DAYTON -- Their record sellout streak has brought nationalattention to the Dayton Dragons. It continues today with ESPNjumping back into the mix.
Team president Bob Murphy and part owner Earvin 'Magic' Johnsonwill be interviewed at 3 p.m. on 'Outside the Lines' by Steve Bunin,who is filling in for vacationing host Bob Ley.
'It's a unique sports story that we thought was worth discussingwith a national audience,' said Dwayne Bray, the show's seniorcoordinating producer.
On July 9, during a game against the Peoria Chiefs, the Dragonsattracted the 815th consecutive sellout to Fifth Third Field,surpassing the professional sports record established by the NBA'sPortland Trail Blazers. The streak grew to 827 on Tuesday as theDragons opened a series with the West Michigan Whitecaps.
'This is just another opportunity to shine a positive light onthe community and talk about the great fans of Dayton,' Murphy said.
Bray, a former Kettering resident and Dayton Daily News sportseditor, attended the Dragons' first game -- their first sellout --on April 27, 2000, and has marveled at the streak's progress sinceleaving Dayton in August of that year. That it's lasted this long is'further proof that some of the country's best baseball fans live inthe Miami Valley,' he said.
For the Dragons, national exposure is becoming old hat. In recentweeks, their streak has been the subject of stories in The New YorkTimes, Sports Illustrated, Street & Smith's Sports-Business Journal,The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Baseball America. CNN washere when the record fell, and ESPN showed a clip on SportsCenter ofthe July 23 celebration when Johnson appeared.
The Dragons, who hired a public relations firm to get the wordout, say the streak has garnered more than 235 million worldwide'media impressions,' which refers to circulation of all outlets thatpicked up the story (web hits, newspaper subscribers, radiolisteners, TV viewers).
'We've been able to track it,' said Tom Nichols, director ofmedia relations and broadcasting. 'We have a list of everynewspaper, TV station and web site that picked it up. It's prettyimpressive when you consider there were a number of Canadian outletsthat picked it up, and all over the U.S., from Seattle to Kissimmee(Fla.).'
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland@DaytonDailyNews.com
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