For Those that Blame Attendance

[Chisoxfn]

Well all I can say is the Angels had s*** attendance year after year. They had s*** attendance during their playoff season two years ago. I went to like 20 games that season, and they had AAA discount and you could get tickets on the field for 11 bucks. Still, they would draw 20k almost every night. Late in the season they started getting some big crowds for Oakland and Seattle, but I still think they only sold out the Dodgers-Angels games and opening night (Where Cleveland absolutely destroyed them).

 

All season they averaged s*** attendance. Then all of a sudden they make the playoffs. I show up to the stadium in the morning to get tickets and there are easily 20,000 people there and I'm like f***, where were all these people when I was watching this team that sucked year after year and even this year.

 

I run home get my tickets to the first round series on ticketmaster.com.

 

Long story short Angels fans are born that year. They sell out their playoff tickets instantly and people were paying up to 2000 bucks a ticket for the series. Then the next year they are like 4th in the majors in attendance. They draw roughly 3 mill fans. It was the most in franchise history by a long shot. Then they get sold and even with a crappy year, I expect they will draw a similar amount of fans, especially with the excitement new owner Artero Moreno is bringing by putting the angels on the front page for the first time in a long long time.

 

Its always been what are the Dodgesr going to do, but now the Dodgers are 2nd story news and the Angels are out there signing Escobar, now Colon and next up is gonna be acquiring Nomar Garciapparra and they still might not be done. If they can move Erstad or Salmon to another team, then they will re-enter the race for Vladdy.

 

Oh ya, the Angels, if things go right this year will become one of the top franchises in the majors for a long time. They got a hell of a farm system, although I'm not at all a big Stoneman fan, and are in a large market with a very untapped fan base that has a lot of money (Orange County is one of the highest income areas out there).

 

Thats not really much different then the Sox, who have been kind of 2nd fiddle to the Cubs all these years. In all seriousness, all it takes is one big time playoff push or World Series. Hell, look at Florida, they are all of becoming a buzz and are probably gonna get a new stadium and that franchise could very well take off.

 

The thing is, those are two cities where baseball wasn't really a big deal to them and now its becoming that. In Chicago, sports are a big deal and there are a ton of baseball fans out there to be won. You have the 3rd largest market in the US (I think the Anaheim area is in the Top 5-7) and they are doing jack about it. To tell me this team can't draw is bulls***. I know it can't draw, but when you can't draw a good crowd in this sized of a city you have some serious problems.

 

Some of those problems definately enly with traffic issues, media bias (horrible stadium, its in the so called "ghetto", and the negative pr always coming out of the Southside). You definately can put blame on Gallas but you should also put blame on the Sox for not putting out the proper product. These is a city dying for a winner and a city that can easily support two baseball teams.

 

They need to do things to get themselves back as a top franchise cause they are far from it. They are one of the worse 5-10 franchises in baseball and the sad thing is they are in a huge market where their is no excuse for not being able to draw. On top of this the Sox do have some of the best ratings of any baseball club and they have a very lucrative tv package, one of the best out there. That package is only going to get more lucractive in a year when the new television station is created. They also have a very nice stadium lease where they only have to pay when attendance reaches a certain point. And most importantly they have a mayor thats a Sox fan. That may seem like small potatoes, but if the Sox pulled the strings right they could get some type of funding to hurry up the process to improve transportation to Sox games as well as create alternatives to getting to Sox games.

 

I also firmly believe that half price nights are a bad idea because it gives incentives for fans not to go other nights. Why go to see the Twins play on Thursday when I can catch the Sox play them on Monday and pay half the price. We may not all think that way, but the casual fan (Which is what the Sox need to draw big time crowds) does think this way. Why not just lower ticket prices by a % and what they lose in regular nights they make back up by making more on those previously half price nights. If you want to make things more affordable for certain demographics, then offer a nice senior citizen discount or make deals with Pepsi where if you bring in a can you get like buy one get one free or something like that for certain games. Or give Student discounts and I know the Sox give military discounts (Supposed to be very good with that).

 

The Sox as an organization have a lot of things they need to improve. It won't be an easy process, but maybe they should start bringing in new people with new ideas, because the current ideas definately aren't working. I'm not even talking about the ball club they are fielding, their are so many other things they also have to address.

 

And trust me, lowering ticket prices while the Cubs are raising them would be great PR and they could do it. I realize they are cutting out some extra seats, but when the hell did those seats get used, other then the Cubs series??? Just realize that lowering seats by a buck or two brings in more fans who will spend money on concessions, where they make a lot of money, as well as bring in additional parking revenue for the city and team and if you ask me will draw more fans, especially with a good product out there.

 

And the renovations are being paid for by US Cell, so their isn't any reason to think ticket prices should be going up for that. The Sox should of made better light of the fact that the deal with US Cell allows the Sox to put together a state of the art facility while costing the fans, the people we care about nothing.

