A sea of people, decked out in orange and black, wraps around AT&T Park, patiently waiting in a seemingly never-ending line into the ballpark. Inside is the same herd of orange and black, not only in the stands, but swarming across the field. Fans are excitedly running around, snapping selfies and pushing through crowds to catch a glimpse of a player.
Saturday, Feb. 13, locals and out-of-towners were welcomed with free entrance to the Giants’ ballpark to run around on the dynasty’s field, stand in line to meet players and purchase Giants gear, beer and food.
TSF State student Emily Gibson just finished her internship with the Giants but still volunteered at the ballpark for FanFest, where she sold mystery grab bags filled with Giants paraphernalia to guests.
“All the proceeds go to the Junior Giants,” said Gibson. “The organization provides free baseball bats, gloves, balls, helmets, etc. to underprivileged kids throughout California. I got a bunch of my friends that also go to state to come help out too.”
There was a diverse crowd of fans in the stadium, with senior citizens, children, and college students waiting to catch a glimpse of a player walking around the stadium or to watch Hunter Pence during his Q&A.
SF State students were not just guests at the event but also workers, interns and volunteers. The campus’ involvement with the Giants and AT&T Park continues to grow as the second-annual commencement ceremony approaches at the ballpark in May.
Theressa Ghalbouny, a friend of Gibson’s, said she really enjoyed volunteering and giving back to the kids.
“It was definitely worth it,” Ghalbouny said. “And I got the chance to walk around before anybody was in the park which was really cool. I also got to see some of the players because they were walking around with us.”
Gibson’s involvement with the Giants will continue when she starts her next job as an ambassador with the Orange Black Attack Team, which provides free t-shirts and other items during games and discounted tickets to the San Francisco community.
“I’ve been a huge Giants fan since I was a kid,” said Kyle Steinert, a freshman student at SF State. “It’s part of the reason I decided to move here, and I’m definitely looking forward to attending a lot of games throughout college and hopefully seeing a World Series win!”
