Bandits aim for the fence in new Bandidos season promotion

If you ever needed another reason to attend a Quad Cities River Bandits game, be sure to check out a whole new look and promotion at their Wednesday home contests at Davenport’s Modern Woodmen Park.

This is the first season that the Kansas City Royals affiliate is part of Minor League Baseball’s “Copa de la Diversión” or “Fun Cup” campaign and event series. As one of 85 participating MiLB clubs, the River Bandits are partnering with their “Copa” presenting sponsor Group O to celebrate the Quad Cities’ Hispanic/Latino communities throughout the season.

They’ve had three Wednesday home games so far, as the team becomes “Bandidos del Río de las Ciudades Cuádruples” (the team name in Spanish), with special uniforms and fan specials — the next one is June 15, at 6:30 p.m., against the South Bend Cubs.

The “Bandidos del Río” logo and moniker vibrantly celebrates the unique cultures and identities of the QC with mascot “Pícaro” (Spanish for “rascal”) sporting a sombrero and his signature bandana in a striking serape-inspired design, paying homage to the area’s Hispanic/Latino populations, while boldly reaffirming the River Bandits’ commitment to fun and their community, according to the team.

“This is a great way for the River Bandits to welcome the Hispanic community of the Quad Cities and encourage Hispanic pride,” said Maria Ontiveros, corporate community liaison for Milan-based Group O, the main sponsor for the promotion. “It’s also a great way to promote the organizations and businesses in the area.”

Group O’s sponsorship allows the Bandits to offer free Ferris Wheel and carousel rides during the Wednesday games.

The River Bandits and Group O are partnering with the Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to promote members of the QC Hispanic community by recognizing a small business or non-profit organization during every Wednesday home game.

“It’s a perfect opportunity to provide small businesses a new way to get them into the public eye,” Hispanic Chamber executive director Janessa Calderon said Tuesday. “It’s giving the businesses a platform they never have had before.”

Calderon gave the Bandits and Group O a list of 20 businesses and organizations that would be good to feature during the season. The promotion also helps the local Hispanic community “feel comfortable expressing their culture,” she said.

“It helps people make new friendships and build camaraderie,” Calderon said. “It speaks volumes that they brought it to the Quad Cities. A lot of people are excited about it. It shows we are a very welcoming community.”

QC LULACs to benefit from jersey auction

The first three games have promoted Chocolate Manor, Davenport; Rosales Lawn Care, Moline; and Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico. The June 15 game will highlight Cruz Cutz barbershop in Moline.

Each business or group is offered a table in the main concourse to pass out information about their business, 10 free tickets to the game, an opportunity to throw out the first pitch, and there are PA announcements about them during the game.

A highlight of the season will be the last home game, Sept. 7, when the Bandidos team jerseys will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to the LULAC Councils (on both sides of the river), to be given out in college scholarships. The auction will also be available online, Ontiveros said.

“Modern Woodmen Park may be the friendliest ballpark in America, but we also want it to be the most inclusive ballpark in America,” said River Bandits’ owner Dave Heller. “We’re so excited to unveil our new “Bandidos del Río” brand as part of our ongoing efforts to reach out to our Latino fans and make them feel welcome and valued in our great ballpark.

“The Hispanic community in the Quad Cities has a fantastic heritage here, especially when it comes to sports, and our new partnership with the great folks at Group O will help us celebrate that every Wednesday all season long,” he said.

There also is a brand-new line of “Bandidos del Río” merchandise available at the Rascal’s Den team store and on the team website.

Success “too early to say”

Heller said Tuesday that the promotion has been going well so far, but it’s “too early to say definitively one way or another. Kids are just getting out of school now,” he said. “Most of our season is when kids are out of school. We didn’t open rides until the beginning of May. It’s premature to say that it’s been a success or not a success.”

According to MiLB, during the first four seasons of the initiative, Copa-designated games had a nearly 20 percent higher average attendance than non-Copa games, and participating teams saw significant increases in merchandise sales, partnerships, and concessions revenues. Extending their reach into local communities, teams partnered with more than 200 local Latino organizations on various events and charitable endeavors.

“The continued growth of the Copa de la Diversión initiative reinforces the importance of connecting with our Latino fans and the Latino community nationwide,” said Kurt Hunzeker, MLB’s Vice President of Minor League Business Operations. “Our teams continue to authentically connect with the Latino population in their communities, leading to a deeper and more meaningful fan experience.”

Bandits go extra bases

To the rest of the 80-some teams (eight Minor League teams were added to Copa this year), it’s just “a different uniform to wear once in a while,” Heller, the Bandits’ owner said Tuesday. “To us, it’s an opportunity to give back to the community; free Ferris Wheel rides, half-price Mexican beer.

“I would venture that in addition to being the only team offering discounted Mexican beer, we’re the only team offering free Ferris Wheel rides, and the only team advertising our Copa promotions on television,” he said.

As Heller and Ontiveros did on the Bandits Copa TV spot, “I think we do it, as we do everything, with a sense of humor,” he said. “We strive to live out our objectives of embracing diversity and inclusion, making sure everybody in the community feels welcome in our ballpark.”

“I think it’s helpful — all small businesses could use a little push.” Heller added of helping local Latino businesses and nonprofits. “If we can do that to help Latino-owned businesses, that’s a great win for the community.”

To see a TV spot on the Bandidos promotion, click HERE.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7sMHRqqyanJOewaqx0meaqKVfo7K4v46lppyZnGK7psPSaJmappSewbR5wKKkZp6fp3q1tMRmnZ6mk5p6qrqMp5ywZZKWu6W1w6iqZquVlsCwuoypqailn6m2sLqO