Ride Eagles Ride

Much to everyone's surprise Philadelphia Eagles Linebacker Connor Barwin often rides the bus or rides his bike to work. When he does drive its his electric car, a Tesla, not an unusual choice since he drove a Toyota Prius when he played for the Houston Texans. This should come as no surprise as Connor Barwin's father is a city planner.

With the expansion of bicycle lanes and the growing number of cyclists in Philadelphia this would be a prime opportunity for the Philadelphia Eagles to turn this into a public relations event. An organized ride to Lincoln Financial Field with a field of flowing green as the participants wear team colors. Complete with valet bike parking and an exclusive tailgate event in a tented area complete with large screens to watch the game.

All the Eagles would have to do is contact the Denver Bronco's for the planning details. The Bronco's have been holding the Orange Ride successfully for several years.

Take me out to the Ball Game

In 2008 Citizens Bank Park and the Philadelphia Phillies instituted their Red goes Green program, which significantly increased its recycling and using alternate energy sources. One of the items that the the Phillies did seem to drop the ball on was making riding a bicycle to the ballpark and having reasonable parking for cyclists. I realize that this is a very minor element given the size and scope of the project. But sometimes the devil is in the details especially when compared to other professional sports teams and the efforts they have made towards a complete package.

Lets start with bicycle parking, currently Citizens Bank Park has a mere 36 spaces, approximately 2 bike racks, for cyclists. On the other hand The Washington Nationals at Nationals Park has 250 bike racks and on game days expands the amount of bike parking by offering free valet bike parking in one of their parking garages.

Another aspect where Philadelphia professional sports teams fail to move the ball down the field is the use of bicycling and public relations. The Houston Astros, the Minnesota Twins, and the Denver Broncos all have organized bicycle rides to one of their games. Fans who participate in these rides have access to discounted tickets, gift bags, raffle prizes. The Denver Broncos offers exclusive use of the Bronco's Barn for cyclists who participate in the ride. Where they can watch the game on big screens, buy food, and all without having to purchase a ticket for the game.

So what would I do?

We've all seen what happens when any professional sports team wins a Superbowl or World Series, a massive parade is held to recognize the players accomplishments. Instead of waiting for this to happen why not create a parade? Imagine several hundred cyclists departing from City Hall following Broad St. to Citizen's Bank Park or Lincoln Financial Field to watch the Phillies or the Eagles play. All of the participants would be encouraged to wearing team colors creating a river of green or red. Only time will tell if the either the Eagles or Phillies management has the vision to create such an event.