49: Cleveland’s Chaotic 10-Cent Beer Night

In the summer of 1974, the Cleveland Indians had a big problem. Hardly anyone showed up for their games. It was embarrassing! So, the team’s management brainstormed ways to get butts in seats. Ultimately, they opted to host a handful of 10-cent beer nights. They hoped that the cheap beer would draw people to the stadium.

The good news? The plan worked! The bad news? It was pandemonium!

Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Kristin pulled from:
“Fifty years later, the chaos of Cleveland’s 10-cent beer night still shocks,” by Zack Meisel for The New York Times
“10 cent beer night: An oral history of Cleveland baseball’s most infamous night,” by Vince Guerrieri for Cleveland Magazine
“The night beer and violence bubbled over in Cleveland,” by Paul Jackson for espn.com
“10-Cent Beer Night: A look back,” video by Sports & Extras Network
“Ten Cent Beer Night Was A Total Disaster,” YouTube video by Weird History

Are you enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Then please leave us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts!

Are you *really* enjoying An Old Timey Podcast? Well, calm down, history ho! You can get more of us on Patreon at patreon.com/oldtimeypodcast. At the $5 level, you’ll get a monthly bonus episode (with video!), access to our 90’s style chat room, plus the entire back catalog of bonus episodes from Kristin’s previous podcast, Let’s Go To Court.