Sliding Head First

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Disco Demolition Night could have been considered a disastrous career move for Mike Veeck, the son of legendary baseball owner Bill Veeck. In 1979 Veeck was working for his father as marketing manager for the Chicago White Sox when he came up with one of the game’s most memorable promotional stunts.

Fans who brought a disco album to be demolished into the July 12 doubleheader against Detroit were admitted into the game for 98 cents. But before the second game, about 5,000 fans stormed the field at the old Comiskey Park, resulting in only the fourth forfeit in Major League history.

Veeck suffered some backlash from the incident but didn’t let it kill his creative energy and risk-taking judgment. Veeck told those attending his keynote address at the Ohio Turfgrass Conference & Show in Columbus, Ohio Dec. 7 that he wouldn’t have achieved his current success without taking chances.

Veeck is now part owner of seven minor league ballclubs and is business partners with celebrities who include the likes of Jimmy Buffet, Lorne Michaels and Bill Murray. Throughout his career Veeck has continued his gimmicky antics, including Vasectomy Night and Tonya Harding Bat Night. Veeck encouraged the crowd to quit fearing failure and to make work fun. “Try it – if you blow it, who cares?” he says.

But when success does strike, business owners shouldn’t lose sight of what’s most important – the customer, Veeck says. He related a story about his father when a woman attending a White Sox game in 1960 told the elder Veeck that she enjoyed the game but didn’t know any of the players’ names. Bill Veeck responded by becoming the first owner to put players’ names on the back of uniforms.

“Leave the cell phones off, and find out what the people are doing,” Veeck says. “We’re all in the service business, and anybody who thinks we’re not is dreaming.”

Veeck says he writes hand-written thank you notes when season-ticket holders renew their seats and says his St. Paul Saints have a 99-percent renewal rate as a result. “Get rid of the call waiting and form letters,” he advises.

Business owners should also take advantage of media opportunities, Veeck says. “I love the media,” he says. “I am a media pimp. There isn’t a single story I don’t try to get into. Why are we so afraid of it? The media will turn into more and more business.” 

He recommends keeping the workplace fun and building an organization of “generosity and spirit." “If you could build an ideal workplace, build it around people,” he says. “You want people to feel empowered. You want people to mentor.”