Advertising with Us

While we don’t do commercial breaks at Foul Play-by-Play, there’s still plenty of opportunities for advertising during our shows. The beauty of a Foul Play-by-Play baseball broadcast is that every inning constitutes a different segment of the show and a different subject matter for the hosts’ discussion. Hence, a different advertisement.

Advertising with Us

Foul Play-by-Play includes its partners in the production of programming, offering unique opportunities to reach listeners in more personal ways. Instead of reading the standard ad prior to and following a show segment, advertisers will have the opportunity to participate in the planning and production of “native advertising” options. Native advertising is less likely to go ignored by audiences because it doesn’t resemble ads with which they’re familiar. FPBP ads are more like documentaries than commercials, with sponsors and marketers working together to create content that teaches and sells. For instance, a segment featuring a do-it-yourself, home improvement project could have an employee from a local, home improvement store showcasing the store’s products in action while also giving the sponsor a face and character with whom audiences can relate and trust. This results in more persuasive messaging and better lead generation. Pre- and mid-roll script reading is still an option, but FPBP prefers to give its partners the best possible opportunity to reach and recruit potential customers. We want our listeners to see our sponsors as our partners, and theirs too. Just click the “Become a Patron” button in the sidebar on the right to contribute to the creation of your Foul Play-by-Play native advertising or sponsorship. 

Foul Play-by-Play Show Hour 1 (G-rated)

Ladies First Inning (10 minutes)

Ideal for promoting women’s pro/amateur sports events, ladies sports apparel/accessories, ladies-specific products or services

Don’t mistake this segment as chivalrous, but don’t stop being chivalrous either. It’s still nice to open doors for people, regardless of how they self-identify. But we’re not opening the show doors for ladies first because we’re obvious old souls longing for the days before The Babe bashed home runs and was just the best pitcher in the American League. We’re not trying to turn back the clock to a time when holding doors for ladies was expected, not an exception. We open the show doors for ladies first because women are still living separate but unequal lives in what’s still a man’s world, and we recognize how much making up we have to do.

Women’s pro sports aren’t even covered and reported equally because sports journalists tend to be men. Even ESPN, who has changed the face of its network by employing more women, doesn’t offer equal exposure to women’s sports, preferring to keep the male athletes and female athletes separate but unequal, stashing the women’s sporting news on an entirely different website, ESPNW. And rarely does ESPNW content make the ESPN homepage headlines. That lack of equitable coverage is why women’s pro sports struggle to reach people and grow in the first place. Almost all the free advertising in the form of media coverage still goes to men’s sports even though the men don’t need it and the airwaves echo with the same old arguments sportswriters and analysts have used to fill pages, airtime, TV time, and now Instagram Live time. As if there isn’t enough time in the 24-hour news cycle to cover women’s sports for even an hour let alone 12. Well, at Foul Play-by-Play ladies get better than fair treatment because they so seldom do. 

Second Inning Chef (5-10 minutes) [Prerecorded, weekly video]

Ideal for advertising cooking/baking appliances, grocery stores, restaurants, and ingredients of the weekly recipe

Our resident chef, or a chef with the restaurant hosting the show that day, prepares a meal or appetizer for listeners, walking them through the recipe culminating in the hosts or segment producers enjoying the food

The Nerd Inning(10-15 minutes)

Ideal for advertising video games, movies, music, card and board games, etc.

The third inning is for the nerd in all of us. We talk our favorite nerdy things.

Fastest News in Sports (3 minutes)

Ideal for selling fast cars, shoes, fitness apparel, amusement park rides, and promoting news publishers

It’s time for the fastest news is sports brought to you by [insert your business and advertisement here].

You don’t want news with your sports, but certain things happened today we think you should know. It won’t take long…just long enough for Byron Buxton to run the bases. 

• Read headlines as quickly as possible for 14.05 seconds.

That’s the news brought to you by [insert your business and advertisement here]. Now back to sports.

