Page 167 - Introduction to Electronic Commerce and Social Commerce

156 • Sport, Media and Society

subs’ offered sandwiches named after baseball terms such as ‘triple play’, ‘curve
ball’ and ‘bench warmer’, and a neon Budweiser sign was displayed alongside a jer-
sey. Television screens showing the game were abundant so that fans buying food and
drink would not miss the action, and the sounds of baseball permeated the space.
While the branding of the space in these ways may be understood as part of the
Red Sox management strategy, fans have used tactics to actively create their own

meanings that are occasionally in opposition to the official stance. The fans’ commit-
ment to the nostalgic, historical and traditional aspects of the Red Sox image led to
a massive protest against owners’ announced plans to build a new stadium that would
seat more spectators. The plan prompted Sports Illustrated columnist Rich Reilly
(1998: 3) to question the strategy: ‘let me get this straight. We’re bulldozing real vin-
tage ballparks like Tiger Stadium and Fenway Park to put up fake vintage ballparks?’
The protests ultimately served to help save Fenway Park from destruction.
Entering the stadium, there was an overwhelming sense of green covering the

field, walls and seats, reinforcing a pastoral sense of times gone by. The famous
Green Monster, one of the most renowned architectural components of any ballpark,
loomed over left field. This historical branding has been one of the Red Sox’ most

successful strategies and encompasses the size and shape of the stadium, the red seat
marking Ted Williams’s home run, the Pesky Pole, vintage souvenirs and the manual
scoreboard, which is still operated by hand. The historical space merged into the
contemporary with massive scoreboards displaying video clips, messages and im-
ages of players and spectators. Loud music filled the air and vendors roamed up and

down through the aisles as spectators located their seats. Huge billboards for Ford,
Dunkin’ Donuts, Volvo, Bud Light, and Sports Authority were situated around the
edge of the ballpark, and there was a large neon Budweiser sign. Smaller advertise-
ments adorned the scoreboards, and the names of advertisers written in old-fashioned
white script appeared on the older, manual scoreboard.
Rules for fan behaviour were announced, including no trespassing, cleaning up
the space, language, respect for all fans, cell phones, sitting in allocated seat and no
smoking. Anyone who spoiled the enjoyment of others was subject to ejection. Signs
throughout the park highlighted other rules: