Rakeville Times: The Battle for the Skies Above Rakeville

Rakeville slugger Eric Thames has been the talk of the EHCC since opening day, but is he a pawn in a battle between billionaires?

The Battle for the Skies Above Rakeville

By Hernandez Firstname

An interesting battle is taking place behind the scenes in Rakeville, and it could have some interesting ramifications for the promising young ball club this season.

Reports out of the Rockets camp is that the team is deep into discussions with potential sponsors to rename the team’s ballpark. Built in 2005, Reed Field replaced the Claffey Colloseum, a run down facility in the city’s industrial sector that sported a tarp as the right field wall. Named after the team’s president of baseball operations, it is now at the center of a ego driven battle between two of the most notable executives in the world.

Plugged in

Midway through the 2016 season, the team apparently stopped focusing on baseball and started thinking about the environment. With little fanfare, the team instead several rows of electric car charging stations in the stadium parking lot for fans on game days. These highly used amenities drew praise from fans and attention from electric vehicle maker Tesla and their CEO Elon Musk.

In the offseason, team officials travelled to the Telsa Headquarters to discuss the initiative and potential future partnerships. Musk, who is also the founder of Space X, is a huge fan of the Rockets for obvious reasons, and weeks before spring training a sponsorship deal was being finalized to make Space X the official rocket of the Rockets.

Enter the king of cardboard

Concurrent to the Space X talks, team officials were also discussing a different type of fan experience - drone delivered concessions.

After talking with several drone startups, the team landed on behemoth Amazon to spearhead the program. Using a fleet of 600 small, agile craft, fans will be able to order sodas, popcorn and an array of other treats on their smart devices and have them delivered between innings. It’s an ambitious project. For Amazon, it gives them a venue to hone their technology. For the Rockets a way to potentially cut concession costs while increasing volume.

A coincidental meeting

Both deals were a signature away. On March 15, team officials unknowingly scheduled both Musk and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to meet with President Jack Reed to sign their respective deals. The two ran into eachother in the bowels of the stadium, struck up a conversation and became wise to what the other corporate leader was doing. Five minutes later they both stormed into Reed’s office demanding an exclusive deal.

What started as fairly minor sponsorship deals escalated into all-out war, all for that valuable Rockets trademark. Bezos, also known for his own space program called Blue Origin, demanded the Space X offer for his organization. Musk offered to buy the team outright, and when that was politely refused, offered to purchase the entire Korean Baseball Organization for the team’s minor league system. When the dust settled, Reed decided there would be only one.

The Rockets of Space X Field or Blue Origin Stadium?

While no decision has been made yet, both are already trying to influence the process. There are rumors that Musk paid Rockets new slugger Eric Thames to leave the KBO and sign a team friendly deal in Rakeville. More rumors suggest that all the season ticket holders have been given Amazon Prime free in the hopes that it will spur community support for Bezos’ bid. Both Musk and Bezos have been regularly attending games, quite a daily trek for the West Coast-based CEOs.

The value of the Rockets brand for the two space companies is clear, and now it has become a personal battle between two of the wealthiest people in the nation. Both have submitted proposals to the team and a massive sponsorship package could be announced as soon as the All-star break.