Getting a Charge Out of Baseball: MasterCard sponsors the All-Century Team.
Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and – MasterCard?
MasterCard International and MLB have partnered to give consumers a chance to pick baseball’s All-Century Team. The credit-card marketer signed a multi-year deal with the league in 1997.
The names of the 20th century’s best players, picked by a panel of media members, baseball execs, and sport historians, were unveiled at the MLB All-Star Game on July 13. Fans are invited to pick their own squad through Sept. 10.
To support, Purchase, NY-based MasterCard will run the MasterCard All-Century Team Sweeps, offering fans a “Priceless Moment” at the `99 World Series. Through Sept. 30, customers who use their cards are automatically entered. Five winners will be randomly selected to win a trip for four to the Series to sit with members of the All-Century Team. Additional support comes through an exclusive retail partnership with Kmart, TV spots, and member mailings. Ryan Partnership, Westport, CT, handles.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime for us,” says Jeff Price, MasterCard vp-U.S. sponsorships. “It involves generations – from grandfather to father to son and daughter.”
