Friday, September 29, 2017

2017 Rays Attendance Post-Mortem

With the 2017 season now in the books, my annual Tropicana Field attendance debrief may as well be regurgitated from last year...

Once again, the Rays finish in the MLB cellar, drawing an average of 15,637 fans per game - a drop of 1.5% from last year, but a little better than the 2015 mark of 15,403. That makes six straight years the team finished 30th out of 30 teams.

For once, the Rays had an exciting offense on top of their typical pitching standouts, but even without NHL playoffs to compete with, just couldn't draw.

This blog has long covered the issues affecting Rays' attendance, from the front office's self-fulfilling prophecy, the team's failure to be "cool," and of course, location location location.

Rays owner Stu Sternberg told Marc Topkin, "given the performance of the team, I would have anticipated (attendance) to be better. Where we were and how we were playing, it could have only been better. We've heard it before, and I've talked to the players, it clearly affects the performance on the field."

That's kind of a stretch. In fact, I love this response from blogger @TBBaseballMkt:
But have no fear! The end of the baseball season simply means the start of the baseball stadium speculation season!  Topkin asked Sternberg about that too:
With the season ending, how soon could there be an announcement of a stadium site selection, given the reported Ybor City option?
We're ready. Whenever Hillsborough or Tampa make their pitch, we're ready. We've worked with them a bunch, and we're waiting to hear the pitch. There's nothing more for me to do at this point.
Maybe we'll finally get to hear all the taxpayer subsidies our elected leaders have been offering up behind closed doors the last few years.

Here are a few more more question/answers for your enjoyment:
What is the status of a new TV contract?
If it'll even be a contract - we might end up starting a network at some point. When the time comes and we can negotiate a TV contract there will be a lot of parties to talk to. .. Unfortunately it's not the environment for that given what's gone on with cord-cutting and the value of cable, so I don't expect it or anticipate it to be nirvana. Ideally when and if something gets done it could move the needle. By the same token it might end up being less than where we are now. It's way down the road (and he won't say when).

How much did the hurricane rescheduling and fallout impact the team financially as you had to move three Yankees game to New York and then had lesser than expected crows for the Red Sox and Cubs games?
Those eight games, while they were 10 percent of our schedule, probably made up 20-25 percent of our revenue.
Did you get revenue from the three games moved to Citi Field?
We'll get revenue but the games are very expensive to put on, and they were attended, but not like 40,000, 50,000 people showing up, it was a $25 set price. And we had to house and transport people for four extra days on the road in New York. And a lot of other expense like overtime (for staff at the Trop) and buttoning the place up and some damage to the stadium. All in all, it was a minus-minus-minus. However, having said that, we're incredibly fortunate for what could have been.






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Sunday, September 24, 2017

A Few Items Worth Reading...

It's always easy for guys who aren't going to pay for a stadium to suggest someone should buy the Rays a new stadium...which Joe Maddon did this past week, as Chris Archer expressed his displeasure with the home crowd.

It wasn't the first time...but a couple columns the reactions prompted are among the Sunday Night reading list links worth a few minutes of your time:
  1. Tom Jones: Tampa Bay Just Doesn't Have Enough Tampa Bay Sports Fans (he's right)
  2. Joe Henderson: Tampa is a Better Location for a New Rays Stadium (obviously...except the financing)
  3. Martin Fennelly: USF thrashes Temple to stay unbeaten; too bad not many saw it in person (true - far fewer than 20,000 butts in seats)
  4. Twitter: "USF Crowd Shots" account (USF will say a new stadium will fix this, but tough to commit to new stadium without crowds)
  5. Robert Trigaux: Tampa Bay household income tops $50,000 (that's 25th out of 25 major US cities, and it shows how the market gets stretched thin for entertainment dollars)





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Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Buccaneers Now Worth $2 Billion

The latest Forbes NFL valuations have the Bucs worth an estimated $1.98 billion, up 10% from the same time last year. However, that's only good for 28th out of 32 teams.

The Cowboys are once again the league's most-valuable team and the world's most valuable sports franchise, worth an estimated $4.8 billion.

Forbes reports "new and renovated stadiums are adding to team coffers," with the Vikings enjoying $60 million in new revenue annually at their new stadium, and the Falcons' value jumping 19% to $2.48 billion, thanks to over $900 million in sponsorship commitments at their new stadium.

And, "NFL teams are also set for a windfall from the relocations of the Rams and Chargers to Los Angeles, plus the Raiders expected move to Las Vegas in 2019 or 2020. The 29 non-moving teams will divvy up $1.65 billion with the Chargers and Rams on the hook for a $650 million fee and the Raiders at $350 million. The moving teams will make the payments over 10 years starting in 2019."





