Frustrating.

[southsidepride15]

Was that last part really necessary? Let's tone it down a little bit.

 

I actually agree with you that it is a bit insulting to question people's fanhood because they haven't been to a game yet, one week into the season. I also agree with SS2K5 that the Sox fan base is fickle, that is just the way it is.

 

But, the OP also was specifically pointing to people who were complaining about ticket and parking prices - and he's right that they don't have much room to complain anymore. But it is also WAY too early to make a judgment on how the price changes will or won't hurt things.

 

 

I will be at the park all spring / summer / fall, come say hi.

 

 

The last comment should have been in green, obv I don't care enough about you or your opinions to actually mean what I said. Point was made though, get off your high-horse Summer.

[bmags]

Let's not forget that the marketing for this team thus far has been HORRIBLE - those stupid pie in the face TV spots etc.

 

We all love Brooks as a guy but the marketing last few years has been really shoddy, let's admit it.

 

I think this should be fleshed out more. Why hasn't $5 sundays been more highly marketed? I wonder if they are trying to do some very selective price discrimination here.

[Iwritecode]

Although the team did miss the playoffs last year, it was an amazing year most of the time.

 

I hate to say it but the first part of that sentence matters much more than the latter.

 

You can't expect one miracle fix that suddenly makes attendance jump 10K per game. It doesn't exist.

 

Make the playoffs 3, 4 or 5 years in a row. You'll have no problem selling tickets then.

[NorthSideSox72]

I think this should be fleshed out more. Why hasn't $5 sundays been more highly marketed? I wonder if they are trying to do some very selective price discrimination here.

I don't see how that would make sense. I mean, it isn't as if other groups of people are being charged higher because they don't know some discount code - the prices are public for those games. And who they are marketing to for Sundays, I am pretty sure, is primarily families (especially those with kids). Look at the promotions they are running, they are kid-oriented. And families with little kids drive at a higher % than young adults will.

 

Honestly, I think they just haven't invested enough in advertising it. Sox marketing is just getting it wrong, IMO, thinking people will find out by social media or word of mouth. They need to get out there with this pricing info via more traditional methods - TV spots, billboards, website and newspaper ads, coupled marketing with local businesses who get families, etc.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

I hate to say it but the first part of that sentence matters much more than the latter.

 

You can't expect one miracle fix that suddenly makes attendance jump 10K per game. It doesn't exist.

 

Make the playoffs 3, 4 or 5 years in a row. You'll have no problem selling tickets then.

Few, fewer and almost no teams do that - it is just really tough to do it in baseball. Let's start with making it once, that goes a long way.

 

[southsider2k5]

Few, fewer and almost no teams do that - it is just really tough to do it in baseball. Let's start with making it once, that goes a long way.

 

It is the new reason du jour. Before it was prices. Then it was winning. Now it apparently is winning for a half of a decade in a row.

[witesoxfan]

If they can continue to even do what they did last year, while making it here and there, that will go a long ways. Being essentially eliminated and in 3rd place throughout much of the year, like in 2011, does absolutely nothing for long-term attendance.

[Iwritecode]

Few, fewer and almost no teams do that - it is just really tough to do it in baseball. Let's start with making it once, that goes a long way.

 

I'd like to see them make it twice in a row. Just to say they did it once in their history...

 

Not a complete list but:

 

Twins where in from 2002 to 2004. Then went back to back in 09 and 10.

 

Indians were in from 1995 to 1999.

 

Tigers 2011 and 2012.

 

Cardinals made it 9 times from 2000 - 2012. Twice they went 3 times in a row.

 

Yankees every year since 1995 (minus 2008)

 

Red Sox 2003 - 2005 and 2007 - 2009

 

Edited April 8, 2013 by Iwritecode

[sammy esposito]

I went to the game on Saturday, but I generally refuse to go to games in April unless asked. You couldn't have paid me to go to Friday night's extra innings game in rainy 30 degree weather.

 

When it is June and it's like this, then you can complain. But April baseball is horrible, I don't care how hardcore you are as a fan.

I went on wednesday I sat in the handicap seats, 58.oo per seat that is not cheap. There is a lot to do at the park but when it is cold fans need an incentive to come. You can get a t shirt if you are in the lower six rows. how about prizes, jerseys whatever besides the split the pot which wil only be one by one person. On wednesday there was only 50 people that weren't in the lower deck. sox won with big power outage. We are not lucky enough to just have fans come for the team we have a fan incentive to fill the stands. bill Veek would have known what to do. i had to drive 2 hours to the game the brat and the game was well worth the money.

