On one of Capitol Hill’s most anticipated bipartisan traditions—the annual Congressional Baseball Game—the Congressional Inventions Project (CIP) brought innovation advocacy directly to Congressional staff with a uniquely American game-day educational effort.

As staffers, Members of Congress, advocates, and baseball fans made their way into Nationals Park, the Congressional Inventions Project distributed 700 branded foam fingers in patriotic red and blue. But these weren’t just fan souvenirs – each foam finger included an educational insert highlighting the importance of intellectual property (IP) rights and the role innovation plays in supporting jobs, wages, and economic growth across the United States.

The insert highlighted several key facts:

• More than 127 industries rely on intellectual property protections.
• 47 million Americans are directly employed by IP-intensive industries.
• Workers in IP-intensive industries earn approximately 60% higher wages than those in non-IP industries. 
• America’s IP system generates approximately $7.8 trillion in economic activity, representing roughly 41% of U.S. GDP.

The message was simple: strong intellectual property protections help fuel innovation, create high-paying jobs, and strengthen America’s economic competitiveness.

Protecting American Innovation

The educational effort reinforced the Congressional Inventions Project’s mission to educate policymakers about the importance of fostering an environment where inventors, entrepreneurs, researchers, universities, and businesses can bring new ideas to market.

Through patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, intellectual property protections provide the incentives that encourage investment in research and development, support job creation, and help maintain America’s leadership in innovation.

The foam finger campaign also promoted the bipartisan and bicameral nature of the Congressional Inventions Caucus, encouraging Congressional offices to learn more about the caucus and join in its efforts to highlight the role of innovation in driving economic growth and improving lives.

Looking Ahead

From ice cream socials on Capitol Hill to baseball-themed educational campaigns, the Congressional Inventions Project continues to find creative ways to bring intellectual property discussions beyond traditional policy forums and into everyday Congressional experiences.

As the crowd cheered from the stands at Nationals Park, hundreds of Congressional staff left with more than a souvenir—they left with a reminder that protecting American innovation remains a winning strategy for jobs, wages, and economic growth.