I want Ozzie and KW gone.

[caulfield12]

Sixth sellout of the season.

 

Beautiful weather, nice response to a first place team...Monday night, Felix Hernandez was on the mound, but the Mariners aren't exactly a huge draw these days, and the White Sox haven't been playing very well since the ASB.

 

Seems like it takes until late July or early August for many White Sox fans to start believing in their team...then they disappear again when school hits a month from now.

 

One thing is for sure, these sellouts make it a lot more likely we could afford to bring back Konerko or AJ (one of the two) next year if KW wants to go in that direction...also dependent, of course, on what changes, if any, KW makes before the end of the season.

[Leonard Zelig]

People need to realize if they want the Sox to spend like a big market team, they need to fill the stadium like a big market team. Some of these homestands have been darn right pathetic. 20,000 to 30,000 thousand a night for a first place team is terrible. Go to the damm games and Jerry will spend more money. He showed us that in 2006. I get my ass to at least 20 games a year and I am not rich by any means.

 

I hear what you're saying about selling tickets, but tonight was the first home game as a first place team. And apparently sold out.

[The Ginger Kid]

That's really not at all what I said.

My question was sincere, I'm asking what you mean.

[Pumpkin Escobar]

I hear what you're saying about selling tickets, but tonight was the first home game as a first place team. And apparently sold out.

 

I understand the logic behind selling out earning money for spending.

 

It works both ways though. If you don't spend wisely, and our fans, who I like to view as intelligent because I think having 2 teams sucks (one being one of the more popular teams in baseball) removes way more of your average fans, casual fans, less then casual. It hurts because we don't get their dollars in the park but to me, I enjoy talking to baseball people and not people out to enjoy a beer. So if the goal is to win, and Sox fans know our team is not capable of winning, you're saying I should support the squad in person anyways so that these morons don't fix holes and produce winning teams every year? No chance.

 

I've always gone to tons of sox games for someone from the Northwest Suburbs, without fullseason tickets and having to play travel baseball, attend high school and play high school sports, attend college out of state. Since I turned 16 and could do it myself I've still hit probably 20 games a year. Which when you factor in the schedule of 81 home games, X amount at night, X amount on a night that I didn't already have something going on and that 4 of those years I spent out of state. I think thats a pretty good number.

 

I refuse to go this year. I have been to a handful. I play softball 3 nights a week and sundays. Have class one night but even if I had them off, I still wouldn't go until recently. We all know this team is flawed and until it's fixed why go? We knew this 3 months ago. Only reason I have been going because the ones I have been too outside of early on, have been in the last month to try and help them get some money to acquire someone and show support for some good ball. Do they deserve sellouts in april after we enter the season unahppy with the team and see it play out as expected? No way. Even as of now I think I only have 3 more games of tickets the rest of the year, one of which being the Thomas retirement game and the other being a skybox game with a buddy. Otherwise, I just don't like letting Reinsdorf or whoever earn their nut while running out a garbage squad.

 

Are the Sox garbage? No. I'm just stressing where my mind was in April. Theyre only AL trash and NL gold right now but I do have hope if we can add a bat and go to a 3man come playoffs.

[Pumpkin Escobar]

And in all honesty - that train of thought could be shared by many sox fans and be the problem. I just know thats how it has always been preached to me from a lifelong sox fan and how I'll preach to my kid. You want fans in the seats, then put a winning team together before, during and after the season.

[gatnom]

Sixth sellout of the season.

 

Beautiful weather, nice response to a first place team...Monday night, Felix Hernandez was on the mound, but the Mariners aren't exactly a huge draw these days, and the White Sox haven't been playing very well since the ASB.

 

Seems like it takes until late July or early August for many White Sox fans to start believing in their team...then they disappear again when school hits a month from now.

 

One thing is for sure, these sellouts make it a lot more likely we could afford to bring back Konerko or AJ (one of the two) next year if KW wants to go in that direction...also dependent, of course, on what changes, if any, KW makes before the end of the season.

 

It was half price night.

[greg775]

It was half price night.

 

Proof again that people will go when they get a break on the amount of money it takes to go.

A lot of South Siders are blue collar, baby. They can't afford the s*** ass modern day prices.

[caulfield12]

I don't know if they've ever done a study of their revenues from half-price nights or not...how much their concessions and souvenir sales are down versus "full paying" nights, and how much the core value of the ticket price is eroded. I'm sure they have studied this.

 

(One other thing that always rankled me living in Iowa was that the White Sox never had a TOLL-FREE out of state number for calling the ballpark to buy tickets like quite a few clubs do...this was when long-distance toll calls were expensive, now it doesn't matter so much, but I thought it would be an easy "fan friendly" change to make...then there's that saying, an empty seat isn't making any money. OTOH, there's also the adage in sports marketing that 80% of your fans are the same 20% who go regularly, and MANY professional sports franchises make the mistake of trying to bring out new fans or casual fans when they should be concentrating just as much, if not more, on keeping their biggest customers happy and renewing.)

 

It's a Catch-22 with half price nights, you want more fans in the seats, but then you get a lot of fans who won't come out to the ballpark if not for the discount.

 

Would those fans be purchasing season tickets or Ozzie Plans if not for this? Maybe, maybe not. One thing it also does is make season ticket holders question holding those packages, but with White Sox fans, the market is fairly inelastic (apparently) in terms of their season ticket holders/corporate box seats, at least that's my guess.

