Today is the 41st anniversary of the infamous “10 Cent Beer Night,” baseball game between the Texas Rangers and the Cleveland Indians at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium.
Here are some things you may not have known about other bad ideas for sports promotions.
First: “10 Cent Beer Night” was just as it sounds. 12-ounce beers were sold for a dime apiece. There was a six-beer per purchase limit, but no overall limit for the game. The drunken crowd, already agitated by an earlier incident between the teams, eventually spilled onto the field, causing the Indians to forfeit the game to the Rangers.
Second: In 1979, “Disco Demolition Night” was held during a doubleheader between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. Fans were allowed into the game for 98 cents if they brought a disco record to be blown up on the field between games. The explosion damaged the field forcing the White Sox to forfeit the game. This game is the most recent American League forfeited game.
Third: The most recent National League forfeited game was in 1995, when the Los Angeles Dodgers forfeited to the St. Louis Cardinals when fans threw giveaway baseballs on the field after a controversial call on the field.
Our question: The Cleveland Indians didn’t cancel their next planned “10 Cent Beer Night.” But they did change the per-purchase limit from six to what number of beers?