Time to revisit the attendance concerns

[Wedge]

The people will come, the people will most-definitely come.

 

"Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it's money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. And the memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh,.. people will come Ray. People will most definitely come."

[santo=dorf]

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Jun 4, 2005 -> 02:12 AM)

To all those wanting to discuss attendance:

 

What's your solution?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Lower the God damn prices.

[nitetrain8601]

Attendance just isn't quite where it should be, taking everything into consideration. Nobody expects the Sox to match the cubs right now. At the end of the year I'll reevaluate. In the meantime I make my first visit to Chicago and the old ball yard since 2001 during the week of July 4. The mighty Devil Rays are in town. Maybe I'll see one or more of you. I may even pop for a beer.

 

Exactly, attendance should be higher considering we're the first place team in baseball.

 

What's even scarier about Friday's attendance.....There were A LOT of Indian fans there.

 

I even decided to not take off my light coat so Indian fans wouldn't heckle me at Jacob's Field West.

[GoodAsGould]

I am sure by tomorrow there will be another 100 posts in here (50 of which wil be useless like Jabroni's and out of the other 50, hopefully 10 of them will hint at what we are trying to understand here).

 

 

Its not like your posts havent been useless in this thread either... basicly creating 9 pages of garbage.

 

Anyways... JR isolated a lot of fans in the 90's with the strike and white flag trade and we have lost a lot of those fans forever maybe. Also its not like sox games are cheap and the parking is brutal... especially when the avg. fan is apposed to be a blue collar worker.

 

Cant you just be happy that attendence is up from last year, and a playoff appearance would most definitely increase attendence for next year. I mean if I was a casual fan and saw the white sox start off strong 2 years in a row just to lose to the twins... I might not want to go to the ballpark either.

 

Also im not calling you out for not being able to go to the games, just think this thread is useless, especially since its been discussed so many times.

[kev211]

Lower the God damn prices.

Prices are extremly low on half price monday

[santo=dorf]

QUOTE(ScottPodRulez22 @ Jun 4, 2005 -> 12:08 PM)

Prices are extremly low on half price monday

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's what, 5 games out of 81?

 

Why do you think the crowds are so large on Monday?

[Kalapse]

I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY, WHEN I SUGGESTED THAT SOMEONE MAKE ANOTHER ATTENDANCE THREAD I WAS BEING SARCASTIC. I APPOLOGIZE TO EVERYONE WHO READS THIS BOARD FOR BRINGING UPON YOU ANOTHER ATTENDANCE THREAD. IN THE FUTURE I WILL BE SURE TO USE GREEN TEXT TO INDICATE SARCASM. ONCE AGAIN I APPOLOGIZE FOR SUBJECTING YOU TO THIS.

[Guest JimH]

OK, I have read the whole thread. Actually I think it's one of the better threads recently.

 

Commentary on the thread

 

1. Attendance is a legit topic to discuss. There is a direct correlation to revenue vs. what the White Sox spend on payroll. They run the team as a zero sum operation and have increased payroll steadily. Steff knows all the numbers by heart.

 

2. I disagree with bashing the guy who started the thread. Yes, the topic is somewhat worn out but so is Timo bashing, Crede bashing, Ozzie bashing, etc. Since everything is fair game on this site, so is discussion of attendance.

 

3. For the "you don't go to games so you have no right to b**** about attendance" crowd: B.S. He brought it up for discussion vs. b****ing about it. Everybody has their reasons for going or not going to games. We are all fans. Anything about the franchise is fair game to discuss. Maybe this guy goes to Sox road games in California. Part of the gate always goes to the visiting team anyway. It's a very small portion but that is the case.

 

4. b****ing about attendance (if he is indeed b****ing) is no different than b****ing about anything. He presented the argument very well, to say he isn't entitled or qualified to b**** about attendance is ludicrous. The same goes for all of you who b**** about Timo ad nauseum, what makes you qualified to b**** about that? Because you are a fan, and it's a relevant topic to the Chicago White Sox. Stop the elitism crap. I have probably been to more Chicago White Sox games in my lifetime than almost everyone here, save for Steff and quickman and possibly a few others. When I didn't live here I went to their road games (Anaheim and Milwaukee) and traveled in whenever I could. Attendance and lack thereof has been an issue since I can remember and that dates to the mid 1960's.

 

How to Increase Attendance

 

1. First of all it will not be an overnite thing. Attendance is on the upswing as Mike stated in his post. IMO the casual fan is beginning to notice (rediscover?) the White Sox. People like to do the "in" thing. The Sox are becoming more "in" but this never changes overnite. It took the Cubs 20 years to become the "in" thing (from early/mid 60's to the mid 1980's). The PR people need to keep pressing forward and doing the promotions they do. Over time it will make a difference.

 

2. Continue redeveloping the neighborhood. I grew up there. There's a mistaken impression about Bridgeport, people hang onto old stories and draw conclusions. Talk to some housewives in Naperville, they think Bridgeport is a slum. Then take them to a few establishments in Bridgeport and watch them go "wow ... this is not that bad, this is kinda nice". Word of mouth is very powerful. They are cleaning up Halsted St. big time, that will help.

 

3. The White Sox and local establishments should aggressively joint venture. The Sox should promote the neighborhood spots, and vice versa. Example: on the back of every ticket they have a Dunkin Donuts promo. Why not rotate it with a promo for the neighborhood places? "Take your ticket stub to Ricobene's within one week of this game date, get $3 off a pizza." Get the fans out into the neighborhood and they will see it's safe and a nice area to hang out. The establishments in Bridgeport need to press this with the White Sox and the White Sox need to be more open to this idea. Embrace the neighborhood.

 

4. Continue the focus on marketing to kids. Have even more kids promotions. Fundamentals is a good start, community outreach is a good start. Promote the players at kids events, there are millions of kids activities in Chicago. The White Sox should partner with those organizations more than they do.

 

5. Do special promos for the upper deck and stop treating it like a red haired step child. Give upper deck people a coupon for concessions, more special meal deals, etc. Market the upper deck to community newspapers. I can't remember the last time I saw a Sox promo piece in my local newspaper.

 

6. Market the Club Level to the swankier audience. It's a marvelous place to sit, they need to promote it to the higher end audience. Chicago Magazine is a good place to start.

 

7. Continue the crackdown on idiots at the ballpark in terms of fighting, abusive behavior, etc. Make it known that idiots have to pay consequences, put out a press release when some assclown goes to jail for starting a fight at the ballpark. Reinforce that the Chicago White Sox support a friendly, safe environment. Have fun at the ballpark, kick back a few beers and enjoy yourself but don't get out of line. If you do, you are not welcome here. This supports families going to games. And it makes moms feel safer, a very important factor because we know that moms and wives have significant say so in terms of the entertainment $$.

 

8. Have more raffle drawings, i.e. Lucky Seat winners. Give away stuff from places in the neighborhood. Not at all hard to do. Show your ticket stub at Guest Relations and win a gift certificate if your name is called. Or, have a Lucky Row contest. They do this in Tucson and the whole row wins a pizza. Makes the game more fun and it's good PR for the franchise and the establishment.

 

There are a lot more ideas but that's a start. Another thing they should do is "personalize" the players more. Boyer is trying to do this. Many of these guys are really nice and their personalities would resonate with White Sox fans. Let the fans get to know the players a bit more. Lots of ways to do this.

[BigNDfan80]

OK, I have read the whole thread.  Actually I think it's one of the better threads recently.

 

Commentary on the thread

 

1.  Attendance is a legit topic to discuss.  There is a direct correlation to revenue vs. what the White Sox spend on payroll.  They run the team as a zero sum operation and have increased payroll steadily.  Steff knows all the numbers by heart.

 

2.  I disagree with bashing the guy who started the thread.  Yes, the topic is somewhat worn out but so is Timo bashing, Crede bashing, Ozzie bashing, etc.  Since everything is fair game on this site, so is discussion of attendance.

 

3.  For the "you don't go to games so you have no right to b**** about attendance" crowd:  B.S.  He brought it up for discussion vs. b****ing about it.  Everybody has their reasons for going or not going to games.  We are all fans.  Anything about the franchise is fair game to discuss.  Maybe this guy goes to Sox road games in California.  Part of the gate always goes to the visiting team anyway.  It's a very small portion but that is the case.

 

4.  b****ing about attendance (if he is indeed b****ing) is no different than b****ing about anything.  He presented the argument very well, to say he isn't entitled or qualified to b**** about attendance is ludicrous.  The same goes for all of you who b**** about Timo ad nauseum, what makes you qualified to b**** about that?  Because you are a fan, and it's a relevant topic to the Chicago White Sox.  Stop the elitism crap.  I have probably been to more Chicago White Sox games in my lifetime than almost everyone here, save for Steff and quickman and possibly a few others. When I didn't live here I went to their road games (Anaheim and Milwaukee) and traveled in whenever I could.  Attendance and lack thereof has been an issue since I can remember and that dates to the mid 1960's.

