Blog 2 - University of South Carolina Softball

On Sunday, March 25th, I went to the Gamecock Athletic Park to see the USC softball team compete against the Tennessee Volunteers at Beckham Field. The objective of the trip was to see and understand marketing from a collegiate level sports game. On this specific day, it was national waffle day, so it gave the marketing team a perfect excuse to give out a free Waffle House waffle coupon to all fans. Alongside the free coupons, the first fifty students, including myself, received a free t-shirt. The shirt incorporated the Waffle House logo into a USC design, which appealed to both lovers of Waffle House and the university. The only other main source of sponsorship showcasing came from the scoreboard, which held four advertisements including: Capital One, Safelite, Verizon, and Founders. In between innings, the announcer would verbally thank a sponsor, and then proceed with an announcement, later again thanking the same sponsor. When it came to food, Coca Cola and Ritas stood out as the main sponsors. The refreshments were Coca Cola products, to go along with the non- sponsored food. Lastly, in between the 3rd and 4th inning, the marketing team threw out some squishy baseballs that held sponsors names on them. Overall, the marketing from a collegiate softball game was less than that of a professional sports game, which was expected. However, the extent of the advertisements and giveaways shows that it is still an important aspect of the event and it was intended to reach fans of all ages and backgrounds.

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