by Tim O'Keefe
Fans and families cheered in the parking lot of Prince George's Stadium in Bowie, Maryland, as Jason Dunn, lead singer of the Christian Canadian punk band Hawk Nelson, with his mohawk haircut and cut-off-shirt sleeves revealing the tattoos on his arms, took a break from jumping around stage to explain how the song "Everything You Ever Wanted" was about trying to live up to the expectations of his father.
"But I am here to tell you that Jesus Christ is better than any father any of us could have," said Dunn.
Pre-game Christian concerts like this one, held on a humid summer evening at the home of the Bowie Baysox, a Class AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, are part of a rapidly growing promotional -- some would say controversial -- event called Faith Night being offered at major and minor league baseball stadiums around the country.
It may be just another chapter in the longstanding relationship between faith and baseball in America. "At the center of baseball's symbolic power there resides a unique language of civil religion, proclaiming that the game can redeem America and serve as a light to all nations," according to THE FAITH OF 50 MILLION: BASEBALL, RELIGION AND AMERICAN CULTURE (Westminster John Knox Press), edited by religion scholars Christopher Hodge Evans and William Herzog. The book is one in a recent number of titles that probe the spiritual implications of baseball, including STEAL AWAY: DEVOTIONS FOR BASEBALL FANS (Judson Press) by Hugh Poland and ROUNDING THE BASES: BASEBALL AND RELIGION IN AMERICA (Mercer University Press) by Joseph Price.
Baseball chapel has long been a common practice, according to Sporting News magazine. Since its official establishment in 1973, more than 400 unpaid team chaplains have led Sunday services for major and minor league players and coaches. And for decades major league teams such as the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins have held annual events like Lutheran Night at Tiger Stadium and Comerica Park in Detroit and at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, where on August 14 the Twins will mark their 14th Lutheran Night with an evening of fellowship at the ballpark and a choir of Lutherans to help sing the National Anthem.
But baseball, still widely regarded as America's national pastime, seems to have embarked on something of a new era with Faith Night, searching for higher ticket sales and different fan markets. As baseball groupie and spiritual seeker Annie Savoy, played by Susan Sarandon, said in the 1988 movie Bull Durham, "I've tried 'em all, I really have, and the only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the Church of Baseball."
Faith Night "has gone from one team in Nashville in 2002 to 46 this year," according to Brent High, president and partner of Third Coast Sports Inc., the self-described "foremost authority in church marketing and event planning for sports teams."
"This rolling tour is now literally coast-to-coast," said High, who produces the Faith Night tour.
Faith Night is in the midst of a three-month circuit that began in June and will end in September. Third Coast Sports is a sister company of Third Coast Artist Agency, a large Christian artist booking agency. Both are based in Nashville, home of the minor league Nashville Sounds, a Class AAA affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.
High attributes the growth of events like Faith Night over the last few years largely to the "copy-cat" attitudes of baseball executives.
"Baseball executives are a tight-knit group, and if any promotional event is working and making money, others will follow," said High. "For us, we see the imitation as a form of flattery."
Teams pay Third Coast Sports out of their Faith Night ticket and sponsorship sales. High did not want to say specifically how much money the for-profit company makes from these ventures. He claimed that the teams reap the financial benefits of Faith Night not only from ticket sales but also from parking and concessions.
"Teams have seen tremendous growth in attendance and revenue," said High. "We are talking about a ten to fifty percent increase for a given Faith Night."
Since the inception of Faith Night, ten major league teams have made it a part of their promotional schedule, including the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, and Washington Nationals, who are having their first Faith Night this summer on August 5, featuring the Christian band MercyMe after the game.
At Prince George's Stadium, Hawk Nelson was joined by two other Christian bands, The Send and Commonroy, while Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber of Veggie Tales, a popular Christian computer-generated cartoon series, took pictures with young children. Tents were set up around the perimeter of the parking lot with information about Third Coast Sports, the performing artists, and even some local churches. A $15 ticket covered the Faith Night festivities as well as the game between the Baysox and the Erie SeaWolves, a AA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, and fans liked the deal.
"In our mother's Bible study group we all wanted to go to a baseball game. When we saw the advertisement for the Faith Night it was a perfect opportunity to do both," said Sophie Bradford of Hyland, Maryland.
Major and minor league teams offer multiple promotional events like Faith Night every month. From Hispanic Heritage Night to Bobblehead Night to One Dollar Hotdog Night, teams are looking for whatever it takes to attract people to the ballpark. But some baseball officials think Faith Night has a larger impact on fans than other typical promotions.
