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Strategy March 07, 2019

Baseball Team Scores Marketing Win With ‘Dad Bod’ Contest

The Madison Mallards want to print your “Dad Bod” on a branded “shirsey”.

By  Christopher Ruvo

When it comes to promotions, quirky is common among lower league baseball teams.

But the Madison Mallards have just upped the ante on the odd with their wonderfully weird and hilarious new branded merchandise initiative.

It’s all about “Dad Bods”, and it requires a little fan participation.

Photo from the Madison Mallards

The collegiate summer baseball club from Madison, WI is asking all men with Dad Bods to submit shirtless pictures of themselves. He of the most impressive Dad Bod will have his torso’s girthiness sublimated onto a branded Mallards “shirsey” – a combination T-shirt/jersey. The club will print the shirseys up by the bushel, and give them out to fans at a game on June 16th, which happens to be Father’s Day.

We loved the intro pitch by the Mallards on their website contest explanation: “Do you work hard year round on perfecting your beer belly? Have you been told that you have chest hair to rival Wolverine’s? Has your physique ever been described as ‘doughy’? Well, then you might have a Dad Bod, and the Madison Mallards want to help you show it off.”

Hahaha, well done.

We assume everyone knows what a Dad Bod is. But just in case, this completely unofficial definition from Urban Dictionary does a nice job of summing it up: “A guy who has kids and was once in shape and still has guns that can crush beer cans but also with a belly that says I drank those beers and I can eat six slices of pizza in one seating.”

So there you have it.

The winner of the Mallards’ Dad Bod contest will not only receive immortal fame, countless high-fives from friends and deeply disapproving scowls from the wife….but also is guaranteed their own shirsey. But wait there’s more! The winner will also get tickets for him and his family to attend the Father’s Day game, where the Mallards will proclaim his greatness on the video board (wife’s jaw drops) and on a PA announcement. He’ll get to throw out the first pitch, too.

2018 Green/White Flex Fit Gametek Madison Mallards hat. More Mallards merch is here. 

“About a year ago, I added the title of ‘dad’ to my already rocking bod and officially became part of the Dad Bod crew,” said Mallards General Manager Tyler Isham. “This contest is about celebrating all the shapes and sizes of Dad Bods out there. While only one Dad Bod will be chosen as the winner to be sublimated on a shirsey, all dads with a Dad Bod can be a part of this wonderful celebration.”

Hear-Hear, Tyler! Hear-Hear!

All kidding aside…actually…we can’t put all kidding aside on the Dad Bod contest…it’s too much fun. But we can say, from a promotions/promotional products perspective, this move from the Mallards is a proverbial home run. It’s creating media buzz for the Northwoods League team and fan engagement while we’re still in winter and baseball isn’t necessarily top-of-mind for a lot of folks. For sure, the shirseys are going to draw ample attention and questions when worn by fans – and they will be worn by those with a sense of humor who don’t take themselves too seriously. Invariably, wearers will mention the Mallards when asked about the shirseys. That’s a grassroots marketing win in our book.