Little League Sports Make a Big Point
By Ken Klein , Executive Vice President, Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA)
The Little League World Series — played on a lush green ball field in South Williamsport, PA — is one of the great spectacles in sports.
When kids from Taylor, Michigan (population 61,379) beat a team from Ohio 5-2 in the Sunday afternoon championship game, a congrats message quickly appeared on digital billboards throughout southeast Michigan.
This Little League anecdote illustrates larger points about out of home media, as:
- Fast
- Part of the community and sports culture
- Inter-connected to other media
Michigan hadn’t won a Little League World Series since 1959. It would be difficult to overstate home-state pride for the Taylor North Little League team that won the championship on August 29. Some Michiganders joked that Taylor North Little League is the best team in the state, noting that the Detroit Tigers are under .500.
A bit of OOH history
Sports showcases the connection between OOH and other media
In Florida, TV news reported on memorial billboards honoring legendary Florida State Football Coach Bobby Bowden.
WPTV Channel 5, West Palm Beach
After the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA title in July, ad-supported tour buses carried the team on a victory parade. The Bucks shared these photos with the team’s 1.5 million Twitter followers:
Sports + out of home media = deep connections.
In Washington, DC — within hours after the Bucks won the championship — Wisconsin Congressman Mike Gallagher had a miniature billboard honoring the team.
Sports + out of home media = deep connections
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