John Root: The Visionary behind Bleacher League Baseball
By Editorial Staff
Ever attend a major league baseball game with a date, family, or friends, and just wonder why you left the security of your man cave loaded with reasonably priced beer and a sweet home theatre. Well we all feel at one time or another that it would be a great idea to take someone to the ball game because you can experience the American pastime together. Your girlfriend or wife is lying to you when they say they are having fun at the Nationals’ games, and it’s all about gaining leverage to get you to do something they want later. There are women out there that are more engaged in the ball game than their male counterpart, and that woman is a keeper especially if she gives you great tips on your fantasy leagues to beat your friends. Then there are people like me that have a young child that has lost interest in game after the third inning, and only wish to disrupt the experience leading you with no choice but to leave early. The last scenario is the friend you took to the ball game who complains about the game and overpriced beer. Their goal is to use every last bit of energy to ruin your experience and convince you to leave early.
John Root has entered the Baseball Winter Meetings Trade Show with a solution that leaves the fans in the stands with a simple way of engaging the game. The Bleacher League Baseball game is the concept that John created while attending Phillies’ games with his nephew. The goal was to figure out how to keep his nephew and other kids engaged in the ball game to improve everyone’s experience and have fun. He would ask the kids to make predictions of what would happen next during the game. Correct predictions would earn points, and the highest point total would determine the winner. The winner would receive a pretzel, money, or ice cream, but the most important factor was that everyone had a great time. Not only were they talking about what happened during the game on the way home, but there was the question of when are they going to go to the next game.
John engaged me with his product as I walked past his booth, and with his warm personality and hospitality began to tell me the story off his product. He even gave me a sample to take with me, and in the car to the airport my son wouldn’t put it down. John spoke of the issues that many of us have keeping our family or friends engaged at the ballgame. Just holding this simple notebook style game in my hand I smiled, as I know that I will see John’s product in the hands of fans within the near future. It is great to see a success story unfold in front of your eyes, and it makes me quite aware that the American dream is still alive and well.
John invented the game with simple rules, but ultimately he leaves the fans in the stands to use their imagination. Picture playing your wife, where the loser must take out the trash when arriving home. Have the kids occupied playing the game, so now you can catch up with the wife on different issues. Create a drinking game where you and friends have a blast, but still everyone is engaged in the ball game. John is even working on the online version, so in the near future with a downloaded application you are playing the game from your phone.
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