South Bend Cubs to Celebrate Middle Child's Day on August 18

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - National Middle Child's Day was August 12, a day that always seems to get ignored or forgotten. So it's no surprise the South Bend Cubs are throwing some love to the self-proclaimed "forgotten child" of the family six days after their namesake holiday -- but the International Middle Child Union couldn't be happier.

"We'll take attention any time we can get it!" says I.M.C.U founder Bruce Hopman.

He pitched the idea of a "Middle Child Appreciation Night" last fall, and the Cubs were clearly eager to play ball. When they face the Dayton Dragons at Four Winds' Field on, August 18 at 7:05 P.M., they'll join almost 50 other teams in 26 states this season who are acknowledging and celebrating a holiday no one seems to know even exists.

"Typical Middle Child treatment," bemoans Hopman.

Ironically, the idea for the night started out as a joke. Hopman was heading to a Miami Marlins' game last year with a friend and quipped, "I wonder if tonight is Middle Child Night at the stadium -- you know, when you bring your middle child to the game, and they don't pay any attention to them!" But what started in jest turned into a crusade.

Building on the success of his 2013 global virtual Middle Child Strike (#MidKidStrike), Hopman was looking for a new way to spread the word about Middle Child's Day, and America's Favorite Pastime seemed like the way to go.

"I came across an article listing all the crazy promotions teams run, and the more I read, the less of a crazy idea Middle Child Night seemed!" Hopman said.

The South Bend Cubs apparently agreed, along with more than twice as many teams as last year.

"If you're not a middle child yourself, you're related to one or probably know one," says Assistant GM Andy Beuster. "This is a great opportunity for middle children in South Bend to receive the attention they claim to never get enough of -- even if it's a few days late!" 

The Cubs have a fun-filled evening planned that even the most attention-deprived middle child won't soon forget. For starters, the evening is also scheduled to include Middle Child-themed songs throughout the game. They'll also be playing "The Mid Kid Challenge," a.k.a. "Guess the Middle Child," and more surprises are sure to be added. "It's only fitting this is happening on a Tuesday night," adds Beuster. "It's like the forgotten Middle Child of the week!"

Hopman is quick to point out that Middle Child Appreciation Night isn't meant to exclude other members of the family.

"After complaining about being the odd man out, this is a chance for us to share our night with the entire family, but the middle child gets to be the hero for a change, instead of getting blamed," Hopman said. "Who knows, maybe this will change the whole birth order dynamic!" 

His optimism is short lived, however.

"The next day, we can go back to being cast aside and ignored."

 

CLICK HERE to see what MiLB.com had to say about Middle Child Appreciation Night.