how would YOU fix the sox attendance woes?

[LittleHurt05]

With all this discussion about ticket prices, I really think that's only a small part of the problem. The biggest problem IMO, is the performance of the team on the field.

 

The excitement and expectations for the team are low right now. The season ticket base is probably only around 13,000 or so. The best way to build that up is to win and continue to win. And by "win" I mean post-season baseball. Not just hanging on to first place for a few months out of the season.

 

I can pretty much guarantee that if they make the playoffs 3-4 times in the next 5-6 years it won't matter how much the tickets cost. The place will be full.

 

This is kind of the point I have been trying to make. It's not as simple as "It's too expensive to go". Playoff tickets are even pricier and they nearly sold out pretty damn quickly. I think it's more that "These tickets are too expensive to watch this non-playoff team". Especially after the sub-par performances under the manager who cared more about himself than the team.

 

Tickets weren't cheap in 2006-2007, yet attendance was between 33-36k every night for the whole season.

[hogan873]

I think baseball generally is so unaffordable for the average Joe that it's just not an option anymore. People don't take the effort to hunt for the cheaper tickets. They've just pretty much eliminated baseball as an entertainment option. It would take several seasons of reduced prices to make a dent in that. Even if a college kid and his buddies in suburbia or a dad and his wife and kids wanted to search for deals on tickets, they still are looking at parking costs and food and drink. After years of not wanting to do that, it's just been crossed off their 'to-do' list for summertime fun. Maybe suck it up and go to one game a year, whereas many years ago, the same people might have gone to 10-30 games cause it was fun and affordable back then.

 

If I were the Sox, I'd cut parking to 10 bucks all of next season, take a bath on that, do a heavy advertising campaign on how the Sox are making an effort to work with their fans during the depression. Instead of "appreciate the game" do a whole marketing thing on reduced parking. I think a lot of people would rather be hit in the head with a hammer than pay more than 20 bucks to park their car. Maybe that doesn't matter to the Sox, but like caufield wrote, good luck when these older rich fans die and these younger kids are the older people and have never gone to baseball games.

I think baseball attendance will pretty much die in the next 20-30 years because of the economy. It won't die as a sport because of the rich TV deals.

Great post, Greg. You're right that many fans (especially those with a family) are crossing off going to a Sox game from their summer list of things to do. They can spend about the same amount of money and go to Six Flags for the day (just as an example). Many people (myself included) are not making the effort to find cheap tickets on-line. The mindset of "it's too expensive" has set in, and it's going to take an effort by the Sox to rid people of that mindset.

 

I'm not sure an advertising campaign around parking would be the way to go. Now, lower prices all around (even by a little), and run a campaign around that...you might have something. Appreciate The Game was neat, but I can appreciate the game from my couch. I'm no financial genius, but I recognize that the Sox cannot lower prices dramatically and make money. But lowering prices just a bit and then adding a bunch of cool, promotions would go a long way. I'm not saying the fans would return in droves, but walk-ups could increase and season ticket sales could increase.

 

The fact of the matter is that there are two baseball teams in Chicago, and the Sox are the second-most popular. Unless the Sox win a couple division titles in a row, and maybe even grab another WS title, attendance at The Cell will be lower than at Wrigley. So, why even compare the two. Many fans at a Sox game are there to watch baseball. Many fans at a Cubs game are there because it's cool to go to a Cubs game.

 

Finally, I believe there is just no comparison to attendance at a Sox game vs. a Bears game. 8 games a season vs. 81 games a season. That one Bears game you might go to has a much bigger impact on the season than the one, two, or three Sox games you might go to. Plus, there's only been one football team in Chicago since 1960.

[ewokpelts]

I think baseball generally is so unaffordable for the average Joe that it's just not an option anymore. People don't take the effort to hunt for the cheaper tickets. They've just pretty much eliminated baseball as an entertainment option. It would take several seasons of reduced prices to make a dent in that. Even if a college kid and his buddies in suburbia or a dad and his wife and kids wanted to search for deals on tickets, they still are looking at parking costs and food and drink. After years of not wanting to do that, it's just been crossed off their 'to-do' list for summertime fun. Maybe suck it up and go to one game a year, whereas many years ago, the same people might have gone to 10-30 games cause it was fun and affordable back then.