 

Their are countless things the Sox could improve and not all of them are plausible, but if they start improving some of the key areas and working on other areas, it can slowly help.

[SoxFanForever]

Pretty good post Jason and pretty good about the Angels info. I honestly feel the way you do on most of the things here. The Sox management could do so many small things to improve and even make a few bucks but they aren't that smart. It is pretty aggrivating when you live in (Or near in my case) the third largest city in the country and you are told that you have budget constraints because it is a small market and the team can't draw like other big market teams. Anyways, good post. I feel the same way.

[BrandoFan]

Jason's post was nothing short of sport insight tour-de-force.

 

Bravo.

[Ishmookie]

YOU SHOULD SERIOUSLY BE THINKING ABOUT SENDING THAT POST TO SOX MANAGEMENT GREAT POST.

[supernuke]

Well all I can say is the Angels had s*** attendance year after year.  They had s*** attendance during their playoff season two years ago.  I went to like 20 games that season, and they had AAA discount and you could get tickets on the field for 11 bucks.  Still, they would draw 20k almost every night.  Late in the season they started getting some big crowds for Oakland and Seattle, but I still think they only sold out the Dodgers-Angels games and opening night (Where Cleveland absolutely destroyed them). 

 

All season they averaged s*** attendance. Then all of a sudden they make the playoffs.  I show up to the stadium in the morning to get tickets and there are easily 20,000 people there and I'm like f***, where were all these people when I was watching this team that sucked year after year and even this year. 

 

I run home get my tickets to the first round series on ticketmaster.com. 

 

Long story short Angels fans are born that year.  They sell out their playoff tickets instantly and people were paying up to 2000 bucks a ticket for the series.  Then the next year they are like 4th in the majors in attendance.  They draw roughly 3 mill fans.  It was the most in franchise history by a long shot. Then they get sold and even with a crappy year, I expect they will draw a similar amount of fans, especially with the excitement new owner Artero Moreno is bringing by putting the angels on the front page for the first time in a long long time. 

 

Its always been what are the Dodgesr going to do, but now the Dodgers are 2nd story news and the Angels are out there signing Escobar, now Colon and next up is gonna be acquiring Nomar Garciapparra and they still might not be done.  If they can move Erstad or Salmon to another team, then they will re-enter the race for Vladdy. 

 

Oh ya, the Angels, if things go right this year will become one of the top franchises in the majors for a long time. They got a hell of a farm system, although I'm not at all a big Stoneman fan, and are in a large market with a very untapped fan base that has a lot of money (Orange County is one of the highest income areas out there). 

 

Thats not really much different then the Sox, who have been kind of 2nd fiddle to the Cubs all these years.  In all seriousness, all it takes is one big time playoff push or World Series.  Hell, look at Florida, they are all of becoming a buzz and are probably gonna get a new stadium and that franchise could very well take off. 

 

The thing is, those are two cities where baseball wasn't really a big deal to them and now its becoming that.  In Chicago, sports are a big deal and there are a ton of baseball fans out there to be won.  You have the 3rd largest market in the US (I think the Anaheim area is in the Top 5-7) and they are doing jack about it.  To tell me this team can't draw is bulls***.  I know it can't draw, but when you can't draw a good crowd in this sized of a city you have some serious problems.

 

Some of those problems definately enly with traffic issues, media bias (horrible stadium, its in the so called "ghetto", and the negative pr always coming out of the Southside).  You definately can put blame on Gallas but you should also put blame on the Sox for not putting out the proper product.  These is a city dying for a winner and a city that can easily support two baseball teams. 

 

They need to do things to get themselves back as a top franchise cause they are far from it.  They are one of the worse 5-10 franchises in baseball and the sad thing is they are in a huge market where their is no excuse for not being able to draw.  On top of this the Sox do have some of the best ratings of any baseball club and they have a very lucrative tv package, one of the best out there.  That package is only going to get more lucractive in a year when the new television station is created.  They also have a very nice stadium lease where they only have to pay when attendance reaches a certain point.  And most importantly they have a mayor thats a Sox fan.  That may seem like small potatoes, but if the Sox pulled the strings right they could get some type of funding to hurry up the process to improve transportation to Sox games as well as create alternatives to getting to Sox games. 

 

I also firmly believe that half price nights are a bad idea because it gives incentives for fans not to go other nights.  Why go to see the Twins play on Thursday when I can catch the Sox play them on Monday and pay half the price.  We may not all think that way, but the casual fan (Which is what the Sox need to draw big time crowds) does think this way.  Why not just lower ticket prices by a % and what they lose in regular nights they make back up by making more on those previously half price nights.  If you want to make things more affordable for certain demographics, then offer a nice senior citizen discount or make deals with Pepsi where if you bring in a can you get like buy one get one free or something like that for certain games.  Or give Student discounts and I know the Sox give military discounts (Supposed to be very good with that). 