 

[My_Sox_Summer]

Graf 1, history says you are wrong - people come out in bigger numbers in summer even in down years, this trend has existed time eternal.

 

Graf 2... what on earth are you talking about?

 

We'll see! Hope more come out.

 

2- If you think what I did last summer was for publicity, that is way off. I didn't get any publicity, on here I did, but nothing happened to me after I finished. Publicity for what I would ask. I thought it was a good thing to share with the board, guess some people looked at it in a negative light. The whole deal was you don't have to spend a small fortune to go to a Sox game, and I proved it. There were multiple deals available to make it easy on the regular family. We debated many issues in my thread last summer, I though it was great chatter.

[Marty34]

It is the new reason du jour. Before it was prices. Then it was winning. Now it apparently is winning for a half of a decade in a row.

 

It's weird to see a moderator of a Sox fan site take such a strident view against Sox fans.

[My_Sox_Summer]

The last comment should have been in green, obv I don't care enough about you or your opinions to actually mean what I said. Point was made though, get off your high-horse Summer.

 

Clearly.

 

How am I saying I am any better than anyone else?

 

Sorry you feel that way.

[IlliniKrush]

It's weird to see a moderator of a Sox fan site take such a strident view against Sox fans.

I wonder how many games he makes a year?

[southsider2k5]

It's weird to see a moderator of a Sox fan site take such a strident view against Sox fans.

 

It would be weirder to ignore reality. Sox fans are a bandwagon bunch. I don't see how that can be argued. Also realize that it is you applying a negative connotation to that.

[NorthSideSox72]

We'll see! Hope more come out.

 

2- If you think what I did last summer was for publicity, that is way off. I didn't get any publicity, on here I did, but nothing happened to me after I finished. Publicity for what I would ask. I thought it was a good thing to share with the board, guess some people looked at it in a negative light. The whole deal was you don't have to spend a small fortune to go to a Sox game, and I proved it. There were multiple deals available to make it easy on the regular family. We debated many issues in my thread last summer, I though it was great chatter.

That didn't even occur to me. Again, what are you talking about? When did I say anything even slightly related to anything in this response? Are you confusing me with someone else? I thought your info was great.

 

[southsider2k5]

That didn't even occur to me. Again, what are you talking about? When did I say anything even slightly related to anything in this response? Are you confusing me with someone else? I thought your info was great.

 

Someone did accuse him earlier of doing this just for publicity.

[NorthSideSox72]

Someone did accuse him earlier of doing this just for publicity.

Wasn't me.

 

[My_Sox_Summer]

It is the new reason du jour. Before it was prices. Then it was winning. Now it apparently is winning for a half of a decade in a row.

 

I agree, obviously.

 

We were in first place at the end of last year, half price Monday, Sale pitching, and we had 10k at the game.

[My_Sox_Summer]

Wasn't me.

 

No it wasn't, but you asked what I was talking about, so I told you.

 

You responded to something I said to another poster.

 

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

Edited April 8, 2013 by My_Sox_Summer

[Marty34]

It would be weirder to ignore reality. Sox fans are a bandwagon bunch. I don't see how that can be argued. Also realize that it is you applying a negative connotation to that.

 

You're not arguing they are bandwagon fans.

[southsider2k5]

You're not arguing they are bandwagon fans.

 

They are bandwagon fans with tons of excuses.

[LittleHurt05]

They are bandwagon fans with tons of excuses.

 

Yup. And it shows in the attendance trends of the last 10-15 years.

Edited April 8, 2013 by LittleHurt05

[IlliniKrush]

There's also just not a lot of White Sox fans when you're talking about trying to draw 35,000 a night. It's not like it's a giant fanbase and everyone says "no" to going to games.

[southsider2k5]

There's also just not a lot of White Sox fans when you're talking about trying to draw 35,000 a night. It's not like it's a giant fanbase and everyone says "no" to going to games.

 

The World Series title told me it was bigger than I thought for a long time. We averaged over 36k in 2006. They are there.

[IlliniKrush]

The World Series title told me it was bigger than I thought for a long time. We averaged over 36k in 2006. They are there.

Still doesn't prove anything, because what's the surplus? There's not a big margin of error. Of course there's 36k Sox fans out there. But after that? What do you draw from when when it's not the post-world series win season?