• It’s too bad you can’t pick cheerleaders as part of your fantasy baseball strategies although when would you have time to actually research player stats
• Cheerleaders in baseball haven’t caught on in the United States as it has in other countries
• Mexican baseball cheerleaders have been quite popular
• Other countries like the Dominican Republic, Japan, and Korea also use some form of baseball cheerleading
• Major League baseball teams have experimented with baseball cheerleading and while some have been dismal failures, it’s growing on fans in some stadiums

Here, at Electro-Mech, we love all things sports- cheerleaders included. We not only produce electronic baseball scoreboards but also information on all baseball topics. Check out our other articles about baseball scandals, news and trends. For now, let’s talk about cheerleaders.

Disney Starts a “Cheerleaders in Baseball” Craze

I’m not sure why a family-oriented organization like the Walt Disney Company thought parading hot girls in front of their fans was a good idea but when they bought the California Angels in 1996, they did just that. I guess it’s no surprise, after all they named their rough and tumble NHL hockey team the “Mighty Ducks”. The Angel Wings Cheerleaders would dance on top of the opposing team’s dugout between innings to get the crowd cheering.

Angel fans were not impressed and began heckling the girls and season ticket holders complained that they obstructed their view. They were promptly moved to a stage in the right field stands where they would lead the crowd in dancing the Macarena and other dance moves. This initial move into baseball cheerleading lost its luster, if it ever had it, and was disbanded after a year.

Other league executives were paying attention though and some believed the concept was a good idea. The Montreal Expos had the Molson Ex girls; however, the team was moved to Washington and was discontinued. The Florida Marlins introduced the baseball world to the Marlins Mermaids while the Toronto Blue Jays sent their J-Cru Fan Activation Team into the stands. With these two teams, I guess they have to have something for their fans to cheer about as they never seem to make the playoffs. You may want to add “avoid picking players from teams that have cheerleaders” into your fantasy baseball strategies.

The San Diego Padres gives baseball fans the “Pad Squad” which is pronounced Pod Squad. The spread out into the stadium at home games to incite the crowd, clapping, cheering, and throwing out T-shirts. Fan reaction has been tepid at best although the kids seem to like it. The St. Louis Cardinals employ the Team Fredbird baseball cheerleading squad as well.

Mexican Baseball Cheerleaders and Others Around the World

While the United States may be a little cautious in breaking with baseball tradition there are countries that have adopted the game and cheerleaders are a fan favorite. Mexican baseball cheerleaders take to the field every game to get the fans into the game. In some cases pompoms and horns are used much like in American football. The Dominican baseball teams dress their cheerleaders in body stockings to dance to meringue music on top of dugouts. Korea and Japan also employ different versions of cheerleaders in baseball. At college games in Japan, men lead the cheering while the women flutter pompons on the side.