 

How to Increase Attendance

 

1.  First of all it will not be an overnite thing.  Attendance is on the upswing as Mike stated in his post.  IMO the casual fan is beginning to notice (rediscover?) the White Sox.  People like to do the "in" thing.  The Sox are becoming more "in" but this never changes overnite.  It took the Cubs 20 years to become the "in" thing (from early/mid 60's to the mid 1980's).  The PR people need to keep pressing forward and doing the promotions they do.  Over time it will make a difference.

 

2.  Continue redeveloping the neighborhood.  I grew up there.  There's a mistaken impression about Bridgeport, people hang onto old stories and draw conclusions.  Talk to some housewives in Naperville, they think Bridgeport is a slum.  Then take them to a few establishments in Bridgeport and watch them go "wow ... this is not that bad, this is kinda nice".  Word of mouth is very powerful.  They are cleaning up Halsted St. big time, that will help.

 

3.  The White Sox and local establishments should aggressively joint venture.  The Sox should promote the neighborhood spots, and vice versa.  Example:  on the back of every ticket they have a Dunkin Donuts promo.  Why not rotate it with a promo for the neighborhood places?  "Take your ticket stub to Ricobene's within one week of this game date, get $3 off a pizza."  Get the fans out into the neighborhood and they will see it's safe and a nice area to hang out.  The establishments in Bridgeport need to press this with the White Sox and the White Sox need to be more open to this idea.  Embrace the neighborhood.

 

4.  Continue the focus on marketing to kids.  Have even more kids promotions.  Fundamentals is a good start, community outreach is a good start.  Promote the players at kids events, there are millions of kids activities in Chicago.  The White Sox should partner with those organizations more than they do.

 

5.  Do special promos for the upper deck and stop treating it like a red haired step child.  Give upper deck people a coupon for concessions, more special meal deals, etc.  Market the upper deck to community newspapers.  I can't remember the last time I saw a Sox promo piece in my local newspaper.

 

6.  Market the Club Level to the swankier audience.  It's a marvelous place to sit, they need to promote it to the higher end audience.  Chicago Magazine is a good place to start.

 

7.  Continue the crackdown on idiots at the ballpark in terms of fighting, abusive behavior, etc.  Make it known that idiots have to pay consequences, put out a press release when some assclown goes to jail for starting a fight at the ballpark.  Reinforce that the Chicago White Sox support a friendly, safe environment.  Have fun at the ballpark, kick back a few beers and enjoy yourself but don't get out of line.  If you do, you are not welcome here.  This supports families going to games.  And it makes moms feel safer, a very important factor because we know that moms and wives have significant say so in terms of the entertainment $$.

 

8.  Have more raffle drawings, i.e. Lucky Seat winners.  Give away stuff from places in the neighborhood.  Not at all hard to do.  Show your ticket stub at Guest Relations and win a gift certificate if your name is called.  Or, have a Lucky Row contest.  They do this in Tucson and the whole row wins a pizza.  Makes the game more fun and it's good PR for the franchise and the establishment.

 

There are a lot more ideas but that's a start.  Another thing they should do is "personalize" the players more.  Boyer is trying to do this.  Many of these guys are really nice and their personalities would resonate with White Sox fans.  Let the fans get to know the players a bit more.  Lots of ways to do this.

 

This is one of the best replies I've ever read on Soxtalk.

[CWSGuy406]

Can someone post how many fans we've drawn so far this season, compared to this time last year?

 

Check out Cheat's blog. We're up something like 10% from last year, and haven't even played New York/Boston/Cubs. He's got some nice graphs that illustrates it.

 

Oh, and Timo sucks.

[southsider2k5]

OK, I have read the whole thread.  Actually I think it's one of the better threads recently.

 

Commentary on the thread

 

1.  Attendance is a legit topic to discuss.  There is a direct correlation to revenue vs. what the White Sox spend on payroll.  They run the team as a zero sum operation and have increased payroll steadily.  Steff knows all the numbers by heart.

 

2.  I disagree with bashing the guy who started the thread.  Yes, the topic is somewhat worn out but so is Timo bashing, Crede bashing, Ozzie bashing, etc.  Since everything is fair game on this site, so is discussion of attendance.

