The Phillies Fan Union

THE PHILLIES FAN UNION

The *The Phillies Fan Unionwas established after the Major League Baseball strike of 1994 by *Faust Ruggiero, a Pennsylvania psychologist and long time Phillies fan. After the strike, there was a feeling among baseball fans that Major League Baseball was not sensitive to their needs and had become a business whose bottom line was profit, the Phillies Fan Union was established to represent Phillies fans to the Phillies organization and to help educate fans with regard to the business aspects of Major League Baseball.

The concept was originally presented to the Phillies front office as the Phillies Fan Network. The initial design was introduced at that time to bring the fans and the organization closer together at a time when Major League Baseball was perceived as alienating itself from it’s fan base. Initial contact was made with then Phillies vice president for public relations Larry Shenk who forwarded the concept to the Phillies marketing department who at that time was headed by Vice President for Marketing Dennis Mannion. Dennis Mannion attempted to implement the design with Phillies Fan Union Director Faust Ruggiero, but the Phillies organization deemed it too complex a project and, though communication remained open between the two organizations, the Phillies Fan Union began to operate as a separate entity in 1995.

The concept began as an internet idea and rapidly grew to almost 11,000 numbers in its first year of operation. Since that time, it has been the subject of numerous newspaper articles, radio, and television spots. In 1997, the Phillies Fan Union turned its attention toward providing assistance to Phillies fans in need and began at the request of former Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling to assist with Curt’s Pitch for ALS. All proceeds benefited the Philadelphia Chapter of the ALS Association. The Phillies Fan Union has continued to provide assistance to Phillies fans in need and on a daily basis, provides assistance and advice to fans with concerns ranging from player and organization contacts to a wide variety of other baseball related concerns.

The Phillies Fan Union entered its fifteenth year serving baseball fans in 2008 with a membership that has surpassed 127,000 and has remained loyal to its initial mission statement which addressed the need for enhanced communication between the fans and the organization, and has become an integral catalyst for enhanced baseball knowledge on the part of Phillies fans. The Union web site now includes access to a variety of major league baseball rules, definitions, etc., and publishes an E-News Letter which is distributed to its membership fifty-two weeks per year.

The Phillies Fan Union sponsor base has grown to be one of the largest among all fan based websites. It continues to advertise for nonprofit Philadelphia organizations, and remains active in its support of the Philadelphia chapter of the ALS Association, National Organization for Missing and Exploited Children, and Childhelp USA. In addition, it actively represents American servicemen overseas to the tune of almost 7,000 members. Its newsletter is sent to these soldiers, and, for some, is the only contact they have from the United States.

The projections are that the Phillies Fan Union will reach an active membership base of 150,000 by the end of the 2012 major league baseball season.

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