although the food may be

costly, it can also be seen as more efficient because eating at the venue itself will save families

from having to make an extra stop when they are on their way to the event or after they have left.

Obviously, if you host any sort of event, you want to cater to all in attendance. It serves sports

well because it not only is a big part of “fan” experience, but is one way that organizations try to

make fans spend the maximum amount of money they possibly can at an event, by catering to

their every need and charging for the fulfillment of these needs.

One of the most notable contracts that the MLB holds is its uniform contract with

Majestic. According to Maury Brown of Forbes,

“Majestic Athletic and Major League Baseball Properties have reached an extension of

their agreement that will see the manufacturer continue to provide products to players and

consumers.” (Brown, 2015).

However, after the 2019 MLB season ends, Under Armour will be taking over as

producer of MLB uniforms, as reported by Darren Rovell of MLB.com. This will end the

partnership with Majestic that will have lasted 15 years (Rovell, 2016).

One final contract that the MLB has that is exclusive to the World Series is the

broadcasting rights. According to Mark Newman of MLB.com:


“Major League Baseball's national television landscape is set through 2021. MLB

announced an eight-year national media rights agreements with Fox … meaning the

World Series and All-Star Game will remain on FOX, while the League Championship

Series and Division Series will be shared across FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG), TBS

and MLB Network” (Newman, 2012).

This calendar year will be big for FOX Sports, as they will have televised both the MLB

World Series along with the NFL Super Bowl 51.

There is a lot of preparation to making the World Series an aesthetically pleasing event.

Before the game, the bases need to be spotless and dirt-free, so they are spray painted white.

Finely-ground white chalk dust is also rolled out in perfectly straight lines to represent the foul

lines. The grounds crew also has the responsibility of watering the grass and dirt. Along with

watering, they are responsible for mowing the grass, sometimes mowing different images or

patterns into the outfield grass, typically in centerfield. As mentioned earlier, the infielders of the

home team will tell the grounds crew exactly how wet or dry they like their area in the infield to

be, and the grounds crew will follow the specifications they are given. The dirt on the infield also

has to be dragged before and periodically throughout the game. This helps remove cleat marks

and divots that could influence the way the ball bounces on the field. One other responsibility

that is done pregame is the World Series logo being spray painted into the grass behind home

plate.

Right before batting practice starts, the bases need to be set out and locked into place by a

metal bar that is on the bottom of the base itself. Right as the game starts, a rosin bag is put on

the back of the dirt pitching mound for the pitcher and infielders to help them get a better grip on

the ball when they have to throw it. The home plate umpire will come out carrying several spare


baseballs in case a foul ball goes into the stands or if a pitcher requests a new ball. There will

also be boxes of extra balls kept in the home team’s dugout, in case the umpire runs out. Finally,

the national anthem will be sung before the start of play and God Bless America and Take Me

Out to the Ball Game are sung during the seventh inning stretch.

After the game(s) end, the infield dirt would need to be re-dragged, taking out any cleat

marks that were made after it was dragged mid-game. The bases would then be removed and the

dirt watered. All entry points would be locked once the last crew member leaves the premises.

Budget

From a fan perspective, one major source of revenue at any sporting event would be food.

When large masses of people are at a venue for an extended period of time, the grand majority of

them are bound to get hungry at some time during the event. One adjustment that sports teams

have made in the past decades to improve fan experience is placing live stream monitors at the

concessions area. This makes serving food at the venue benefit both the fan and the team because

the fan won’t have to leave the stadium and potentially miss any action, and the organization will

make more money than just simply the ticket price. To build on that, tickets are the main source

of revenue for any sports team. This is how they get fans in the door to make all other ancillary

purchases. Apparel is another very big revenue stream for sports organizations. As mentioned

earlier, when fans attend an event, they will want a memento to remember the day by. This is yet

another avenue where both the fan and the organization benefit from the purchases made.

Another source of revenue would be TV contracts. In the case of the World Series, FOX and the

MLB have a contract where FOX pays a share of what they receive from their ratings to the

MLB in exchange for the rights to broadcast the games. One final source of revenue would be

sponsorships. At every MLB stadium there are signs plastered everywhere, promoting different


companies that have signed contracts with the individual major league teams to advertise

themselves.

One big expense for the World Series would be player salaries. No

matter if a team wins or loses, every player makes a bonus for helping bring

their team to the “Fall Classic.” Obviously, the winning team gets a bigger

bonus, but it isn’t much larger in comparison to what the loser receives.

Another expense would be travel. There is a maximum of two travel days

during the World Series. Booking the private jet for not only this round of the

playoffs but the two previous rounds as well can prove to be very costly. One

final glaring expense at any sporting event would be the facility utilities. The

World Series games are always played at night, so the larger demographic

won’t be at work when the games are going on. This combined with the tens of

thousands of fans using the facilities will cause excessive funds to be allocated

for electricity and sewage costs, in particular.

Risk Management, Liability, Negligence

One of the biggest and most dangerous risks at any sporting event is a person bringing a

weapon into the stadium. This is mitigated with the use of metal detectors at the entrances of the

ballpark(s), with trained security staff stationed at them. Another risk would be fans running on

to the field of play. As previously mentioned, there are security personnel stationed next to the

camera wells on both the first and third base side as well as a few in the bullpens to stop fans

from entering the field of play. A third risk that could potentially fall under liability would be if a

bat or ball came flying into the stands and hit a fan. To mitigate this, buying a ticket to a game

also is a waiver claiming that the venue will not be held responsible for these sorts of accidental


injuries. Another way that they have tried to stop these occurrences is by extending the protective

netting behind home and along the first and third base lines, to lower the likelihood of instances

where spectators would not have time to get out of the way.

In Conclusion

The 2016 MLB World Series was one for the ages. Fans got to see the longest World

Series drought broken, and a record-breaking amount of people attended the celebratory parade.

A lot goes into planning and organizing the championship for the game known as “America’s

Pastime,” from maintenance, ticket sales, parking, apparel sales, concessions, and so much more.

It is Major League Baseball’s hope that after the proverbial show that was put on by the Chicago

Cubs and the Cleveland Indians during this year’s World Series, baseball’s ratings will go up

again and be able to compete with the three other major American sports.


Appendix

Adidas Kris Bryant “Kurse Breaker” shirt referred to on page 3, line 15


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Documents

2016 World Series Case Study