 

3.  For the "you don't go to games so you have no right to b**** about attendance" crowd:  B.S.  He brought it up for discussion vs. b****ing about it.  Everybody has their reasons for going or not going to games.  We are all fans.  Anything about the franchise is fair game to discuss.  Maybe this guy goes to Sox road games in California.  Part of the gate always goes to the visiting team anyway.  It's a very small portion but that is the case.

 

4.  b****ing about attendance (if he is indeed b****ing) is no different than b****ing about anything.  He presented the argument very well, to say he isn't entitled or qualified to b**** about attendance is ludicrous.  The same goes for all of you who b**** about Timo ad nauseum, what makes you qualified to b**** about that?  Because you are a fan, and it's a relevant topic to the Chicago White Sox.  Stop the elitism crap.  I have probably been to more Chicago White Sox games in my lifetime than almost everyone here, save for Steff and quickman and possibly a few others. When I didn't live here I went to their road games (Anaheim and Milwaukee) and traveled in whenever I could.  Attendance and lack thereof has been an issue since I can remember and that dates to the mid 1960's.

 

How to Increase Attendance

 

1.  First of all it will not be an overnite thing.  Attendance is on the upswing as Mike stated in his post.  IMO the casual fan is beginning to notice (rediscover?) the White Sox.  People like to do the "in" thing.  The Sox are becoming more "in" but this never changes overnite.  It took the Cubs 20 years to become the "in" thing (from early/mid 60's to the mid 1980's).  The PR people need to keep pressing forward and doing the promotions they do.  Over time it will make a difference.

 

2.  Continue redeveloping the neighborhood.  I grew up there.  There's a mistaken impression about Bridgeport, people hang onto old stories and draw conclusions.  Talk to some housewives in Naperville, they think Bridgeport is a slum.  Then take them to a few establishments in Bridgeport and watch them go "wow ... this is not that bad, this is kinda nice".  Word of mouth is very powerful.  They are cleaning up Halsted St. big time, that will help.

 

3.  The White Sox and local establishments should aggressively joint venture.  The Sox should promote the neighborhood spots, and vice versa.  Example:  on the back of every ticket they have a Dunkin Donuts promo.  Why not rotate it with a promo for the neighborhood places?  "Take your ticket stub to Ricobene's within one week of this game date, get $3 off a pizza."  Get the fans out into the neighborhood and they will see it's safe and a nice area to hang out.  The establishments in Bridgeport need to press this with the White Sox and the White Sox need to be more open to this idea.  Embrace the neighborhood.

 

4.  Continue the focus on marketing to kids.  Have even more kids promotions.  Fundamentals is a good start, community outreach is a good start.  Promote the players at kids events, there are millions of kids activities in Chicago.  The White Sox should partner with those organizations more than they do.

 

5.  Do special promos for the upper deck and stop treating it like a red haired step child.  Give upper deck people a coupon for concessions, more special meal deals, etc.  Market the upper deck to community newspapers.  I can't remember the last time I saw a Sox promo piece in my local newspaper.

 

6.  Market the Club Level to the swankier audience.  It's a marvelous place to sit, they need to promote it to the higher end audience.  Chicago Magazine is a good place to start.

 

7.  Continue the crackdown on idiots at the ballpark in terms of fighting, abusive behavior, etc.  Make it known that idiots have to pay consequences, put out a press release when some assclown goes to jail for starting a fight at the ballpark.  Reinforce that the Chicago White Sox support a friendly, safe environment.  Have fun at the ballpark, kick back a few beers and enjoy yourself but don't get out of line.  If you do, you are not welcome here.  This supports families going to games.  And it makes moms feel safer, a very important factor because we know that moms and wives have significant say so in terms of the entertainment $$.

 

8.  Have more raffle drawings, i.e. Lucky Seat winners.  Give away stuff from places in the neighborhood.  Not at all hard to do.  Show your ticket stub at Guest Relations and win a gift certificate if your name is called.  Or, have a Lucky Row contest.  They do this in Tucson and the whole row wins a pizza.  Makes the game more fun and it's good PR for the franchise and the establishment.

 

There are a lot more ideas but that's a start.  Another thing they should do is "personalize" the players more.  Boyer is trying to do this.  Many of these guys are really nice and their personalities would resonate with White Sox fans.  Let the fans get to know the players a bit more.  Lots of ways to do this.

