Inside the new pitch for Charlotte Knights games

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A couple of weeks ago at Collinswood Language Academy, students enjoyed some unusual sights as part of an assembly at the front of the school. A large pile of freshly delivered pizzas awaited them in the back of the room. A baseball uniform with the name “Caballeros” across the jersey was displayed in front of them.

[YOUR704: Have a ball with the Charlotte Knights]

And, mirroring the students, sitting with hands on knees and legs crossed, was Charlotte Knights mascot Homer the Dragon, he of the green skin and DayGlo orange antennae.

Rob Egan, the Knights’ general manager, thanked the students and teachers for allowing him and several other team representatives to visit the school and make a pitch that combined typical minor-league bravado — food, mascots, baseball — with Collinswood’s dual language Spanish immersion program.

“We want you to come any time the Knights and Caballeros are in town,” Egan told the students. “We’d like to see you at the ballpark any time you want to come.”

Who are these Caballeros, you ask? They’re the part-time identity of the Knights, the Triple A Chicago White Sox affiliate included in a national Latino and Hispanic pilot marketing program created by sanctioning body Minor League Baseball (MiLB) in 2017. That year, Charlotte was one of four teams in the 160-team MiLB, a licensing and marketing umbrella, that introduced a Spanish-language alter ego and uniforms used for three home games.

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For the Knights, making a sustained effort to reach the Hispanic and Latino audience has become a pressing priority. Start with the obvious: Hispanics account for 14% of Charlotte’s population and 12.9% in Mecklenburg County, according to 2017 Census figures, the most recent available. Egan, the Knights GM, pointed out that Hispanic fans comprised 1% of ticket-buyers in recent years, increasing to 3% for the Caballeros nights (Knights?).

And, while Charlotte has led all of minor-league baseball in attendance four of the five past years — coinciding with the team’s move to BB&T Ballpark in uptown — sustaining ticket sales becomes more of a challenge as the newness wears off.

Read more about the Knights' efforts to reach Hispanic and Latino fans in this week's CBJ cover story.

Cox Media Group