Fantasy Sports Top Half of the Fourth (5-10 minutes)

Ideal advertising opportunity for weekly fantasy sports betting sites, sports bars, and for promoting men’s sporting events  

A look at fantasy sports, players, matchups, recommendations, etc., including “Brad’s Value Bets,” longshots that could really payoff.

Home Sweet Home Half of the Fourth (5-10 minutes)

Ideal for promoting high school sporting events, sports equipment retailers, ice arenas, bowling alleys, etc.

A look at local, amateur sports news and results, upcoming events, and up-and-coming athletes.

AS NEEDED or AS DEVELOPS for use in ANY HOUR:

Punk Rock Twins Takes (5 minutes) [Prerecorded, weekly video]

Ideal for promoting live concerts or album releases

A musical take on sports talk radio to the rhythm of punk rock.

Historically Foul Play (3-5 minutes)

Ideal for advertising bookstores, libraries, museums, history/sports websites i.e. Baseball-Reference

Example: “Mel Bridgman of the Flyers served 53 minutes in penalties in 1980 against the Islanders, the most by any player in one Stanley Cup Final. Chris Nilan of the Canadiens is next with 49 minutes in 1986. They play 60 minutes in a game if you’re unaware.”

Statistically Significant Foul Player (3-5 minutes)

Ideal advertising opportunity for accountants, stat-heavy websites i.e. FanGraphs, BaseballProspectus

Example: “Las Vegas Golden Knight Erik Haula has spent 19 minutes in the penalty box during this Stanley Cup Final against the Washington Capitals, which is almost half as many minutes as he’s skated in the series.”

Cheats of the Week (5-10 minutes)

Ideal advertisement for bail bonds, attorneys, and “cheat day” items i.e. donuts, candy, and buffets

Example: Dishonorable mention: San Francisco 49ers receiver Victor Bolden Jr. has been suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Bolden is trying to make the team as a kick returner and has considerable competition.

Bronze medalist: Anthony Rizzo, last week’s Statistically Significant Foul Player for his uncanny ability to be hit by pitches, slid into the feet of catcher Elias Diaz of Pittsburgh to break up a double play. He was successful, as Diaz threw the ball into right field allowing two Cubs’ runners to score. While umpires on the field called it a clean play, reviewed it and upheld the call, Major League Baseball said the slide wasn’t legal. Rizzo clearly altered his path to contact the catcher, sliding late and well inside the baseline. What’d you think of that play, Mike?

Silver medalist: Washington Capitals’ forward Tom Wilson blindsided Jon Marchessault of the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. The hit came well after Marchessault had handled the puck, but Wilson, who has a history of questionable, physical play, avoided a suspension for the hit. Marchessault was unable to stay on the ice for the 4-on-4 that resulted from Wilson’s two-minute minor that should have probably been a five-minute major penalty, don’t you think, Mike?

Gold medalist: Wilson’s hit might have been the cheapest shot taken in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, but it wasn’t the most effective form of cheating used in the game. Vegas Golden Knight Ryan Reaves scored a game-tying goal in the third period as the result of a cross-check on Washington’s John Carlson. The goal was a quick response to the Capitals’ go-ahead goal scored just 91 seconds earlier, and swung the momentum back to the Knights.

[BREAK] Coming up next is our PG-13 hour of programming that might not be suitable for children under 13 years of age. But bring yourself back after the break for the good stuff.

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Foul Play-by-Play Show Hour 2 (PG-13)

Plead the Fifth Inning (5-15 minutes)

Ideal advertising opportunity for attorneys and bail bonds

A look at recent, law-related, sports headlines with our attorney/co-host, and the answering of listeners’ law-related questions (not legal advice) by our attorney/co-host. Also, if audio rights can be obtained, this segment could feature sounds from the sports week of people pleading the fifth, refusing to answer, or avoiding answering press questions. 