 

Jim if you have not passed this on to Brooks and company, do so. If you need contact info, please PM me.

[JUGGERNAUT]

I've stated this before & I will state it again. Until you build a college campus environment around US Cell field it will never draw like the Cub. The only major campus there is IIT & enrollment there is < 5000 students.

 

Compare that with Wrigley which is nearby NW, DePaul, DeVry, Loyola, several extension campuses, etc. This has been talked about to death. Wrigley is surrounded by 400,000 people within walking distance of the park WITH disposable income.

 

Can we even say the Cell is surrounded by 25,000 such persons? The bulk of attendance right now is not coming from Bridgeport but rather the south & west suburbs. Attendance is always misleading as an indicator of revenue with the White Sox because they among the highest parking prices in the league. So when 38,000 packed the Cell on Mon night the parking revenue was probably worth another 10,000 in attendance.

 

The White Sox ran in the middle of the pack in revenue each year despite ranking in the bottom 5 in attendance. The cost of going to a game & partaking in the food is a part of that.

 

To increase the attendance the White Sox need to increase the disposable income around the park. How do you do that when you are surrounding by low income housing to the south, industrial warehouses to the north, the expressway to the east, & homes to the west? It's a difficult thing to do.

 

US Cell field is not going to draw the 20-30 somethings like Wrigley does. It doesn't matter what the White Sox do. That crowd is hip to the Cubs & the area around it. You can't do anything about it short of trying to make the area more attractive to college campuses. Fat chance of that happening with the politics involved.

 

Which means the fan base must come from the older crowd & families.

Churches, park districts, & townships hold carnival events all summer long.

They make use of parking lots that represent about 1 section of the lots at the Cell. The Sox could double decker the South lot & reserve one of the lots closest to the park for a carnival atmosphere. It provides another reason to go to the Cell outside of the game of baseball. It's a low cost value added attraction that has a more general appeal to families.

 

Kids of all ages love carnivals. Just ask your own.

[sox-r-us]

OK, I have read the whole thread.  Actually I think it's one of the better threads recently.

 

Commentary on the thread

 

1.  Attendance is a legit topic to discuss.  There is a direct correlation to revenue vs. what the White Sox spend on payroll.  They run the team as a zero sum operation and have increased payroll steadily.  Steff knows all the numbers by heart.

 

2.  I disagree with bashing the guy who started the thread.  Yes, the topic is somewhat worn out but so is Timo bashing, Crede bashing, Ozzie bashing, etc.  Since everything is fair game on this site, so is discussion of attendance.

 

3.  For the "you don't go to games so you have no right to b**** about attendance" crowd:  B.S.  He brought it up for discussion vs. b****ing about it.  Everybody has their reasons for going or not going to games.  We are all fans.  Anything about the franchise is fair game to discuss.  Maybe this guy goes to Sox road games in California.  Part of the gate always goes to the visiting team anyway.  It's a very small portion but that is the case.

 

4.  b****ing about attendance (if he is indeed b****ing) is no different than b****ing about anything.  He presented the argument very well, to say he isn't entitled or qualified to b**** about attendance is ludicrous.  The same goes for all of you who b**** about Timo ad nauseum, what makes you qualified to b**** about that?  Because you are a fan, and it's a relevant topic to the Chicago White Sox.  Stop the elitism crap.  I have probably been to more Chicago White Sox games in my lifetime than almost everyone here, save for Steff and quickman and possibly a few others. When I didn't live here I went to their road games (Anaheim and Milwaukee) and traveled in whenever I could.  Attendance and lack thereof has been an issue since I can remember and that dates to the mid 1960's.

 

How to Increase Attendance

 

1.  First of all it will not be an overnite thing.  Attendance is on the upswing as Mike stated in his post.  IMO the casual fan is beginning to notice (rediscover?) the White Sox.  People like to do the "in" thing.  The Sox are becoming more "in" but this never changes overnite.  It took the Cubs 20 years to become the "in" thing (from early/mid 60's to the mid 1980's).  The PR people need to keep pressing forward and doing the promotions they do.  Over time it will make a difference.

 

2.  Continue redeveloping the neighborhood.  I grew up there.  There's a mistaken impression about Bridgeport, people hang onto old stories and draw conclusions.  Talk to some housewives in Naperville, they think Bridgeport is a slum.  Then take them to a few establishments in Bridgeport and watch them go "wow ... this is not that bad, this is kinda nice".  Word of mouth is very powerful.  They are cleaning up Halsted St. big time, that will help.

