Pro Panel - The Bobblehead Bungle

Pro Panel - The Bobblehead Bungle

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a tricky situation on their hands this spring when 20,000 bobbleheads that appeared to be giving fans the finger arrived. Find out how our panel of industry pros might have handled it in our Pro Panel Discussion.

This month's Pros are five industry executives and editor Jon Cudo who have been set-up with the question of how they would react to the situation.

Read more about the Pirates pinch in the Editor's Blog

Gameops.com Pros Panel

You are in this position: Your shipment of 20,000 bobbleheads arrives on Friday for your game on Saturday. You take them out of the box and notice that the player seems to be giving you the finger. You have 36 hours until game time, a sponsor is attached to the promotion, and tickets have been selling briskly in anticipation of the giveaway.

Question: What do you do?

Scott A. Sproat
Executive V.P./Co-Owner, Fort Wayne Komet Hockey

I would go ahead and give them away and try to turn a potential negative into a positive. I would print certificates to hand out along with the bobbleheads that basically said:

"These bobbleheads were created from an actual photograph taken from game action. The representation that you are seeing was created to be authentic. If you are offended in any way by the unfortunate unintentional positioning of the finger on the glove hand, then you can use the attached certificate for a SPECIAL TICKET OFFER to a future Pirates' Home Game (give a list of off games) and return your bobblehead at that time to any of the Pirates' in-game souvenir stands and exchange it for another Pirate in-stock Bobblehead or another item from a list of substitutes provided in the souvenir stands. In addition, the Pirates' Organization in conjunction with the SPONSOR of the bobbleheads will be making a donation to a local non-profit group that deals with positive behavior among kids (or related cause) as our way of pointing out the need to be positive influences in our community and in the lives of our area's young people."

You would be selling a ticket to another future off-game, you would be creating goodwill among your fans that were potentially offended by offering the "exchange" (which also gets them in your souvenir shops for a possible up-sale or additional sale opportunity) - and by extension - you are also pointing out the potential "collectibility" of the bobblehead - which may inspire people to hold onto them for future posting on Ebay, etc. You might even contact Ebay to see if they would be willing to assist with the "Exchange Process" or "Exchange Option" - as they will ultimately benefit from these collectibles that will likely show-up on their site in the future.

Pat Walker
President Pat Walker Productions

First off, if you get in a position where it's 36 hours out from the game and you're putting your eyes on the physical bobblehead for the first time, the ball has been dropped somewhere along the line. While the shipment of 20,000 is expected to arrive 24-72 hours out from the game, it's essential to view a physical prototype weeks or even months in advance. If a company (overseas or domestic) doesn't offer this service, then simply find another vendor.

Going along with this scenario, I feel the best option is to be up front with the media and fans about it. As bobbleheads have evolved, they've become closer and closer to a player's likeness...and in this case, my guess is that Gorzelanny simply wears his mitt with his middle finger on the outside, similar to how other players place their index finger or no fingers on the exterior of the glove. I think by tackling the issue head on, it becomes a non-issue very quickly.

John Franzone
20-year MLB veteran producer with too much time on his hands

The first thing I would do is circle back with executive management and craft a press release with a lots of humor ...including something pithy from the player...and approval from the sponsor. Look, things happen sometimes...so be straight about it. Fans appreciate honesty more than anything else. Take the Veeck approach...fun is good. I will wager this issue was due to a poor reference photo... which was taken from an acute angle that made the non-baseball versed asian craftsman think it was a middle-finger sticking out of the glove instead of an index finger. You could joke that in China the middle finger represents inner peace...or a kick-ass two seam curveball. In stadium...you could do a fun little pre-game bit with the player and the in-park emcee ...emphasizing that it is clearly NOT the middle finger ...and use other classic conspiracy photos to back him up - Loch Ness, Big Foot, the Face on Mars. It's like being caught with your fly down at a party...the only way out of the embarrassment is to joke about it...and with some brainstorming in this case...you can be clever to boot.

With the giveaway being highly promoted, from experience, I can tell you NOT to pull the product. That would only cause fan disappointment...and a sponsorship issue. I was with the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays when, in 2002, the night before a scheduled Jason Tyner bobble-head giveaway, Tyner was sent down to AAA. Management decided to pull the giveaway...and many fans were disappointed. To this day, some are still looking to get one in their hands. I always felt we should have gone on with the giveaway...had some fun with it - i.e., via a funny note from Tyner posted on the video board ("sorry I can't join you today, but I have jury duty in Durham, see you when I get back,")...or..a Conan-style video where moving lips were supered over a still shot of Tyner conveying a message...or a video with a stand-in who was the complete opposite in appearance of Tyner. Goofy stuff. Instead the giveaway was scrapped...and those bobbles sat in storage for 5-6 years. They were sponsored to boot. Not sure what their fate is now.

Or you could do a paint job. Test one first, and if it meets muster...get boatload of black sharpies...and pull a staff all-nighter coloring over the finger. Check out this math. One person could color 6 bobbles/minute...maybe 7...and there'd have to be a person opening the boxes...and another person sealing 'em up after the doctoring. So a team of three could do 360/hour...good for 1,800 over 5 hours...maybe 2,000 if the process is going well. So with 10 teams of three working non-stop...lots of sharpies and Mountain Dew...you could try to "fix" the shipment after the Friday night game. Videotape the impromptu event...and again...have some fun with it so that you spin the PR your way in a positive, entertaining fashion. "The Pirates are committed to wholesome family entertainment. We will not stand for inappropriate symbolic gestures, and, by virtue of last night's Sharpie Session, will go to any lengths and make every effort to protect and defend the deep moral fiber, integrity and conscience of Major League Baseball and it's players. However, we have no comment regarding Roger Clemens at this time." Who knows? It might even lead to a sponsorship deal with Sharpie. "The Sharpie Save"...every time your closer saves a game.

Related Links:

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Opening Night
Bobbleheads
Celebrity Bobbleheads