In gutting Harry the K’s, Phillies risk alienating fans by continually choosing corporate sponsors over tradition

As the Phillies continue to sell off more and more advertisements to corporate sponsors inside Citizens Bank Park, fans are beginning to wonder when enough is enough. 

The news of the Phillies parting ways with the Harry the K’s namesake struck a nerve. The Independence Blue Cross jersey patch? It was jarring when first revealed, but fans have grown accustomed to MLB teams wearing sponsored jersey patches. Renaming the Diamond and Hall of Fame clubs as part of a corporate sponsorship package? Sure. It’s not like fans were attached to the names of these premium areas. 

But the symbolism of turning Harry the K’s into the Ghost Energy Deck is profound. Harry the K’s has had some presence inside Citizens Bank Park since the stadium’s opening in 2004. Once a full service restaurant, the original Harry the K’s Broadcast Bar and Grille was converted into the Miller Lite Liberty Landing, a bar area with seating, back in 2021. 

There was outrage then, but not nearly as much as there is today. The Phillies, still stuck in a decade-long playoff drought, were not the focus of the town back then. Fans were happy to be back at the ballpark after the worst of the COVID pandemic was over. The small bar upstairs was still named after Harry Kalas. 

Now, Harry the K’s is officially outta here. They are replacing a larger-than-life figure with a ghost. If you haven’t heard of Ghost Energy, a lifestyle brand owned by Keurig Dr. Pepper that sells energy drinks and protein powders, you do now. It’s the official energy drink of the Philadelphia Phillies. The founder of the Vegas-based company is apparently a big Phillies fan. 

The Phillies cannot be surprised about the response they are getting on social media. It’s part of the calculus when pursuing these brand deals. They are betting that the initial blowback will fade into the background. You might not visit the Ghost Energy Deck, but you’ll at least tolerate its existence. You may still be bitter about it, but you probably got used to the IBX patches on the jerseys and the digitized out-of-town scoreboard in right field. 

They are betting that all of this isn’t a deal-breaker for you, the consumer. 

The Phillies are far from the only team wondering how far they can go with these corporate sponsorships. The Dodgers are bankrolling in sponsorships from Japanese companies after signing Shohei Ohtani. They don’t get much pushback from fans, though the Dodgers are testing the limits by renaming the playing surface at Dodger Stadium Uniqlo Field. 

The Cubs have spent years turning prime seating locations within Wrigley Field into premium areas mostly occupied by corporate partners who use the seats as a tax write off. Until this offseason when the team signed Alex Bregman to a long-term contract, fans have been wondering if the revenue generated from the luxury seating areas and the surrounding “Wrigleyville” development would ever lead to a significant investment in the roster.

To the Phillies’ credit, you cannot question whether or not the increase in corporate sponsorship has coincided with a significant investment from ownership in payroll.

But if you’re the Phillies, you have to be careful not to poke the bear. Was Harry the K’s in the second deck a popular area of the ballpark? No, but the idea of eroding Kalas’ legacy and name around Citizens Bank Park is problematic for those who grew up with Kalas as the voice of summer.

Most fans under the age of 22 likely have no recollection of listening to Kalas call a Phillies game live. Having Kalas’ legacy be an accessible part of the ballpark experience for younger fans is important to everyone who cherishes their time spent with Harry many years ago. The statue near the old Harry the K’s Broadcast Bar & Grille location is a meaningful reminder, but it doesn’t really matter if the television broadcast booth is named after Kalas when so few fans interact with it on a regular basis. 

Names matter. I was born a month after Richie Ashburn’s passing, so I don’t have any memories of Harry and Whitey together in the booth. But I understand his importance to the history of the Phillies franchise and part of that is through the team naming the most crowded area of Citizens Bank Park Ashburn Alley. I don’t want to give the Phillies any ideas, but I would advise against abandoning that name for another sponsorship.

Team personnel, players and staff love to praise Phillies fans for their undying passion and loyalty. But at times, it feels like the love hasn’t been reciprocated. The cost of everything, from tickets to parking, has only gone up. The team took away the popular dollar dog night two years ago, and placed the blame on fan behavior for why they discontinued the promotion. Despite having a very large and passionate fanbase, the team is one of only a few in the sport that chooses not to hold a large-scale winter convention. 

But you cannot question the club’s commitment to its corporate sponsors. The list of ceremonial first ball throwers on a given night is filled with C-suite executives who the team thanks for its support of Phillies baseball. Even the television broadcast can sometimes feel like one big Yuengling commercial. 

The team’s season ticket base has exploded since the 2022 postseason. The main selling point is the access to postseason tickets and the lure of Red October. 

Some of that mystique has been missing with the Phillies losing in the Division Series in each of the last two seasons. It usually takes a couple of years for the Phillies to feel the impact of losing, judging by the attendance totals from 2012 and 2013. 

The ballpark will likely be full again on most nights this year. The atmosphere will continue to be magical. The Phillies as a baseball team and as a business will reap the benefits. 

The Phillies will also take the short-term public relations hit for the long-term dollars. Maybe this results in Ghost and the Phillies reworking their partnership and everyone coming out looking better in the end. 

But as a fan and a consumer, your voice is heard through how you choose to spend your time and money. Maybe this isn’t your breaking point, but the Phillies need to keep in mind that some fans are close to it.