Waterville Valley ski resort in New Hampshire just became the official ski resort of the Boston Red Sox. The first thing we could think of was:
“Good freakin’ luck getting any Yankee fans to ski there.”
The baseball attitudes of the Northeast are vicious, have a grueling history, and truly leave ya wondering if this was a good idea on Waterville’s part?
New York is the largest media market in North America. Waterville is basically looking the millions of Yankee Fans in the eye and hocking a loogie onto their chest.
Is Waterville gonna rename their lifts after Sox players, charge Yankee fans more for hot dogs, sell Red Sox beanies in vending machines, and dye their beer red?
The terms of the deal include Waterville Valley lift ticket give-aways, exposure on the centerfield scoreboard and in the EMC level suites, presence in the Fenway Park concourse, and sampling opportunities for deals on lift tickets, activities, and other promotions to fans at the park, according to Tom Gross, Jr., President –Valley Operations, who adds, “we’ve only just begun to think of the special packages we’ll offer Sox fans up here in the White Mountain National Forest all year-long.” – Waterville Valley
Apparently, this is looked upon as a good idea by management:
“The Boston Red Sox and Waterville Valley Resort share much of the same market. We are in the business of providing an exciting and fun opportunity for New England families to spend time together. It is a perfect partnership.” – Chris Sununu, CEO of Waterville Valley Resor
Don’t forget Waterville, a lotta Yankee fans come up to ski in the White Mountains and these people won’t forget a polarizing move like this…
1. Curse of the Bambino
Before Ruth left Boston, the Red Sox had won five of the first fifteen World Series, with Ruth pitching for the 1916 and 1918 championship teams (he was with the Sox for the 1915 World Series but the manager used him only once, as a pinch-hitter, and he did not pitch). The Yankees had not played in any World Series up to that time. In the 84 years after the sale, the Yankees played in 39 World Series, winning 26 of them, twice as many as any other team in Major League Baseball. Meanwhile, over the same time span, the Red Sox played in only four World Series and lost each in seven games. [wikipedia.org]