Attendance Question

[blazer prophet]

MLB Attendance Drops to Lowest Average In 15 Years

Overall, baseball attendance is on the decline. From what I read, it's a matter of millennials being more indifference to spectator sports. I get it- it's darn expensive.

So here's the question...

Portland it trying to get a MLB team. We have a downtown stadium that used to serve as a AAA stadium and it's been renovated for MLS. It can be further renovated to accommodate about 32,000. It's downtown, has light rail and bus service...

Seems to me that a smaller stadium now a days may be the way to go. Do you think a MLB team can sustain itself with a 30,000 seat stadium?

 

[gob]

MLB Attendance Drops to Lowest Average In 15 Years

Overall, baseball attendance is on the decline. From what I read, it's a matter of millennials being more indifference to spectator sports. I get it- it's darn expensive.

So here's the question...

Portland it trying to get a MLB team. We have a downtown stadium that used to serve as a AAA stadium and it's been renovated for MLS. It can be further renovated to accommodate about 32,000. It's downtown, has light rail and bus service...

Seems to me that a smaller stadium now a days may be the way to go. Do you think a MLB team can sustain itself with a 30,000 seat stadium?

It can. I would probably aim for about 25,000, though.

 

[Cyder]

MLB Attendance Drops to Lowest Average In 15 Years

Overall, baseball attendance is on the decline. From what I read, it's a matter of millennials being more indifference to spectator sports. I get it- it's darn expensive.

So here's the question...

Portland it trying to get a MLB team. We have a downtown stadium that used to serve as a AAA stadium and it's been renovated for MLS. It can be further renovated to accommodate about 32,000. It's downtown, has light rail and bus service...

Seems to me that a smaller stadium now a days may be the way to go. Do you think a MLB team can sustain itself with a 30,000 seat stadium?

There's a couple of things at play here. The main one in my opinion is that there are way too many teams that completely suck. Why would anyone go see teams that are tanking? Baltimore, Miami, K.C., Detroit and a bunch of other teams aren't just bad, they're abysmal. Tampa Bay is good but their ball park is a joke.
Minn surprises me a bit at their lack of attendance but with the year starting a week earlier many teams are dealing with shit weather.
Throw in that with today's TV's the only sport that's better live is hockey and you get less and less folks.

I don't think it's an issue with a 30,000 ballpark. Fenway isn't much more than that.

 

[gob]

There's a couple of things at play here. The main one in my opinion is that there are way too many teams that completely suck. Why would anyone go see teams that are tanking? Baltimore, Miami, K.C., Detroit and a bunch of other teams aren't just bad, they're abysmal. Tampa Bay is good but their ball park is a joke.
Minn surprises me a bit at their lack of attendance but with the year starting a week earlier many teams are dealing with shit weather.
Throw in that with today's TV's the only sport that's better live is hockey and you get less and less folks.

I don't think it's an issue with a 30,000 ballpark. Fenway isn't much more than that.

Baseball is 100% better live. I'd have to be pretty bored to watch baseball on TV, but I'll go to a game.

 

[Cyder]

Baseball is 100% better live. I'd have to be pretty bored to watch baseball on TV, but I'll go to a game.

I had partial season tickets to the Yanks for years. Let them go the last year of the old Stadium. They made a big deal about "We're not raising the prices on the upper deck for the new stadium!". Yeah, they upped them 50% in the last year of the old stadium. Pissed me off. Now I get tickets from vendors on occasion but getting home from their is a mess for me. I check out a game at Citifield here and there if there's a good pitching match up, it's much easier for me to get to and I have the month pass for the railroad anyway

 

[gob]

I had partial season tickets to the Yanks for years. Let them go the last year of the old Stadium. They made a big deal about "We're not raising the prices on the upper deck for the new stadium!". Yeah, they upped them 50% in the last year of the old stadium. Pissed me off. Now I get tickets from vendors on occasion but getting home from their is a mess for me. I check out a game at Citifield here and there if there's a good pitching match up, it's much easier for me to get to and I have the month pass for the railroad anyway

I'll go to our AAA team's games a couple times a year, but baseball is down on my priority list, and while tickets are cheap, concessions are not.

 

[Win TWINS!!!]

The earlier they move up the start of the season.... the less fans that will go through the gates. They played games at the end of March.... in Minnesota. Fuck that.

Move back the start of the season, and move up the end. Go back to scheduled double headers, and screw the fucking MLBPA. I think they could handle a couple in May/June and July. Saving time for makeups in August and September.

 

[blazer prophet]

There's a couple of things at play here. The main one in my opinion is that there are way too many teams that completely suck. Why would anyone go see teams that are tanking? Baltimore, Miami, K.C., Detroit and a bunch of other teams aren't just bad, they're abysmal. Tampa Bay is good but their ball park is a joke.
Minn surprises me a bit at their lack of attendance but with the year starting a week earlier many teams are dealing with shit weather.
Throw in that with today's TV's the only sport that's better live is hockey and you get less and less folks.

I don't think it's an issue with a 30,000 ballpark. Fenway isn't much more than that.

Do you think free agency plays a part? You buy a player's jersey and next year he's gone.

