Following yesterday's post about how the Red Sox were able to re-brand an aging Fenway Park - mostly through marketing - one more comparison between "America's Most Beloved Ballpark" and Tropicana Field:
The "big-market" Red Sox haven't always thrived at the box office. Thirty years ago, they only averaged 19,637 fans per game. The Rays' average since 2008 has been 21,761.
In fact, few teams drew more than 25,000 a game in the early 80's. And ticket prices were way lower! And television/merchendising revenues were a fraction of what they are today!
So what changed that 21,761 fans is "unacceptable?" Players' salaries.
Yet MLB contends the problem is not theirs; it's the problem of the baseball fan in regions like Tampa Bay.
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This is a great point. I've never understood why 20,000 people is considered a great crowd for 40 hockey games or 40 basketball games, but for 80 baseball games it's unacceptable? It actually seems like quite an accomplishment to me.
ReplyDeleteAlso, we do have a habit of casting things/people aside once their initial hype and shine has worn off, only to wait a few years, dust them off, and hail them as "classic". Unfortunately, I doubt that this will ever be the case with the Trop. Probably because we won't have ESPN on our side to promote us, the way that they do for their favorite northeastern children, the Sox and Yanks.