 

If I were the Sox, I'd cut parking to 10 bucks all of next season, take a bath on that, do a heavy advertising campaign on how the Sox are making an effort to work with their fans during the depression. Instead of "appreciate the game" do a whole marketing thing on reduced parking. I think a lot of people would rather be hit in the head with a hammer than pay more than 20 bucks to park their car. Maybe that doesn't matter to the Sox, but like caufield wrote, good luck when these older rich fans die and these younger kids are the older people and have never gone to baseball games.

I think baseball attendance will pretty much die in the next 20-30 years because of the economy. It won't die as a sport because of the rich TV deals.

bulls***. Sox tix are as low as $7. And families can get FREE tickets as part of the kids club or through the decades-long student achiever program.

 

Oh and let's not forget kid's day $1 tickets.

 

 

Come back when you have something to counter that.

 

 

[ewokpelts]

I personally feel that the only change the so should make is dropping dynamic pricing.

Prices should remain flat for season tickets as well as individual games.

 

Just improve marketing and team performance/expectations.

[ewokpelts]

And for all the people that say "move the park to the burbs so i can go to more games"' i still call bulls***.

You can easily go to a weekend game where there will be less traffic and no school or work the next day. And if you do a kids' day, you can get ur kids $1 LOWER DECK tix.

 

The sox seem to do ok with corporate sales and young people on the weekday games.

And families and groups on the weekends.

 

I do love the fact that the tailgatin lots are always full on the weekends even when the attendance is low. Maybe those guys figured it out?

Edited October 17, 2012 by ewokpelts

[NorthSideSox72]

And for all the people that say "move the park to the burbs so i can go to more games"' i still call bulls***.

You can easily go to a weekend game where there will be less traffic and no school or work the next day. And if you do a kids' day, you can get ur kids $1 LOWER DECK tix.

 

The sox seem to do ok with corporate sales and young people on the weekday games.

And families and groups on the weekends.

 

I do love the fact that the tailgatin lots are always full on the weekends even when the attendance is low. Maybe those guys figured it out?

Somoene suggested moving the team to the burbs? I must have missed that. That would be incredibly stupid. The park as it is now, is centrally located, near all kinds of transit, and a quick trip from downtown. If you move it to a suburb, you help people in a few suburbs, and hurt everyone else. That would cause a huge drop in attendance.

 

[IlliniKrush]

Somoene suggested moving the team to the burbs? I must have missed that. That would be incredibly stupid. The park as it is now, is centrally located, near all kinds of transit, and a quick trip from downtown. If you move it to a suburb, you help people in a few suburbs, and hurt everyone else. That would cause a huge drop in attendance.

[NorthSideSox72]

Go look at a map of the Chicago area. You will find 35th and Shields pretty close to the middle.

 

If you move the team to Orland Park or some such place... not centrally located anymore.

 

[southsider2k5]

Go look at a map of the Chicago area. You will find 35th and Shields pretty close to the middle.

 

If you move the team to Orland Park or some such place... not centrally located anymore.

 

The Chicago metro area has 9.8 million people in it. 5.3 of them are in Cook County, of which about 3 million are in the city of Chicago. I suppose you could center yourself more towards the west, but if you add up the whole transportation package (metra, cta, interstate access, parking), plus being in the center of population, the Sox are more ideally located than the Cubs, and that doesn't seem to hurt their attendance at all. The Sox really are more ideally located in those terms than any other team in town. To get to a Bulls/Hawks/Bears/Cubs game, you have much more to go to get on an interstate. The Bears aren't on any of the main cta train lines.

[ewokpelts]

The Chicago metro area has 9.8 million people in it. 5.3 of them are in Cook County, of which about 3 million are in the city of Chicago. I suppose you could center yourself more towards the west, but if you add up the whole transportation package (metra, cta, interstate access, parking), plus being in the center of population, the Sox are more ideally located than the Cubs, and that doesn't seem to hurt their attendance at all. The Sox really are more ideally located in those terms than any other team in town. To get to a Bulls/Hawks/Bears/Cubs game, you have much more to go to get on an interstate. The Bears aren't on any of the main cta train lines.

The bears are KINDA off roosevelt stop, but there has been talk of an 18th st green line station.

 

But aside from that, getting to a bears game is murder.

 

Bulls/hawks is ok with the green line and blue line within a mile of the UC. But still plenty of shuttle busses serve gameday. Not that easy for fans.

 

Sox are actually the best option for public transit and sports.

[cabiness42]

The bears are KINDA off roosevelt stop, but there has been talk of an 18th st green line station.

 

But aside from that, getting to a bears game is murder.

 

Bulls/hawks is ok with the green line and blue line within a mile of the UC. But still plenty of shuttle busses serve gameday. Not that easy for fans.

