You can’t blame Chicago Cubs fans for thinking that someone had found a way to cover the infield at Wrigley Field with aluminum foil. But the silver surface, complete with Reynolds logo, was actually a custom baseball field tarp printed with the company’s branding and brought out during a game day rain delay.
Graphic baseball infield tarps offer stadiums an innovative way to keep the field dry and showcase some of their supporting sponsors. The Salem Red Sox in Roanoke, Virginia ordered a raincover printed with local auto dealer Haley Toyota’s logo. Though fans only see the infield tarp during inclement weather, the same logo is featured on the storage cover for the field tarp roller that sits on the sidelines throughout the game.
In the past it’s been difficult to accommodate requests for branded covers, said Covermaster regional representative Larry Moreland. The paint wouldn’t adhere to the cover material so the only option was to use a large decal, making the product labor-intensive and costly to produce. Today’s graphic baseball field covers are made from a material that’s ink-friendly and just as effective at keeping the turf cool and dry. The Haley Toyota infield cover puts the spotlight on the company’s logo, stretching 85 feet wide and 55 feet high across the tarp.
“If you think about the size of the area that you have available; if you call it a canvas, that’s a very large canvas that you’ve got to paint your advertising on,” Larry explained.
In Chicago, it was easy to use the baseball infield tarp’s silver side to create what looked like a giant sheet of Reynolds foil, complete with company branding and graphics. A coordinating storage cover over the roller tarp was ordered in blue to resemble a box of Reynolds foil, positioned in a location where it can be seen by up to three-quarters of the stadium’s spectators, said Covermaster regional representative Gerry Hackett.
In Nashville, the Sounds purchased a new infield tarp for their inaugural season at the newly constructed First Tennessee Park. The Raincover Plus was an easy choice to go with as it had been used in the past. This time however, it was supplied with the title sponsor’s logo across the center of the tarp. An accompanying storage cover with similar branding is situated along the foul wall in view during play.