quick math check though...

 

assume the Sox draw the extra 4k fans per game as the article suggested.

 

Over an 81 game season, assuming $20 per ticket, that equates to $6.48 million in additional revenue.

 

Didn't Kenny cut payroll by an amount greater than $6.48 million prior to the season? Pulling Swisher, Cabrera, Vazquez, Hall, etc off team?

If I had to guess they lost money last year and many of those subtractions were to make up for losses.

The economy is hurting the Sox. I'm perfectly fine with them not adding payroll if they feel they can't. In these terrible economic times better to be safe than sorry.

I'm fine with that, but don't blame the fans.

Im now feeling bad that the only one ive been to this year is a Wrigley one.

 

I am unemployed however.

f*** you, Kenny. Yeah, I said it. Even if true, any business that blames its customers for its own inability to improve its product is idiotic and arrogant. Its Marketing 101.

You cant argue the facts.

 

If the Sox had a higher attendance, they would be able to support a higher payroll.

 

IIRC, they're sporting a $100 million payroll for the fourth year in a row now, yet have only cracked the Top 10 in attendance once (2006) and Top 15 twice (2006, 2007). They've spent generously since 2006, despite average or below-average attendance over the past three seasons. What's happening now is the cumulative effect of multiple years of average gate returns on this spending.

 

Sox fans for better or for worse will only support this team if they are the clear favorites to win. Anything less they are going to be pessimistic.

 

Mostly agree with this...

 

It wasnt always this way, but since the 1994 baseball strike Sox fans have a much different attitude towards attending games.

 

... but not this.

 

No doubt that the strike hurt baseball attendance (especially the Sox), but the truth is that the Sox struggled with attendance mightily before the strike. They barely drew a million fans in 1989 (dead last in the AL) and fared poorly in the previous two years as well (13th out of 14th in '88 and 12th in '87). By the time the strike hit, home attendance had been dropping steadily from the New Comiskey "honeymoon" period. Granted, it took a WS to get back to the 2 million mark, but it's not like they're struggling at the gate again in comparison to the rest of the league. They just can't support a Red Sox-like payroll with average gate numbers.

Edited July 8, 200916 yr by WCSox

f*** you Kenny. Where were the big trades when attendance was soaring?

f*** you, Kenny. Yeah, I said it. Even if true, any business that blames its customers for its own inability to improve its product is idiotic and arrogant.

 

Kenny, JR, and the rest of the powers-that-be have spent generously on this team since the WS (and still sport a $100 million payroll), despite the fan support being nothing more than average for the past 2 1/2 years. I don't like what they've done with the prices, but they've obviously made a good-faith effort to invest everything that they reasonably can in their roster since the fans bought up season tickets like crazy in 2005/2006.

 

Kenny, JR, and the rest of the powers-that-be have spent generously on this team since the WS (and still sport a $100 million payroll), despite the fan support being nothing more than average for the past 2 1/2 years. I don't like what they've done with the prices, but they've obviously made a good-faith effort to invest everything that they reasonably can in their roster since the fans bought up season tickets like crazy in 2005/2006.

I'm not criticizing the payroll or the prices. I'm criticizing the comment; its completely inappropriate, even if true. I understand that "you can't spend a dollar when you only have 50 cents." Why can't he understand that it won't help matters to alienate the fan base by blaming them? Its stupid, and I resent it.

Where's Dick Allen in this thread?

 

KW should be writing speeches for some of the politicians getting caught with their hands in the cookie (or "hunnies") jar.

 

Ridiculous.

 

The one thing people keep forgetting about is that the White Sox ticket, parking and concessions prices are among the Top 5 in all of baseball.

 

They should do what the Angels and Dodgers do in a similar economic market and try to be more fan-friendly with prices...and not run off the average, middle class family of 4 living in the suburbs.

 

More half-price nights (weeknights, MON/THUR), better promotions during midweek or afternoon games...not just weekends. Stop relying so much on Saturday night fireworks shows, stop relying so much on 05/06 and get creative again. Don't sit back and insult the fans.

 

They have greater revenue generating ability from the stadium naming rights, corporate sponsorships in Chicago, not to mention the luxury box revenues....

 

While they have been 5-8 in payroll, I think the reality is that they are closer to 12-15 in terms of revenue production. The Twins are ahead of us in attendance by a bit (partially because of fans looking at season ticket packages for 2010), but NO WAY they have close to the same prices across the board that we charge our fans.

Edited July 8, 200916 yr by caulfield12

f*** you, Kenny. Yeah, I said it. Even if true, any business that blames its customers for its own inability to improve its product is idiotic and arrogant. Its Marketing 101.

 

 

great point...

 

McDonalds... well we can't roll out a new hamburger because our customers aren't buying enough of the crappy ones.

 

GM... well we can't improve our car fleet and produce better cars because people aren't buying enough of the s***ty ones. (ok bad example)

U say the economy is bad and its going to be tough for you to draw fans. So you go ahead and raise ticket prices, especially for a weekday mid june series. Then it turns out attendance is actually down....HMMMMM....how about...LOOK IN THE DAMN MIRROR!!!

