Teams woo female fans with freebies, but a lawyer cries foul
Long before the Baltimore Orioles passed out lipstick and the Red Sox and other baseball teams began selling pink hats, ``ladies-night" giveaways have been a fixture of America's pastime.
But a California lawyer, denied a free hat at an Oakland A's game because they were reserved for female fans, has filed suit against the team to put a stop to the practice. Alfred Rava calls such giveaways ``sex discrimination on steroids." He is also suing the Los Angeles Angels for giving away tote bags to women only on Mother's Day.
When Rava attended the Oakland game in 2004 , he said he asked for one of the hats that were being given out. ``The woman laughed at me and said, `No, these are only for females,' " or ``words to that effect," Rava said.
He said he filed the suits ``on behalf of other males who were denied [giveaways] because of their sex." He is seeking damages of $4,000 for each man at the games who did not receive gifts.
The outcome of the dispute could have ramifications for Major League Baseball, as well as for minor league teams, which frequently run promotions targeted at women and other specific groups . The Angels tried to make amends by offering a free tote bag, but it did little to placate Rava and the client he is representing in the case (``too late -- the discrimination had already occurred," Rava said.)
The A's, meanwhile, have changed their policy: They decided to let men into their Baseball 101 clinic, which had been marketed toward women, and the team no longer bases its promotions on gender.
``We're cognizant of it," said an A's spokesman, Jim Young . Even children's backpack giveaways now are available to adults who ask for one, he said.
Though the Red Sox do not usually use giveaway promotions, they are common in the minor leagues, where Rava's suits have become the subject of debate. Some fans of minor league teams become rabid for any type of freebie. For instance, in Manchester, N.H., the Fisher Cats' free bobblehead dolls, intended for children, have sparked interest from adults as well.
``Bobbleheads are so popular, adults will stoop down low and say, `I'm a kid at heart,' " said Jeff Tagliaferro , the team's assistant general manager. Nevertheless, the Fisher Cats -- the AA affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays -- turn them down. Team officials also say no to men who request a pink visor or other female-only giveaway to bring home to their wives or daughters, Tagliaferro said, to make sure there will be an adequate supply for the girls and women in attendance.
Other teams do not draw the line so clearly. In New Haven, an independent baseball team, the County Cutters, have been promoting an event in which women hunt for a diamond ring in a giant haystack. No men have asked to participate, but the team might allow it if one did, said Ryan Conley , the Cutters' assistant general manager. He has experience to draw on: When Conley worked for another independent team, the Bangor Lumberjacks in Maine, the team sponsored a ``date the player" auction for female fans. Some men wanted to bid for the players, too -- mostly to take them out to bars, Conley said -- and the team decided to let them participate.
``It was `take a player out on a date' -- it didn't say it had to be a serious date," Conley said.
Baseball teams often use giveaways to lure fans to the ballpark, as well as to help the team's corporate sponsors reach potential new customers. Also, teams that market themselves to families often find that women make the household decisions about buying tickets.
Though well-intended, baseball teams' promotions sometimes go awry. In the 1970s, the Cleveland Indians got the idea to host a 10-cent beer night -- with predictable results. Fans ran onto the field and even hit the umpire with a chair. A few years later, when the Chicago White Sox hosted ``Disco Demolition Night," fans tossed records from the stands and caused so much chaos that the team eventually had to forfeit the game.
Before he went to bat against women's promotions in baseball, Rava became known in California for suing bars that gave women discounts on drinks and admission. ``I found it appalling that businesses would charge customers different prices based on sex," he said. In their response to Rava's lawsuit, the Angels quoted the Bible (``Honor thy father and thy mother") and Ralph Waldo Emerson (``Men are what their mothers made them"). They argued that giving a token to female fans did not infringe on male fans' civil rights.
``This is just unfortunate," Angels spokesman Tim Mead said. ``It's Mother's Day! Mother's Day is something that has been on record as a pretty special day."
At least one team promotion for women is probably safe from discrimination lawsuits. The Lowell Spinners once invited 30 very pregnant women to sit in the stands behind home plate, offering a year's supply of diapers to the first one who gave birth. Eight ambulances were parked outside the stadium, but no one went into labor before the final out.
``We consider ourselves a family park," said Jon Goode , a spokesman for the team. ``Obviously, part of the family is the mom."
