Happy May the 4th!
A tradition almost as old as some major-league rookies, "Star Wars" days have dominated the promotional sphere of baseball for two decades.
After beginning in the minors in 2005, the theme is now seen at nearly every minor-league ballpark across the country and ranks as once again the leader among pop-culture promotions in Major League Baseball.
Whether it's the lightsaber duels, cross-pollinated bobbleheads or the fans donning Mandalorian armor, the galaxy far far away isn’t going anywhere.
“It's the one promotion where you can see grandma and grandpa, mom and dad, and little kids dressed up all three across the board, and everybody is happy and excited about it,” Ben Love, the promotions and fan entertainment manager for the West Michigan Whitecaps, the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, told cllct last season.
“When we have ‘Star Wars’ night, we can be the best team in the country, or we could be the absolute worst team in the country. But we're still gonna have 10,000 people show up, and they're gonna be jacked up for Star Wars.”
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It’s just as popular in MLB, appearing in 80% of big-league ballparks this season, 23% higher than the next closest theme, “Harry Potter.”
Some teams, such as the Angels, even dedicate full weekends to the cause, rather than a single day.
But “Star Wars” isn’t the only phenomenon at over half of major-league ballparks.
“Harry Potter” continues to creep up the list, now with promotional days across 17 parks this season, up from 14 in 2024.
While it doesn’t deliver quite the same spectacle as “Star Wars” — with lightsaber duels and drone shows, no other promotion really does — "Potter" nights offer a myriad of different items designated to each of the four Hogwarts houses.
Movies and TV shows certainly take advantage of the MLB calendar for more eyeballs as well. Last season, when the “Game of Thrones” spin-off “House of the Dragon” was returning, several teams featured Thrones-inspired days.
The same applies to “Barbie”, which is still performing quite well, with six days in MLB, as opposed to "Thrones," which now has no 2025 dates.
This season, James Gunn’s “Superman” and Jared Hess’ “A Minecraft Movie” are the two upcoming flicks dotting baseball's promotional calendar.
Especially with the release of “Superman”, Marvel has taken a significant backseat to DC this season, with only one team having a Marvel day.
Additionally, musical-themed days also take center stage around the country.
Grateful Dead and Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffett) days open up teams to deliver limited-edition unique clothing, and both have had long-standing partnerships with ballclubs.
Hello Kitty, despite celebrating its 50th anniversary last season, is back in strong form, with promotional days at half of all MLB teams, even ahead of Peanuts, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
Top five pop-culture promotions in MLB:
- "Star Wars:" 24/30
- "Harry Potter:" 17/30
- "Hello Kitty:" 15/30
- "Peanuts:" 11/30
- "Minecraft:" 9/30
Just missed the cut:
- "Sesame Street:" 5/10
Matt Liberman is a reporter and video producer for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.