Crash Davis & The Durham Renaissance
Kevin has starred in more than his fair share of great sports movies, including:
Field of Dreams.
For Love of the Game.
Draft Day.
Tin Cup.
However, not one of his many films delivered an economic impact like the one that forever altered the fortunes of a struggling minor-league baseball town in North Carolina. Ron Shelton, who wrote and directed 1988’s Bull Durham, knew Kevin would be perfect to play the character of journeyman catcher Crash Davis. While Kevin hadn’t quite established himself as a Hollywood star at that time, he was well on his way. Being a great athlete to begin with, Kevin Costner made his baseball scenes much more believable, so much so that Sports Illustrated called it the #1 Sports Movie of all time.
Through the art of storytelling, any leader can preserve heritage, educate future generations, and inspire meaningful change.
While baseball serves as the backdrop, Bull Durham is ultimately about people who arrive at life’s crossroads and make difficult choices. What nobody – including the writer and leading man knew at the time - was how much the film would spark an economic revival still being felt in Durham, NC to this day.
Crash Davis did a lot more than put million-dollar common sense into the 10-cent head of promising flame-thrower Nuke Laloosh. The fictional account sparked a re-birth of minor leagues across America. Attendance soared and investment picked up substantially. Bull Durham also triggered a dramatic, multi-billion-dollar boom in a down-and-out tobacco town that was going bust.
Grab yourself some peanuts and cracker jacks. Root, root, root for the home team and enjoy the incredible comeback story of Crash Davis & The Durham Renaissance on Leaders & Legends.
“The only church that truly feeds the soul, day in and day out, is the church of baseball”
ANNIE SAVOY
So many unforgettable scenes, so little time.
When veteran catcher Crash Davis joins the roster, the Class-A Durham Bulls are playing anything but first-class baseball.
It’s a crummy team playing in a most shoddy fashion. Frustrated, manager Joe ‘Skip’ Riggins confides in Crash that he is at his wits end. Doesn’t know what to do to snap the Bulls out of their slumping ways. Crash responds by telling the skipper that the best way to get the players attention is to scare ’em.
With assistant coach Larry Hockett close behind, Skip heaves a bunch of baseball bats into the shower and begins screaming at the top of his lungs. With frightened looks, the cowering players withstand a blistering tirade from a thoroughly fed-up baseball manager who is sick and f***ing tired of losing.
Skip: “You guys, you lollygag the ball around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. You know what that makes you? Larry?”
Larry: “Lollygaggers.”
Skip: “Lollygaggers! What’s our record, Larry?”
Larry: “Eight and 16.”
Skip: “Eight and 16. How’d we ever win eight?”
Larry: “It’s a miracle.”
Skip: “It’s a miracle. This is a simple game. You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball. You got it. Now we have got a 12-day road trip starting tomorrow. Bus leaves six in the morning.”
Brand strategy is also a deceptively simple game.
It all begins with writing and packaging one powerful story when a leader makes a decision to swing for the fences. Watch how far that ball is still sailing over the left field wall with the unlikely comeback story of Crash Davis & The Durham Renaissance on Leaders & Legends.
“I was in the show for 21 days once. Twenty-one greatest days of my life. You know you never handle your luggage in the show? Someone else carries your bags. It’s great. You hit white balls for batting practice. Ballparks are like cathedrals”
CRASH DAVIS
p.s… Readers and avid followers of BIG LITTLE LEGENDS are well aware of how a minor-league baseball team based in Savannah, GA have taken both the baseball and sports marketing world by storm. Last week, the team that boasts 2.7 million people on their ticket waiting list performed before more than 45,000 fans at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park.
Just when you think The Savannah Bananas have reached the top of the storytelling mountain, they take it that one step further. Like a latter-day Spinal Tap turning the Marshall amps up to 11, this Rocky-style hype video about their game at the home of the Philadelphia Phillies is impossible not to watch from start to finish. Have you climbed those iconic steps in Philly? Do you remember what it felt like? Take a moment and enjoy the peeling!
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Your Brand. On Track.
If now is an opportune time to discover the brand story and strategy uniquely your own, consider exploring a metaphorical road trip called THE BRANDING HIGHWAY. Designed for larger companies and organizations, our Executive Bootcamps serve as a journey and destination to help your brand emerge as an undeniable, undisputed, "Category of One.” Along the way, you will discover how to create substantial Differentiation and strategic Relevance while aligning your executive team. Impossible to describe with its many twists and turns, it helps to take a quick peek at this video:
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