PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — All things stereotypically tied to millennials will be on display during Thursday night's Whitecaps game.
While there is no exact definition of when millennials were born (most groups put it somewhere between the early 80s to late 90s), the label does come with some definite stereotypes: they are lazy, entitled and they all live with their parents.
The promotion at Fifth Third Ballpark will play on some of those concepts, but the Whitecaps say the point isn't to insult millennials.
"We're not poking fun; we're going to have some fun with it. We also want to show 'apreesh' -appreciation to the millennials as well," said Whitecaps promotions manager Matt Hoffman, who is also a millennial.
At the Millennial Night game there will be avocado, free wifi, selfie stations, a save the bees campaign, safe zones, and a thank you note for everyone as they leave.
"We're going to have a ‘dab’ cam, we're going to have a petition to ban the dab because I know not a lot of people like the dab, myself included. I don't think it’s a dance move," Hoffman said.
While the Whitecaps say they aren't poking fun at millennials, plenty of us disagree.
Furthermore, millennials are now moving into the driver’s seat: they’re becoming the largest generation in the electorate, they’re the largest generation in the American workforce and now they are the largest generation in the United States.
Also, you may want to think twice before mocking millennials. Have you ever been brought to tears, laughing at a viral video you saw on Facebook? Have you ever posted an epic vacation picture to your Instagram? Have you ever gotten a great deal because of Groupon? Without millennials, none of that would be possible.
"There’s been a little backlash, but there are a lot of people that say, ‘I respect you guys, this is great, I'm now a Whitecaps fan,” said Hoffman.
Maybe the most millennial thing at Thursday night’s game is the giveaway.
"One-thousand participation trophies," Hoffman said.
Millennials do love when everyone wins.