 

Sox are actually the best option for public transit and sports.

 

I'm as fat and out of shape as it gets, and I can make the walk to Soldier Field from the Roosevelt Station.

[IlliniKrush]

Go look at a map of the Chicago area. You will find 35th and Shields pretty close to the middle.

 

If you move the team to Orland Park or some such place... not centrally located anymore.

Yup, lot of those people on the South side are going to games. Not centrally located for a lot of suburbanites, either. The Cubs already own the part of the city with the disposable income.

[Eminor3rd]

If they had Bears ticket prices? I doubt it.

 

I strongly disagree. Just like the Bears wouldn't sell out 81 games at $50, though they'd have a better chance than the Sox since they're the only team in town and football is more popular. If the games are rare and a big deal, people value them higher and will pay higher prices. If they happen every day for six months, supply is way higher and you don't pay as much.

[ewokpelts]

Yup, lot of those people on the South side are going to games. Not centrally located for a lot of suburbanites, either. The Cubs already own the part of the city with the disposable income.

all roads lead to the loop. but not a lot of roads lead to orland. or bolingbrook. or lemont. or even cicero.

 

dont forget that the major stadium trend is to place stadiums in central city districts. most of the stadiums/ballparks/arenas since 1991 are NOT in the suburbs.

Edited October 17, 2012 by ewokpelts

[southsider2k5]

all roads lead to the loop. but not a lot of roads lead to orland. or bolingbrook. or lemont. or even cicero.

 

dont forget that the major stadium trend is to place stadiums in central city districts. most of the stadiums/ballparks/arenas since 1991 are NOT in the suburbs.

 

Not to mention the lack of mass transit for people in the City to get out there in big numbers.

[Middle Buffalo]

That has been pretty well blown out of the water too. Outside of a couple of series, there were pretty much always cheap tickets available somewhere.

Buying cheap tickets on stubhub or any other site doesn't help the Sox attendance figures, does it? Aren't all of those tickets resales?

 

As for the Sox having a weak walk-up, they averaged a walk-up of around 14,000 per game. I base that on the season ticket base that is around 10,000 (guessing - I don't see season ticket figures anywhere online - and the guess is based on the end of the year day game that drew 13,000 fans). I don't think 14,000 walkup to a game is that bad. The Sox problem is that they don't have enough season ticket holders. If you watched the Cubs during the week at the end of the season, the announced attendance would be 35,000, but seeing highlights on tv it was pretty clear that there were about 10,000 fewer actually at the games.

 

How do you get more season ticket holders? Lower the prices.

[southsider2k5]

Buying cheap tickets on stubhub or any other site doesn't help the Sox attendance figures, does it? Aren't all of those tickets resales?

 

As for the Sox having a weak walk-up, they averaged a walk-up of around 14,000 per game. I base that on the season ticket base that is around 10,000 (guessing - I don't see season ticket figures anywhere online - and the guess is based on the end of the year day game that drew 13,000 fans). I don't think 14,000 walkup to a game is that bad. The Sox problem is that they don't have enough season ticket holders. If you watched the Cubs during the week at the end of the season, the announced attendance would be 35,000, but seeing highlights on tv it was pretty clear that there were about 10,000 fewer actually at the games.

 

How do you get more season ticket holders? Lower the prices.

 

Hit this one already. Prices on stubhub trade as a discount because there is no demand. If you take out the cheapest seats, the teams seats are what is left.

[Middle Buffalo]

Hit this one already.

When a thread hits 18 pages, "hit this one already" is almost surely the case.

[flavum]

https://twitter.com/CST_soxvan/status/258927367823716352

[BigSqwert]

https://twitter.com/CST_soxvan/status/258927367823716352

They're even dropping parking prices.

[justBLAZE]

Great news!

[NorthSideSox72]

They're even dropping parking prices.

Haha, check out the re-tweet from fake Kenny Williams... Churros will be only 8 dollars next season!

 

Seriously though, this is the smart move.

 

[southsider2k5]

jon greenberg ‏@espnchijon

 

White Sox being more aggressive this year, with single-game tix in corners going for $20 and upper corners for $7. Parking down to $20.

[LittleHurt05]

They're even dropping parking prices.

 

Maybe Rahm will help out and lower the city tax portion of the parking cost?

[southsider2k5]

Maybe Rahm will help out and lower the city tax portion of the parking cost?

 

:lolhitting :lolhitting :lolhitting :lolhitting