Brewers Plan to Give Back [Reply #64: $10 vouchers to all fans attending August games]

[jerichoholicninja]

I'm taking the lady to a game or two in August so this is a pleasant surprise. Not sure what I'll be spending it on but it will definitely not be food.

[Dragonbait]

I like the that you can combine them..... Might be needing to get me a new jersey.... haven't bought one since '03

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

Yay...going to my only game of the year at MP this Friday! Just when I thought they wouldn't really give away free beer.

[dlk9s]

Except everyone knows $10 in concessions probably costs the team $1 or less in actual cost. Doubt this promotion costs them more than $500k.

 

But they're still not getting a lot of revenue that they might otherwise.

[patrickgpe]

i wasn't planning on going to any game that i already didn't have tickets for. this would cause more to go to more games i think. especially if tickets are still going to be dirt cheap on stubhub.

[DuWayne Steurer]

The Brewers will continue to sell Braun merchandise in the stadium.

 

"We just feel it's up to the fans to decide whether they want to buy things associated with Ryan," Schlesinger said.

 

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9518562/milwaukee-brewers-distribute-10-vouchers-august-games

 

So..........I think we all knew that the jersey trade-in was never actually going to happen, but they're still going to keep the Braun merch on the shelves. Good for them. He's still a Brewer.

[502 to Right]

People are acting like Braun committed murder.

 

The $10 voucher is beyond what I expected and a very nice gesture. But I still wanted one night of free beer.

 

Free beer = the only reason I go to wedding receptions.

[Roderick]

From the link... the Brewers expect to distribute more than $3.6 million worth of vouchers.

Could this be a way for them to tell the fans that they are giving back the money they will be saving from Braun's contract without mentioning him by name.

 

Except everyone knows $10 in concessions probably costs the team $1 or less in actual cost. Doubt this promotion costs them more than $500k.

 

I assume the Brewers have some revenue splitting deal with the vending company that wouldn't be close to them getting 90% of sales. I would just guess 40% with no information. The vendor still has to pay the employees, buy the food and make their own profit.

[hawing]

Another step in the "give back" process is Mark Attanasio's open letter: LINK

Here's the text as well:

 

July 30, 2013

 

Dear Brewers Fans:

 

This past week has been an admittedly difficult time for everyone who loves the Milwaukee Brewers, including our fans, our corporate and community partners, and employees. We share your frustration and disappointment with the news of Ryan Braun’s suspension and the mistakes that Ryan has made. We want you to know that we take this matter very seriously.

 

We recognize that Ryan has many steps ahead of him to regain your trust and respect. This process will take time, and the road to redemption for Ryan will not be easy. Our responsibility as an organization is to help Ryan appreciate the difficult task ahead of him and to assist in the healing process. At the same time, during this frustrating season, we want to reaffirm what the Brewers stand for as an organization. We believe everyone at the Brewers is accountable to each of you every day, and it is a team effort to meet that responsibility. We have an obligation to ensure that our players give maximum effort at all times. We also remain committed to providing you with the best experience at Miller Park. And we appreciate the tremendous loyalty and support you continue to demonstrate to the team. We never take your passion and our strong relationship with you for granted.

 

Starting this week, we will be introducing a series of initiatives to reaffirm our commitment to you and all of our fans throughout Wisconsin. We know that these initiatives are not a substitute for success on the field, and our primary mission remains to have a perennially competitive team. As we have previously stated, no single player defines the Milwaukee Brewers, and the success or failure of our organization is not tied to the performance or behavior of any single player. Within the clubhouse walls reside many talented players who will be the centerpieces of what we hope are the next great Milwaukee Brewers teams. This abiding belief is reflected on the cover of our 2013 Media Guide where six players are pictured. We have always maintained that any success the team experiences on the field is not possible without our fans, and we ask you to continue to be a part of the success of our organization.

 

We deeply appreciate your loyalty, patience, and understanding. On behalf of the entire Brewers organization, you have my pledge that we will overcome these current challenges, and we will reward the best fans in baseball with a team that truly represents our community.

 

Go Brewers!

