New era in Canaries baseball takes off in big way

This paid piece is sponsored by the Sioux Falls Canaries.

A new scoreboard introduced a new era in Sioux Falls Canaries baseball earlier this spring. It is unmistakably big. No one would walk into The Birdcage who hadn’t been there in awhile without noticing what a radical upgrade it is over its predecessor.

The goal of True North LLC, the Canaries’ new ownership group led by Sioux Falls-born Brian Slipka, is that the franchise lifts the rest of its operations to that same level of splash on a consistent basis.

There’s a lot more to that scoreboard than just the score in this case. This $500,000 upgrade’s reach and message go well beyond its visual pop.

“This board will allow us to WOW fans, pre-game through post-game, with a media experience in ways the Canaries have never been capable of doing in their nearly 30-year history of entertaining fans,” said Slipka, managing partner of more than a dozen independent small businesses throughout the Upper Midwest.

“We believe the new video scoreboard will show fans how seriously committed we are to Sioux Falls — even just walking into the games, the fans can see there’s a big difference from the past.”

It will take some time for this American Association independent minor-league franchise to pull that off, but that’s not to say the people bringing it about are going to be moving slowly. Quite the opposite, in fact.

It’s a robust plan, it has a lot of moving parts, and they’re just getting started.

“We’re confident that the fans are going to enjoy our approach to improving the baseball experience and that word will spread quickly — we aim to make the Canaries into a hot ticket in Sioux Falls,” Slipka said.

“Personally, this means a lot to my family as I was born in Sioux Falls and my mom grew up here. In a way, being involved with the Canaries has been like a homecoming.”

True North LLC includes entrepreneurs Anthony Albanese and Sam Swartz, co-founders of Duke Cannon Supply Co., a fast-growing men’s grooming company. Together, this ownership team has already enacted noticeable changes. A look at the menu of theme nights indicates as much.

The Canaries have hosted the Dad Bod Olympics, Yacht Rock Nite and Sioux Falls Pride Night in June.

They’ve had Beetlejuice Night and Big Lebowski Night in July — the Canaries changed their name to The Dudes on that night — and have the Mr. South Dakota Male Beauty Pageant and Hawkeye Elvis Night coming up later in the month, along with Faith and Family Day coming in August.

With Sioux Falls sports radio personality John Gaskins leading these Birdcage rallying cries into pop culture, a steady diet of the nutty stuff will continue into August. Eighteen home dates in July are giving fans ample opportunity to check out how this refreshed effort is working out.

This quest to entertain does not diminish the serious attempt the Canaries are making to build their brand in the coming years.

For those who have followed the franchise since it arrived on the scene, it’s impossible not to note that there are whole sections of the city that did not exist when a six-team Northern League began play in 1993 at what was then a conspicuously rustic Sioux Falls Baseball Stadium.

“We are committed to strengthening the league and giving fans a fulfilling experience,” Slipka said. “We are also excited to roll out some long-term planning and partnerships with the city and with business leaders. We want people to know that the Canaries are much more than baseball. Hopefully, people see this when they come to the games and when they are in the community.”

The new ownership recently launched the Canaries Community Fund, an initiative of the Slipka Foundation, with a healthy six-figure commitment to support academic scholarships, community engagement and character-building in the Sioux Falls area. As the season progresses, the Canaries will designate charities and causes in and around Sioux Falls and throughout the entire state of South Dakota.

“Hopefully, everyone will come to see the Canaries in person and to see the changes we are bringing to the team, to The Birdcage and to the community,” Slipka said. “We’d like as many people as possible to be part of what we are doing. Supporting the baseball team will be a form of supporting the Canaries Community Fund and boosting efforts around education, community engagement and character-building in the region.”

The targets have never moved too much over the decades for the franchise. Put on a good summertime show, win some games and serve up independent minor-league professional baseball with a smile, a wink and a competitive resolve.

What has changed is the city surrounding the ballpark.

“Sioux Falls is growing and will not stop growing,” Slipka said. “It’s estimated that there will be $400 million of both public and private investment just in the downtown area of the city over the next two to three years, and the Canaries want to be participants in and beneficiaries of the growth. We have big plans for the future of the team, which will become evident in the upcoming months. The bottom line is this: Canaries fans can be assured the new ownership will be actively and enthusiastically engaged in the community.”