Election Day-related promotions will be common this year, but the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Class AA; Eastern League) are already upping the ante with a bipartisan opening day jersey.
The bipartisan opening day jersey, which has been created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first New Hampshire primary, features an interesting color design, as it is blue on one side and red on the other. Each sleeve features a patch depicting the well-known emblems for the two major U.S. parties—the Democratic Party donkey on the blue sleeve, and the Republican Party elephant on the red.
To finalize the rest of the uniform, the Fisher Cats are turning to the fans. Currently, the club is seeking votes on whether the team will wear a blue hat with the donkey logo, or a red hat with the elephant emblem.
Those interested in voting can visit Wethefans2016.com—an elaborate platform that provides running result totals, plus a state-by-state breakdown. (At the time this post was published, it was a 51%-49% margin in favor of the red cap.) Voting will run on that site through April 1. Furthermore, the Fisher Cats have been counting any purchased hat and advanced Opening Day ticket sales towards the voting totals. Those who have purchased tickets to the April 14 opener also have a chance to pick some other promotions relating to the event, including special music, videos, and concession items.
“We have had a blast this offseason celebrating 100 years of the New Hampshire Primary with fans voting on which hat we’ll wear on Opening Day,” said Fisher Cats President and GM Rick Brenner. “We’ve had votes cast from all 50 states, we’re less than 45 days from Opening Day, and there’s no snow on the field. Needless to say, we’re excited to get the season going and to see which hat our fans choose to go along with these spectacular new jerseys.”
Among the teams around Minor League Baseball, the Fisher Cats are one of the most natural fits for a promotion of this kind. New Hampshire’s association with presidential primaries was the inspiration for the team’s originally-chosen name, the New Hampshire Primaries. While some sentiment against that identity prompted the decision to rebrand the club as the Fisher Cats, the Primaries identity has been used sporadically by the team over the years, including for What-If nights.
Expect some additional election-related promotions to pop up around the minors over the coming weeks and months. Bobblection—a giveaway in which fans pick receive a bobblehead of their preferred candidate—has been a staple around the minors for the last few election cycles, and figures to return this year. During the season, be sure to keep an eye on our Promotions Watch features to see which teams are getting in on the election trend in 2016.
All photos courtesy of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.