 

The Sox as an organization have a lot of things they need to improve.  It won't be an easy process, but maybe they should start bringing in new people with new ideas, because the current ideas definately aren't working.  I'm not even talking about the ball club they are fielding, their are so many other things they also have to address. 

 

And trust me, lowering ticket prices while the Cubs are raising them would be great PR and they could do it.  I realize they are cutting out some extra seats, but when the hell did those seats get used, other then the Cubs series??? Just realize that lowering seats by a buck or two brings in more fans who will spend money on concessions, where they make a lot of money, as well as bring in additional parking revenue for the city and team and if you ask me will draw more fans, especially with a good product out there.

 

And the renovations are being paid for by US Cell, so their isn't any reason to think ticket prices should be going up for that. The Sox should of made better light of the fact that the deal with US Cell allows the Sox to put together a state of the art facility while costing the fans, the people we care about nothing. 

 

Their are countless things the Sox could improve and not all of them are plausible, but if they start improving some of the key areas and working on other areas, it can slowly help.

Someone shold email this to everyone in the Sox front office. Twice.

[winninguglyin83]

mega dittos

 

 

A make a note that the Angels have a NEW OWNER who wants to WIN!!!

[Rex Hudler]

Do you actually think the Sox would draw appreciably more fans if they lowered ticket prices a buck or two?

 

Not happenin'.

 

There are lots of things wrong with the Sox organization and some of what you point out is valid. Lowering ticket prices sends the wrong message, however. Now holding tickets prices for three or four years running is a different story.

[FlaSoxxJim]

I also firmly believe that half price nights are a bad idea because it gives incentives for fans not to go other nights.  Why go to see the Twins play on Thursday when I can catch the Sox play them on Monday and pay half the price.  We may not all think that way, but the casual fan (Which is what the Sox need to draw big time crowds) does think this way.  Why not just lower ticket prices by a % and what they lose in regular nights they make back up by making more on those previously half price nights.  If you want to make things more affordable for certain demographics, then offer a nice senior citizen discount or make deals with Pepsi where if you bring in a can you get like buy one get one free or something like that for certain games.  Or give Student discounts and I know the Sox give military discounts (Supposed to be very good with that).

Good post, Jason, but I disagree about the half-price nights. First, one of the two weekeday half-price nights they have had the last two years IS what you suggested - bring in a Pepsi product and get two tix for the price of 1 (or half-price each).

 

But in general, I don't think it is a disincentive to most Wed-Saturday game-goers. If you're getting a group together to take in a Friday night game, you're going to do it rather than going to a Monday or Tuesday night game knowing you're not going to cut loose as much if you have to work the next day, etc. On the other hand, working class families that really are prohibited from taking 4 or 5 people out for full price tix more than a couple times a year are going to come out on those nights. Also, there will be more casual fans who just might see a great game, have a great time, start looking over a schedule and picking out a few more games to go to, some on cheap nights and some not. The idea is to turn casual fans into more serious fans and you do that by getting them in the park and making it something the need to keep doing.

 

My Bro used to go to a bunch og games a year - a holdover from growing up doing it with my family. A couple years ago he basically got too busy with work and stopped going out to many games other than the opener and Sox/Cubs. In 2002 with the half-price nights he ended up going to maybe 6 additional games that he would not have. Last year he was hardcore and made 30+ games. All because the half-price nights got him back to the park.

[YASNY]

Great post Jason. I would love to have Reinsdorf see this. Better yet, I love to hear his comments after reading it. However, I have to agree with FlaSoxxJim on the half price night thing.

[DBAHO]

Certainly agree with u bout the Dodgers Jason. The Angels hav easily made them 2nd page news and Dan Evans is under a hell of a lotta pressure ova there. They really need to make a move or do sumthin quick to excite their fan base, or though we do to judgin by all da complaints in da last few days. U certainly make some valid points about the direction this organisation needs to take to improve their financial position and attendance. These r all very important issues for an organisation to hav success not only off but on the field as well, because more fans translates into more wins pretty much. I mean if they sign Kaz Matsui, so many more Asian fans r gonna come to US Cell just to see this guy play, and he's pretty much gonna earn what Valentin is this year. Unfortuantely the one thing u r rite about is that the only way Sox fans and the Sox r gonna create a buzz around the city is if they pull a Florida this year and hav some postseason success. Also the Sox seem to draw much betta in the School Holidays and when it ain't a school nite, so mayb they should ask the MLB for more home games on weekends and earlier weeknite games? When I end up finishin my Commerce Degree at Uni, I really want to come to the US and work for a Sports Team and face these issues that you hav discussed in ur post. They've got to put out more incentives for ur average Joe Sixpack and Sally Housewife who r Sox fans to come out to the Cell and watch the games live and not on tv.