 

[Cyder]

I'll go to our AAA team's games a couple times a year, but baseball is down on my priority list, and while tickets are cheap, concessions are not.

The local single A teams here (Brooklyn Cyclones for the Mets, Staten Island for the Yanks) are immensely popular so the tickets aren't that cheap. I used to go to a lot more concerts and sporting events (Had Ranger season tickets for years) but as I get older it just doesn't do it for me anymore. I enjoy spring training but haven't been in 3 years. Now when I go down there I tend to just fish.
I'll probably check out the tennis at the open this year. It's a few minutes from me and the day sessions are cool even if you're not a big fan. Several of the stadiums are new and you can catch great matches on the little side courts. Plus, you can get there at 11am for the day session and stay until 5 or 6 if you like. The night sessions usually revolve around one star on the main court so I avoid those. The first Friday is the best time to go.

 

[blazer prophet]

The earlier they move up the start of the season.... the less fans that will go through the gates. They played games at the end of March.... in Minnesota. Fuck that.

Move back the start of the season, and move up the end. Go back to scheduled double headers, and screw the fucking MLBPA. I think they could handle a couple in May/June and July. Saving time for makeups in August and September.

Yes, I'd love to see a schedule much shorter and return the World Series to early October.

 

[blazer prophet]

The local single A teams here (Brooklyn Cyclones for the Mets, Staten Island for the Yanks) are immensely popular so the tickets aren't that cheap.

Interesting point.

Portland had a very popular A team for a while. Tickets were reasonable, food cheap, played hard.... Sort of like rooting for underdogs to make the show.

 

[blazer prophet]

Baseball is 100% better live. I'd have to be pretty bored to watch baseball on TV, but I'll go to a game.

Same here. To me, baseball is like soccer in that it's a social game. You go with friends, chat, eat, drink... Heck, I always keep score when I go. Some other sports the action is nonstop and you have to dial in. Better for TV.

 

[Guy Incognito]

MLB Attendance Drops to Lowest Average In 15 Years

Overall, baseball attendance is on the decline. From what I read, it's a matter of millennials being more indifference to spectator sports. I get it- it's darn expensive.

So here's the question...

Portland it trying to get a MLB team. We have a downtown stadium that used to serve as a AAA stadium and it's been renovated for MLS. It can be further renovated to accommodate about 32,000. It's downtown, has light rail and bus service...

Seems to me that a smaller stadium now a days may be the way to go. Do you think a MLB team can sustain itself with a 30,000 seat stadium?

30,000 would be the smallest stadium in the league. Tampa's shithole seated 31K (recently reduced to 25K because no one goes anyway), but some of the nicer new parks (Cleveland, Minnesota, Pittsburgh) are all under 40,000 seats. Most teams seem to want to operate in the 41-44K window (10 of the league's teams are here, with the White Sox just below at 40,615).

 

[tducey]

Season starts to early. To me it should start in mid to late April. That way you escape a lot of the cold weather. That could be 1 way to fix attendance.

 

[PEOPLESCHICKEN]

MLB Attendance Drops to Lowest Average In 15 Years

Overall, baseball attendance is on the decline. From what I read, it's a matter of millennials being more indifference to spectator sports. I get it- it's darn expensive.

So here's the question...

Portland it trying to get a MLB team. We have a downtown stadium that used to serve as a AAA stadium and it's been renovated for MLS. It can be further renovated to accommodate about 32,000. It's downtown, has light rail and bus service...

Seems to me that a smaller stadium now a days may be the way to go. Do you think a MLB team can sustain itself with a 30,000 seat stadium?

I think it can. Its really more about that market of your proposed team? What entertainment competition is there if any during the season? Can the fan base support a major league team? What are the financial resources?

I mean if Detroit can have a team why not Portland? Hey, do you want the Tigers?

@broncosmitty

 

[PEOPLESCHICKEN]

30,000 would be the smallest stadium in the league. Tampa's shithole seated 31K (recently reduced to 25K because no one goes anyway), but some of the nicer new parks (Cleveland, Minnesota, Pittsburgh) are all under 40,000 seats. Most teams seem to want to operate in the 41-44K window (10 of the league's teams are here, with the White Sox just below at 40,615).

Cleveland actually reduced its capacity somewhat over the past years. There were formerly upper deck outfield seats that have been "removed" aka hidden behind signage

 

[broncosmitty]

I think it can. Its really more about that market of your proposed team? What entertainment competition is there if any during the season? Can the fan base support a major league team? What are the financial resources?

I mean if Detroit can have a team why not Portland? Hey, do you want the Tigers?

@broncosmitty

Can we trade the Pistons for the Blazers while we're at it?


Ain't nobody going to Pistons games either.

 

[PEOPLESCHICKEN]

Can we trade the Pistons for the Blazers while we're at it?


Ain't nobody going to Pistons games either.

I dunno, I see Mike Abdenour there all the time

 

[PEOPLESCHICKEN]

Can we trade the Pistons for the Blazers while we're at it?


Ain't nobody going to Pistons games either.

That's some deep random facts right there

 

[broncosmitty]

I dunno, I see Mike Abdenour there all the time