 

I think the Front Office also realizes there are enough fans out there willing to pay "full price" when the team is playing really well...they also learned last year the damage that premium pricing (I think it was the Dodgers series in 2009 or 2008) can do to the casual fans when the team isn't playing very well and the opponent for that night is the main attraction (like when the Yankees or Red Sox come to town).

 

Another promotion that was popular was the family days on Sunday...I can't remember the exact discount, but I think fans understand that the Sox need to do what they can to promote kids coming out to the park and making it more affordable for fans to attend the games, somehow. I've been out of the country for much of the last five years (and lived in KC before that), so I'm not sure how many half-price nights they still have. There used to be the Pepsi nights and maybe there was one other game (Monday-Thursday) that was heavily discounted, especially in April/May/September.

Edited July 27, 2010 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

DOUBLE POST, DELETE PLEASE

Edited July 27, 2010 by caulfield12

[SoxFan562004]

well one benefit of 1/2 price night is parking is 1/2 price and I believe that's a good stream of revenue for the club.

[jenksycat]

Yeah they can't claim poor when they've been one of the few teams to raise prices every year.

[hawkjt]

I expect Kenny and Ozzie to muddle their way to another division title this year, their 3rd in the last 6 years, and roll the dice in the playoffs,with Danks,Floyd and Buehrle on the mound. Probably win a series ,maybe a world series. Then next winter, Kenny and Ozzie will get hammered by loyal Sox fans again...because that is what loyal Sox fans do.

[southsider2k5]

Yeah they can't claim poor when they've been one of the few teams to raise prices every year.

 

They can when attendence has gone down pretty steadily since 2006.

[whitesoxfan101]

They can when attendence has gone down pretty steadily since 2006.

 

Maybe people would be more receptive to consistent ticket price increases (even despite a lousy economy) if the team had more than one playoff win since 2005....

Edited July 27, 2010 by whitesoxfan101

[Balta1701]

Maybe people would be more receptive to consistent ticket price increases (even despite a lousy economy) if the team had more than one playoff win since 2005....

Alternatively...if ticket price increases are keeping revenue roughly constant despite decreases in attendance...then they're set up well for the next time they make a legitimate playoff/WS run because that will generate added revenue in the good seasons.

[whitesoxfan101]

Alternatively...if ticket price increases are keeping revenue roughly constant despite decreases in attendance...then they're set up well for the next time they make a legitimate playoff/WS run because that will generate added revenue in the good seasons.

 

Oh no I'm sure they have their reasons to raise ticket prices. All I'm saying is you can't raise ticket prices, not produce on the field, then whine (or be surprised, I don't think our organization has whined to be fair, so be surprised is a better term) about attendance. What else do you expect to happen when such a cycle is in place?

Edited July 27, 2010 by whitesoxfan101

[southsider2k5]

Maybe people would be more receptive to consistent ticket price increases (even despite a lousy economy) if the team had more than one playoff win since 2005....

 

Its either that or a smaller payroll.

[Balta1701]

Oh no I'm sure they have their reasons to raise ticket prices. All I'm saying is you can't raise ticket prices, not produce on the field, then whine (or be surprised, I don't think our organization has whined to be fair, so be surprised is a better term) about attendance. What else do you expect to happen when such a cycle is in place?

I really don't think they "whine" about attendance as much as they actually do. A lot of KW's attendance whines wind up being done right before he takes on additional salary. I think a lot of his whines are smokescreens, because he knows that'll rile up the Chicago press especially. He gave an attendance whine last year and then added Peavy and Rios.

[whitesoxfan101]

Its either that or a smaller payroll.

 

Smaller payroll it is then if we keep missing the playoffs. Had we not rallied like we did in June, the payroll for next year was going WAY down. At the very least, this run has saved us some payroll reduction for next year IMO.

Edited July 27, 2010 by whitesoxfan101

[greg775]

Probably win a series ,maybe a world series. Then next winter, Kenny and Ozzie will get hammered by loyal Sox fans again...because that is what loyal Sox fans do.

 

I think it's what most fans do, at least in a message board forum.

Just win, baby, and you shut everybody up.

[jenksycat]

They can when attendence has gone down pretty steadily since 2006.

 

I mean you can't say "well nobody's going to games OMG!!!!!!" and then raise ticket prices every year. The 2 are related a bit

[jenksycat]

I think it's what most fans do, at least in a message board forum.

Just win, baby, and you shut everybody up.

 

Even that's not the answer, this team is winning. People will b**** up until a WS ring. I'd hate to be a fan like that, seems like such a miserable way to look at sports.

[southsider2k5]

I mean you can't say "well nobody's going to games OMG!!!!!!" and then raise ticket prices every year. The 2 are related a bit

 

Attendence was going to fall anyway. You could either do nothing and lose revenue for sure, or cut payroll, if you weren't willing to raise prices. Which would you perfer.

[Balta1701]

Attendence was going to fall anyway. You could either do nothing and lose revenue for sure, or cut payroll, if you weren't willing to raise prices. Which would you perfer.

Of course, the question becomes whether or not by raising ticket prices they've depressed revenue further than they would have otherwise due to ticket sales falling even further (my guess is no, but I'd assume they spend a fair amount of time and money doing the books on that question).

[jenksycat]

Attendence was going to fall anyway. You could either do nothing and lose revenue for sure, or cut payroll, if you weren't willing to raise prices. Which would you perfer.

 

I'm fine with raising prices, but you can't have it both ways. You can't announce a 15% increase and then complain about how nobody is coming out. They have to pick one or the other, don't use "no attendance" as a excuse when you're one of the handful of teams raising prices.

 

Its not like they'd announce "hey people have been filling the seats, we're going to lower prices now!"