Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- For most people, going out to a baseball game involves eating hotdogs, cotton candy, and pretzels. Fans at Spirit Communications Park had a chance to enjoy another unique snack at Sunday's home game.
Bar BBQ Crickets were sold at Sunday's game for the first time in the three year history of the Fireflies.
“They’re actually really not that bad they’re actually really good," Said Chris Scott, a fireflies fan. "It’s not something that you really think about and to be able to try something new, it’s definitely up there on things to try it’s really awesome.”
Tracy Bender, Terminix Marketing Director, says the crickets are a unique source of protein.
"They’re actually more protein in a cricket than there is in the same amount of beef," Bender says. "So it’s kind of fun to let people try something new while they’re at the baseball game.”
Fireflies fan Charlene Sales-McMillan says she was excited about eating the crickets and is looking forward to trying more.
“It actually wasn’t that bad once you get over the fact that you’re eating an actual cricket and it looks like a cricket but once I put it in my mouth it actually wasn’t that bad.” Sales-McMillan says.
Other fans like ten year old Molly Merriot weren't as excited.
"
When I saw them, I was like oh no I don’t want to eat these," Merriot says. "T
hey were just really dry and didn't’t have a lot of flavor.”
Regardless of how fans felt about the crickets, Bender is hopeful they learned the positive effects bugs can have.
“It’s a nice thing to tell another side of the story that we’re not just about killing bugs but promoting the positive benefits of insects as well.” Bender says
Free crickets will be handed out again on July 22nd and August 12th.