Dr. Dirk Mateer and Dr. David Baglia took a swing at offering a new course at Grove City College over the summer.

Both students and teachers agree the class was a grand slam success.

Along with 11 students, the two professors took a 10-day tour of professional baseball teams in August. Students received three college credits and were required to write a 12-page paper and keep a daily log.

This isn’t Baseball 101 that teaches the difference between a slider and a curve ball. Rather, it’s Economics 390, an upper level elective. Pitching the course mainly to business or economic students, the class offered an inside look at how baseball teams market themselves and operate as an industry.

Costing about $1,500, students were required to have one prior economics course under their belt before taking the class. But it was a love of the game that was the true attraction for students and teachers.

"I’d say some of the students were more baseball fanatics than we were,’’ Baglia said.

An economics professor at the college, Baglia and Mateer, an accounting professor, tagged up to create the course. Mateer took on the role of visionary for the project while Baglia handled the logistics of the tour.

Subjects such as free agency, salary caps, promotions and discrimination were hit on at each team they visited.

Teams included the World Series-playing New York Mets and Yankees along with Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and minor league teams Utica (N.Y.) Blue Sox and Rochester (N.Y.) Red Wings.

Viewing sports as a business opportunity is gaining momentum in the collegiate world. But both men wanted a course that offered something more exciting than Power Point slides.

"I didn’t want to teach the basics -- I wanted to explore issues in-depth,’’ Mateer said.

A San Diego Padres fan, Mateer found teams in new ballparks used the sparkling stadiums as a lure for new fan products and services.

It’s no longer just peanuts, popcorn and Cracker Jacks at new ballparks. Swanky stadiums are now likely to offer such delights as cappuccino and barbecued chicken smothered with Dijon mustard sauce.

Advertising in stadiums also got a boost.

"The amount they could charge for advertising changed dramatically,’’ Baglia said. "Costs more than doubled, partly because the new stadiums are well received.’’

Teams tried to capture family audiences with events and play activities in the park. Detroit, for example, had a miniature amusement park with a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round.

Small stadiums are now the rage with teams who found fans demanding to be closer to the field.

There is a drawback to these new ballparks. Prices from tickets to food skyrocketed. In Boston same-style seat prices soared from $14 to $48.

Players were shielded from the GCC teachers and students. But the group found general managers and other front office executives frequently made themselves available.

Orioles GM Joe Foss explained to the group why he ditched five older players and brought in minor league talent.

"He said the team had a lot of high-priced players and the team went nowhere,’’ Baglia, a Yankee’s fan said. "The issue was cost and quality.’’

Students got hooked on the class from the start, said Erin Violette, a 20-year-old senior at the college.

"I thought how cool it would be to take a trip to go to different baseball stadiums,’’ Ms. Violette said. "I learned a lot from managements’ point of view -- how they run their team, depending on their geographic area and the types of fans around them.’’

She found there was a striking difference between the Mets and Yankees.

"The Mets are more of the underdog in the city,’’ she said. "They do more promotions. I think they do more to promote their image as a winner as opposed to the Yankees which are an established winner.’’

A lifelong baseball fan, senior Tyler Aiken discovered from general managers there’s more to the business than what goes on the field.

"Basically, general managers and the financial people in the front office don’t look at player performance as much as the business side of the sport,’’ Aiken said. "They think of themselves in the entertainment business rather than the sports business.’’

Both professors said they plan to offer the course next year, only they want to visit West Coast teams. But students aren’t the only ones going to school here.

"We learned about things along with the students,’’ Baglia said.

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