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UPDATED: In Darkness of Irma Disaster, Sarasota Approved Braves Spring Training Stadium

While the majority of their residents were in the dark two days after Hurricane Irma blew through, Sarasota County Commissioners braved the elements and rushed to approve a new Braves spring training stadium, predominately funded by public tax dollars. Why do I say "rushed?" Well, according to my public records request from about a week before the storm, no agreement existed yet - "the lawyers are still talking about it."

I've previously written how the dealings had been plagued by county staffers' battles with transparency, bogus economic impact claims, and other red flags during negotiations.  Fortunately, some of my warnings were heeded, but there are still items of concern that were glossed over in the rush to get a deal done, including long-term stadium maintenance, which has cost the county unexpected dollars in their dealings with the Orioles' spring training complex (you'd think they'd have learned a lesson).

The unanimous vote from county commissioners last Wednesday sets up a final vote in North Port today.

UPDATE: North Port city commissioners approved the deal, 3-2, only after a pair of commissioners voiced loud displeasure over the negotiating process ("Every single document we’ve received has been, ‘Your back’s against the wall, you better sign this or else.’ It’s a disservice to this community") and concern over the multi-purpose fields that were promised for public use. But the city attorney told commissioners they must agree to the deal without amendment.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports the project will now surpass $100 million, although the direct taxpayer contribution will remain in the $50 million range.  The Braves will receive additional subsidies in the form of free rent and certain tax breaks; the team will instead contribute an annual payment toward $37.5 million in construction bonds.

The Braves will also reportedly keep proceeds from the naming rights of the public facility, which they can use to further offset construction costs.

A groundbreaking will reportedly take place next month, with the Braves looking to relocate to the new West Villages/North Port complex in Spring 2019.





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Monday, September 18, 2017

Adding to the Ybor City Stadium Rumor Mill: Developer Gives Big to Ken Hagan

The guy who has emerged as one of the single-biggest property owners/developers in Ybor City just gave a bunch of big campaign checks to the guy who is single-handedly negotiating a possible Rays move to a yet-to-be-announced site in Tampa.

Companies controlled by Darryl Shaw, who has been dubbed "Ybor's big new (development) player," gave $5,000 to Hillsborough Commissioner Ken Hagan last month, according to campaign finance reports. Shaw's wife and a company she controls also each chipped in $1,000, the maximum-allowable donation for the 2018 election.

RELATED: Rays, Hagan Continue to Sweep Funding Conversations Under Rug, Make Mockery of Transparency Promises

Shaw is far from Hagan's only high-profile donor, but it only adds speculation that Hagan may be cooking up some sort of county-subsidized plan with Shaw and the Rays - potentially involving land giveaways or a land swap?






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Friday, September 1, 2017

FSU Professor at Center of Academics Scandal is Same Hospitality Professor Busted for Inflated Economic Impact Reports

The man at the center of a 2013 academics scandal at Florida State University, just exposed Friday by the New York Times, is the same hospitality professor exposed by WTSP in April as passing himself off an economist while he conducted dozens of economic impact studies for parties seeking tax dollars for sports-related projects, including Major League Baseball teams.

The Times reports Dr. Mark Bonn allegedly pressured a doctoral student to give football players, including Tampa native James Wilder Jr., preferential treatment in online hospitality courses on coffee, tea and wine. Other student-athletes allegedly "handed in plagiarized work and disregarded assignments and quizzes."

FSU issued a statement Friday explaining it did not report the allegations previously because an independent investigation found no NCAA violations. But Bonn's course "was subsequently modified for other reasons."

In April, WTSP exposed how Prof. Bonn appears to have made hundreds of thousands of dollars on the side crafting inflated economic impact studies to help pro teams and leagues justify public tax subsidies for new stadium projects.

When the story made national headlines, Bonn told The Toronto Star, "(The reporter) can go jump in a lake, as far as I’m concerned.”

The Times also reported Wilder emailed Professor Bonn at the end of one summer semester to suggest he needed a "B" to "keep myself in good academic place with the school.” Bonn reportedly instructed the doctoral student, Christina Suggs, to work with the “starting star running back" and provide him a chance to make up missing work, even though it had already been graded.

But Suggs objected to special treatment, reportedly telling a colleague, “I am not offering this opportunity to other students.” The Times writes that "the colleague agreed, summing up their mutual concern about Professor Bonn: 'Trying to put a stop to his favoritism for athletes once and for all.'"

Bonn stopped responding to WTSP's questions in April; he did not respond to the newest allegations on Friday, either.


   



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