July 19 was a sellout crowd with “Last Week Tonight's” John Oliver in attendance leading the game day comraderies and cheers.
The Erie Moon Mammoths may have lost their first ever game, but that didn't stop fans and John Oliver, host of "Last Week Tonight," from making it a great celebration.
During a sold-out game July 19, Oliver made his first-ever visit to Erie, Pennsylvania following his brain-child creation of the Erie Moon Mammoths.
Earlier this year Oliver on "Last Week Tonight" put a call out to Minor League Baseball teams looking to earn the chance for a promotional rebrand for one team in which Oliver and his HBO staff would have complete control over (in coordination with Major League Baseball). It was announced in a later segment that he chose the Erie SeaWolves as the lucky team.
Oliver and his team did some deep research and came up with the rebrand "the Erie Moon Mammoths" in tribute to diver George Moon discovering mammoth bones in Lake Pleasant.
"What was going through my mind was excitement," Oliver said during a news conference before the game. "When you send an idea like this out into the world, there is a nonzero chance that nobody is going to come back wanting to play ball. To have so many teams in the league express interest was edifying."
From the moment it was announced fans seemed to instantly embrace the new Moon Mammoths rebrand.
"It's exciting to see Erie get into this new theme night," Greg Coleman, president of the Erie SeaWolves, said. "Seeing John Oliver is fun, and we've been working our tails off to make this the best it can be. We're here to make memories and this is a game that people will tell their friends about."
Erie shows up for the Moon Mammoths
It was apparent at the game that when you tell Erie region residents — and beyond — that a television host from HBO is making a stop, especially at a ball game, expect a crowd.
Saturday's attendance number was over 7,070 fans, and the gameday 50/50 tickets raised more than $6,500.
"We love Minor League Baseball so much," said Karyn Dromboski, a Moon Mammoths fan. "It's so silly to have so much excitement around it. We drove from Pittsburgh to see the game, and it's our first game in Erie."
Some fans traveled from areas such as Manhattan or even West Virginia because of their following for the "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" show and passion for a fun time at a ball game.
Shania and Timothy Farris from West Virginia were some of the first fans in line at the gate since 11 a.m. Gates weren't scheduled to open until around 4:15 p.m.
"We're fans of the show and a fan of the SeaWolves," Shania Farris said. "It was a no-brainer being here today."
John Oliver enjoying the game
Whenever fans saw Oliver at the game, he had a smile on his face and was interacting left and right.
Oliver took part in mid-inning promotions, batting announcements, sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and even served hot dogs during one inning.
"I was not expecting this," said Matt Raft, a Moon Mammoths fan who received a hot dog from Oliver. "We saw him on the field and then went to get food and it was hilarious to see him back there. I can go home today and say John Oliver gave me a hot dog."
Didn't go to the first Moon Mammoths game?
July 19 was the first game of the Moon Mammoths four-game promotional series for 2025, but it's the only game that Oliver would be in attendance.
If you weren't able to catch the game on Saturday night (July 19), then you will have three other chances, Aug. 19, Sept. 12 and Sept. 13.
Contact Nicholas Sorensen at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: What it was like being at the inaugural Erie Moon Mammoths game
Category: General Sports