 

Mark Attanasio

Chairman and Principal Owner

[JimH5]

He is really hanging Braun out to dry on this.

 

It's kind of surreal.

 

But as Attanasio is on the hook for another $130 million or so, there's nothing wrong with bringing out the 21st century version of the village stocks. Ryan is guilty of unlawful use of the apothecary, and thus will be sentenced to publick humiliation in the towne square.

 

And, he addresses the "Face of the Franchise" stuff pretty well, too.

 

I like Attanasio. This is a good move by him, as he's a young man, and his ownership of the franchise should extend far beyond the careers of any of today's players. He's got to think about the franchise as a whole and get it through these troubling times.

[BrewCrewForever]

Mark is awesome. Very happy to have him as our owner. I have tickets to two games in August as part of our 20 pack so I look forward to the $40 in vouchers we will get.

[rondoman]

Awesome job Brewers!

 

Love you can combine them. My question is do you have to use them the day of the game or can you save several of them from multiple games and redeem by end of the month or beyond?

[GB12]

Awesome job Brewers!

 

Love you can combine them. My question is do you have to use them the day of the game or can you save several of them from multiple games and redeem by end of the month or beyond?

From the JSOnline article

 

Vouchers may be combined (meaning that fans attending with friends and family members, or those attending multiple games, can combine the vouchers for larger purchases) and used at any remaining 2013 home game. The vouchers can also be used toward the purchase of game tickets this season.

[rondoman]

Thanks! Wonder if there is an expiration date when they have to be used by.

[hawing]

Well, the first vouchers should be issued on Friday 8/2, so fans attending that night will find out.

[jerichoholicninja]

Not that I care but is the national media talking about this at all or will they continue to bury Milwaukee as the home of that crappy baseball team with the "cheater"?

[chewy522]

This news was linked on the main page of ESPN when it broke. I don't know about all the talking heads, but ESPN main page is pretty decent coverage.

[hawing]

Someone on my Twitter feed linked this story, from a PR perspective: Link

 

I found it interesting that this story cites the current situation as the most challenging for the Brewers since the 1995 debate over whether to build Miller Park. While Braungate is definitely not a good thing, and the Miller Park debate of '95 was an anxious and unpleasant time, for me both situations were overshadowed by the fall 2003 breakup between the Brewers and Ulice Payne. In the aftermath of his departure was when the future of the franchise felt hopeless to me.

[rondoman]

I saw the story on CBS sports as well. Lots of peeps were giving the Brewers props.

[GB12]

Thanks! Wonder if there is an expiration date when they have to be used by.

I would assume the last home game

used at any remaining 2013 home game

[RightFieldCoder]

Fyi, the concession stands are packed because of these. Expect to miss an inning or two every time you go up.

[xisxisxis]

Fyi, the concession stands are packed because of these. Expect to miss an inning or two every time you go up.

 

Another winning strategy for the Brewers.... Get the fans out of their seats for extended periods so they don't realize what a crap team they paid to see.... More beer can't hurt either... Now if they could do something for us fans watching at a distance.... anything to reduce my urge to throw my laptop into my big screen TV.... Heck releasing Yuni would be a start....

[hawing]

Thanks! Wonder if there is an expiration date when they have to be used by.

The expiration date printed on the vouchers is 9/22/2013, the date of the last home game.

 

On Friday we ate before entering the park, so we didn't visit any concession stands. I did briefly visit the terrace level team store during the game and it was more crowded than what seems usual to me.

[NeedMoreFans]

All of the portable concession stands that accept them (not all do) won't give change. So if you buy something for $7.50, you lose $2.50 of the voucher. What do people do then? Buy something else, of course! I refused to wait in line last night. I got up twice, and missed at least a half inning each time, mostly because the concourses were packed with people waiting in line.

[hawing]

My personal plan (subject to change) for the six vouchers I should have by the end of August is to case out the team store for something that I'd normally consider outside my price range, and apply the vouchers in September, when crowds should be smaller. We so often eat on the way to the park that I can't particularly think of what food on which to use the vouchers.