 

3.  The White Sox and local establishments should aggressively joint venture.  The Sox should promote the neighborhood spots, and vice versa.  Example:  on the back of every ticket they have a Dunkin Donuts promo.  Why not rotate it with a promo for the neighborhood places?  "Take your ticket stub to Ricobene's within one week of this game date, get $3 off a pizza."  Get the fans out into the neighborhood and they will see it's safe and a nice area to hang out.  The establishments in Bridgeport need to press this with the White Sox and the White Sox need to be more open to this idea.  Embrace the neighborhood.

 

4.  Continue the focus on marketing to kids.  Have even more kids promotions.  Fundamentals is a good start, community outreach is a good start.  Promote the players at kids events, there are millions of kids activities in Chicago.  The White Sox should partner with those organizations more than they do.

 

5.  Do special promos for the upper deck and stop treating it like a red haired step child.  Give upper deck people a coupon for concessions, more special meal deals, etc.  Market the upper deck to community newspapers.  I can't remember the last time I saw a Sox promo piece in my local newspaper.

 

6.  Market the Club Level to the swankier audience.  It's a marvelous place to sit, they need to promote it to the higher end audience.  Chicago Magazine is a good place to start.

 

7.  Continue the crackdown on idiots at the ballpark in terms of fighting, abusive behavior, etc.  Make it known that idiots have to pay consequences, put out a press release when some assclown goes to jail for starting a fight at the ballpark.  Reinforce that the Chicago White Sox support a friendly, safe environment.  Have fun at the ballpark, kick back a few beers and enjoy yourself but don't get out of line.  If you do, you are not welcome here.  This supports families going to games.  And it makes moms feel safer, a very important factor because we know that moms and wives have significant say so in terms of the entertainment $$.

 

8.  Have more raffle drawings, i.e. Lucky Seat winners.  Give away stuff from places in the neighborhood.  Not at all hard to do.  Show your ticket stub at Guest Relations and win a gift certificate if your name is called.  Or, have a Lucky Row contest.  They do this in Tucson and the whole row wins a pizza.  Makes the game more fun and it's good PR for the franchise and the establishment.

 

There are a lot more ideas but that's a start.  Another thing they should do is "personalize" the players more.  Boyer is trying to do this.  Many of these guys are really nice and their personalities would resonate with White Sox fans.  Let the fans get to know the players a bit more.  Lots of ways to do this.

 

Brilliant. Thanks JimH.

 

One more thing, someone else brought this up as a reason for some of the attendance woes. Parking issues. Didn't I read somewhere that Boyer has made that easier b allowing folsk to park at te CEll, take the max to work and back for the game.....or something like that? If true, there goes another reason partially out of the window.

 

[sox-r-us]

Lower the God damn prices.

 

I doubt that is a problem given it is not any different from toher ball parks.

 

In fact, at so many ball parks, people cannot use public transportation like the EL to get there, but we can, making the cost of going to games less if we want to.

 

Use park and ride if parking is a concern folsk in terms of $.

[sox-r-us]

Jim if you have not passed this on to Brooks and company, do so.  If you need contact info, please PM me.

 

And that is what the purpose of this thread is. Solicit opinions, and hopefully some of the ideas reach our marketing guru thereby helping OUR team.

 

And for what you said earlier ssk, I buy tons of Sox merchandise all the time and I go to asmany Ms vs Sox games as I can every year.

[sox-r-us]

I've stated this before & I will state it again.  Until you build a college campus environment around US Cell field it will never draw like the Cub.  The only major campus there is IIT & enrollment there is

 

Compare that with Wrigley which is nearby NW, DePaul, DeVry, Loyola, several extension campuses, etc.  This has been talked about to death.  Wrigley is surrounded by 400,000 people within walking distance of the park WITH disposable income.

 

Can we even say the Cell is surrounded by 25,000 such persons?  The bulk of attendance right now is not coming from Bridgeport but rather the south & west suburbs.  Attendance is always misleading as an indicator of revenue with the White Sox because they among the highest parking prices in the league.  So when 38,000 packed the Cell on Mon night the parking revenue was probably worth another 10,000 in attendance.

 

The White Sox ran in the middle of the pack in revenue each year despite ranking in the bottom 5 in attendance.  The cost of going to a game & partaking in the food is a part of that.

