JULY 12, 1979 | CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – A “strange brew” was created at Comiskey Park on this date in 1979. It caused the Chicago White Sox to forfeit the 
second game of a doubleheader. The “strange brew” was disco music, rock & roll and baseball.
In one of the first examples of sports cross-promotion, Chicago radio “shock jocks,” Steve Dahl and Garry Meier joined forces with Mike Veeck, the son of Sox owner Bill Veeck. Dahl and Meier despised disco music and wanted to bring about its demise. Veeck wanted more fans in the stands.
They agreed to have a “Disco Demolition Night.” Dahl and Meier invited thousands of their fans to bring disco records to the Sox-Detroit Tiger doubleheader in exchange for a free ticket. The records would be blown up in center field between games.
The problem was, many more thousands of fans than they expected brought disco records to the game in exchange for a free ticket.
Once this triumphant disco demolition took place the “fans,” most of who, you could safely bet, were not your average baseball fans, became oblivious to a second game soon having to be played on the field they were trampling.
After more than an hour of trying to clear the field, chief umpire Dave Phillips postponed the game. American League President Lee McPhail went further and ruled the game a forfeit win for the Tigers, who also won the first game 4-1.
It was an embarrassment for the hometown White Sox, but as the late 1960’s Cream lyrics say, “Strange brew, kill what’s inside of you.” Maybe it helped bring about the demise of disco.
CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
The Chicago Tribune, July 13, 1979
ESPN program on Disco Demolition