If the Sox keep winning and don't hit another major swoon then the fans will come. Simple as that.

 

I like how Kenny says "I think it's a reflection upon the economy of what's kind of happened with regards to attendance and I don't know if we've played consistent enough, or been exciting enough for people to get behind us. We're still hopeful."

 

Really Kenny?

 

You THINK people might be out of work right now?

 

You DON'T KNOW that your team sucked before this streak?

 

I guess you must be shocked to find out that people who don't have money to spend decide against buying tickets to watch a team that they don't have any confidence in, huh?

LOL

 

Chris Rongey just now, "I don't think you'll look back on the 2009 Sox and say 'That was a great team.'"

 

Edit: "I think this is a decent team but they've got a little ways to go before I'd call them a good team." Kenny, holy s***, are you hearing this?!?!

Edited July 8, 200916 yr by Kenny Hates Prospects

Not to mention the fact the Dodgers were playing without their biggest draw in Manny Ramirez...

 

C'mon KW, you're smarter than this. Nobody is buying what you are selling.

 

Go work for the Yankees/Mets/Dodgers/Angels/Red Sox and see how it goes there...you have a lifetime appointment as GM of the White Sox, but that doesn't give you a right to be condescending to the fanbase on so many occasions. After all PR/Marketing go hand-in-hand, and I guarantee none of KW's comments have ever inspired fans to support the team, they've probably had a negative affect of turning the casual Sox fans on the fence away from attending a game, just to spite KW/JR.

I agree on this BS comment, and the money is there especially if they were looking at that terrible Peavy contract that no other teams in baseball have been able to work out a way to absorb it.

 

The $50/ticket price on the Dodgers day game was ridiculous, and the 11% markup overall this year was JR and company pissing in the eye of the fans who were locked in on the playoff tickets in 2008.

 

The real projection they need to worry about is that I bet season ticket holder retention next year will probably be closer to 50-60% so they will have a lot more tickets to sell in 2010.

Edited July 8, 200916 yr by chiguy79

So Kenny blames the fans, then makes an AWFUL trade. So today, he basically took two gigantic craps on the fans. Well SCREW YOU Kenny, jerk.

Edited July 8, 200916 yr by whitesoxfan101

The real projection they need to worry about is that I bet season ticket holder retention next year will probably be 50%.

That would be remarkably low. It wasn't anywhere near that after the 2007 debacle.

So Kenny blames the fans, then makes an AWFUL trade. So today, he basically took two gigantic craps on the fans. Well SCREW YOU Kenny, jerk.

At least the trade wasn't a salary dump.

This ticks me off. The Sox jack ticket prices and parking, dump some good player for prospects and in the middle of a bad economy he is going to come out and say this?

At least the trade wasn't a salary dump.

 

Well yeah, but he still took dump #1 on us by blaming us for not being able to make a payroll adding trade, then took dump #2 on us by making a trade that's indefensible on paper. As far as I'm concerned, Kenny can go to hell right now.

God, this drives me nuts. This economy is terrible and a lot of people are suffering horribly. If it's really an issue shut-up about it

God, this drives me nuts. This economy is terrible and a lot of people are suffering horribly. If it's really an issue shut-up about it

 

Not only does the economy suck, but ticket and parking prices were raised, plus we made moves more in salary dump mode than trying to win mode this winter, so ripping the fans is just stupid. And how is the Dodgers series an eye opener? It should be an eye opener that the people in our ticket office are freaking morons for charging premium prices for a midweek series against an NL team in June right before the Cubs visit. The idiocy of whoever made that decision is the eye opener.

Not only does the economy suck, but ticket and parking prices were raised, plus we made moves more in salary dump mode than trying to win mode this winter, so ripping the fans is just stupid. And how is the Dodgers series an eye opener? It should be an eye opener that the people in our ticket office are freaking morons for charging premium prices for a midweek series against an NL team in June right before the Cubs visit. The idiocy of whoever made that decision is the eye opener.

Not only that, but it will give media outlets more reason to pile on the Sox. This quote will be plastered all over the place. This was a completely unecessary finger to the fans from KW. I'm one of his biggest supporters, but this was in poor taste

Well yeah, but he still took dump #1 on us by blaming us for not being able to make a payroll adding trade, then took dump #2 on us by making a trade that's indefensible on paper. As far as I'm concerned, Kenny can go to hell right now.

 

 

Marte for Guerrier

Thornton for Borchard

Cotts as part of the Foulke/Koch trade

Jenks from the scrap heap

Takatsu

Hermanson

DJ Carrasco

Politte, etc.

 

Just relax. Sisco and Aardsma went south on us, but if the Sox under KW are BEST at any one thing, it's finding underperforming or "miscoached" talent in other organizations...just not drafting it (until Beckham.)

 

He also added salary with the addition of Ramon Castro, who hit a crucial 3 run homer for us in our winning streak.