Surviving the Sixth Inning with Man’s Best Friend (5-15 minutes)

Ideal advertising opportunity for home improvement and hardware stores, arts and crafts stores, pet stores, and dog adoption agencies

• “Outdoor Survival with EMT Anna Montana and Sid Vicious the Dog”
  • First tip of every episode is “rescue a dog” plus something they can do for you when you’re alone in the wilderness
  • Second tip is how to either prepare for your trip into the wilderness or how to treat an injury when emergency services aren’t nearby or reachable
• “DIY So Serious?”
  • Walk people through a DIY project with a couple of funny characters
• “Grow Anything” with tips from Montana farmers
  • Montana farmers provide tips for growing anything, including hemp

Seventh Inning Stretch (10-15 minutes) [Prerecorded video]

Ideal promotional opportunity for yoga studios, fitness clubs, second hand sports stores, and fitness apparel retailers

This exercise segment is hosted by our partner, along with whom listeners can exercise to get a modest workout, improve flexibility and overall health.

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Foul Play-by-Play Show Hour 3 (Rated R)

An Eighth Ounce Inning (15-20 minutes)

Ideal advertising opportunity for head shops, sensible drug policy nonprofits, or cannabis companies in legal states

Stories with happy endings about drug and alcohol use, preferably in sports.

Ninth Inning Nightmares OR Winning Wet Dreams (15-20 minutes)

Ideal advertising opportunity for adult stores, movie theaters, plays/operas, etc.

Ninth Inning Nightmares: Athletes, officials, and listeners telling stories of their worst moments in sport or life, or the retelling of historic horror stories occurring “on this date” in history.

• Infamous days and games
• Blown calls by officials costing pitchers no-hitters, teams games
• Gruesome injuries/mistakes costing teams seasons and people careers
• Bad sex

Winning Wet Dreams: Athletes, coaches, and listeners telling their best success stories in sport or life, or the retelling of historic success stories occurring “on this date” in history

• Famous plays and days (Jeter into the stands, Jackie Robinson’s debut)
• Coaches/players on buzzer beaters, or deadline dominating against tall odds
• Comeback stories, really of any kind
• Great sex
  • “Baseball is romantic. A baseball diamond is used to discreetly describe the extent of romanticism. Positionless baseball is just like a natural, sexual progression. You start with one position, you try another, and another, and eventually you have a handle on multiple positions and are more valuable to your teammate, or teammates. And if you struggle to satisfy them, you always have that position you’ve practiced since puberty.”

Extra Foul Innings

Ideal promotion for casinos, gentlemen’s clubs, Woman’s Club of Minneapolis

• Interviews gone long
• Questions or comments from listeners that weren’t addressed in real time
• R-rated and off-putting subjects of conversation; gross stuff, like politics
• Prank calls?
• Dugout drama, where we:
  • Perform what we think players’ dugout conversations are like
  • Reenact conversations by reading quotes from figures in sports, but way over the top like auditioning for a play
• Lists
  • Oddball movie rankings, like best movies featuring baseball bats
  • Player rankings, but for facial hair, biggest dipper of chewing tobacco, etc.
  • Walkup music rankings of opposing teams’ players when on the road
• Critiques of the FSN broadcast, ours or listeners’
• Whatever else warrants discussion

End of the Week/Road-trip/Homestand Segment: Foul Play Prison’s Fresh Fish (5 minutes)

Sounds from the sports week’s biggest cheaters, cheap shot artists, alleged criminals, and those pleading the fifth or avoiding press questions entering the prison for sports criminals.

Interactive Sponsorship Opportunities

• Polls
  • Social media content
  • Never a sports poll
  • Usually a means to judge the success of our segment, interview, etc.
• Lists
  • Top 5 anything
  • Make them really weird, like that “top five movies featuring a baseball bat” list
• Trivia
  • Never something that can be found on Google
  • Show history: reward listeners for loyalty by asking them to answer a question about previous show (What segment in yesterday’s show featured…)
  • Involve partners: in lieu of payment, ask a partner to provide a modest prize
• What Did You Learn from Today’s Show?
  • End of show segment
• If you could learn one thing from one of our partners, what would it be?
  • Listeners guide production of prerecorded, native ads
  • Maybe even ask if the listener wants to participate

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