 

To increase the attendance the White Sox need to increase the disposable income around the park.  How do you do that when you are surrounding by low income housing to the south, industrial warehouses to the north, the expressway to the east, & homes to the west?  It's a difficult thing to do.

 

US Cell field is not going to draw the 20-30 somethings like Wrigley does.  It doesn't matter what the White Sox do.  That crowd is hip to the Cubs & the area around it. You can't do anything about it short of trying to make the area more attractive to college campuses.  Fat chance of that happening with the politics involved.

 

Which means the fan base must come from the older crowd & families.

Churches, park districts, & townships hold carnival events all summer long.

They make use of parking lots that represent about 1 section of the lots at the Cell.  The Sox could double decker the South lot & reserve one of the lots closest to the park for a carnival atmosphere.  It provides another reason to go to the Cell outside of the game of baseball.  It's a low cost value added attraction that has a more general appeal to families.

 

Kids of all ages love carnivals.  Just ask your own.

 

I agree with this. We need an atmosphere that appeals to yongsters. Use the damn IIT campus environment better. Have more bars etc. This place is so much closer to the downtown than Wrigley is.....use it to our advantage.

[sox-r-us]

One more idea to attract more folks to the games. Have some kind of discount for students. This will attract more of the IIT folks.

[sox-r-us]

OK, I have read the whole thread.  Actually I think it's one of the better threads recently.

 

Commentary on the thread

 

1.  Attendance is a legit topic to discuss.  There is a direct correlation to revenue vs. what the White Sox spend on payroll.  They run the team as a zero sum operation and have increased payroll steadily.  Steff knows all the numbers by heart.

 

 

But but but but.....Jim, I swear Jabroni told me there is no co-relation between what JR spends and what we get at the gate. I swear I was told JR would never spend more than what he does right now even if we sold out. :rolly

[sox-r-us]

For now, I cannot attend games.  Sadly, my life consists of working and watching my 4 year old daughter. I do my part by paying my cable bill, to which a small portion goes to comcast, to which a small portion goes to the licensing and television agreement that the Sox have with comcast. Does that make you happy? My two cents from my cable bill this month goes to "studs".  Jerry should be thrilled.

 

GO back and READ my first post and Disclaimer II. I was not b****ing about any of you here. So it does not make me happy or sad knowing how many games you attend or do not attend. The purpose of the thread was to generate ideas on root cause and fix for this problem. Some have done an admirable job of coming up with that (some of which might actually reach Boyer). Others continue to b**** about b****ing while b****ing about Timo, Cruddy wtc in similar threads....oh the irony.

[southsider2k5]

And that is what the purpose of this thread is. Solicit opinions, and hopefully some of the ideas reach our marketing guru thereby helping OUR team.

 

And for what you said earlier ssk, I buy tons of Sox merchandise all the time and I go to asmany Ms vs Sox games as I can every year.

 

How much are we talking here? Couple of thousand dollars a year worth?

[sox-r-us]

How much are we talking here?  Couple of thousand dollars a year worth?

 

Not in merchandising alone. A couple of thousand dollars worth when you count the road games I attend and any White Sox home game I attend (this year I am hoping to....)

[SleepyWhiteSox]

Looks like Jim saved the thread.

[nitetrain8601]

JimH and Juggernaut, I applaud you because you kept the thread about what it's supposed to be about. Why and what can be done about it? A+ Posts.

 

Now jugger, what about the UIC campus and the high schools closer to the Cell. I went to St. Ignatius and 1/2th the people were Sox fans, but only about 1/4 of that actually go(the people who actually live in Bridgeport. I mean, Wrigley certainly has alot of colleges around it, but the Cell has UIC and the University of Chicago closer to it and IIT.

[SleepyWhiteSox]

JimH and Juggernaut, I applaud you because you kept the thread about what it's supposed to be about. Why and what can be done about it? A+ Posts.

 

Now jugger, what about the UIC campus and the high schools closer to the Cell. I went to St. Ignatius and 1/2th the people were Sox fans, but only about 1/4 of that actually go(the people who actually live in Bridgeport. I mean, Wrigley certainly has alot of colleges around it, but the Cell has UIC and the University of Chicago closer to it and IIT.

 

I went to school at De. IIT seems like the most boring college campus ever.

[nitetrain8601]

I went to school at De.  IIT seems like the most boring college campus ever.   

 

It seems that way with me, but their student activities center is awesome. Plus being inbetween Soldier Field and The Cell seems like a great spot. I do agree though, it does look boring there.