Sox/Cubs rank in bottom 5 for local TV ratings

[southsider2k5]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/smack...0930-story.html

 

he good news is that the ratings only can go up for the Cubs and White Sox. It is hard to imagine them getting much lower.

 

For the most part, viewers tuned out both teams during their 73-89 seasons. According to Sports Business Daily, the Cubs and Sox ranked among the bottom 5 for the lowest ratings on local regional sports cable networks.

 

The Sox were at 1.15 on Comcast SportsNet, which actually was a 4 percent increase from 2013. However, they only were ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros, both of which had limited access to their networks because of distribution problems.

[LittleHurt05]

The lack of interest in the Cubs really hurts the Sox. People in Chicago just don't care about baseball right now.

[Dick Allen]

The lack of interest in the Cubs really hurts the Sox. People in Chicago just don't care about baseball right now.

Not only that but since they are partners on Comcast Sports Net when the teams are good, the other programming draws a lot bigger ratings, increasing ad revenue. I read an article about it last year. So in the summer months when both teams suck, not a lot of people tune into see Kap or Pat Boyle.

[TheTruth05]

The lack of interest in the Cubs really hurts the Sox. People in Chicago just don't care about baseball right now.

 

no playoffs in 6 years for either side does that

[pettie4sox]

no playoffs in 6 years for either side does that

 

He speaks the truth.

[greg775]

no playoffs in 6 years for either side does that

Amen. Let's face it there are very few diehard fans outside of this message board. Can Abreu become the guy to save the day with Sale? Guys people have to come see like those of the past like Paulie, Buehrle, Baines, Frank, Ventura? Will fans tune in in the future?

Edited September 30, 2014 by greg775

[caulfield12]

God knows how bad things would have been without Abreu and Sale...maybe the lowest in the majors.

 

When you start talking about 6 years without the playoffs (but exciting seasons in 2010 and 2012), that kind of puts in perspective what fans of teams like the Mariners, Royals, Pirates, Orioles, Mets, Blue Jays, etc., have suffered through.

 

 

I think I would be more alarmed as a Cubs' fan. It's going to take a lot more than Soler and Kris Bryant to draw fans. Epstein is really going to have to make some substantial progress this off-season.

Edited September 30, 2014 by caulfield12

[BaconOnAStick]

The White Sox would have to black out the games to have lower ratings than the Dodgers. Again, Jerry makes his money off the Sox with low attendance and bad TV numbers... this is not something we need to worry about. In some ways the White Sox have been White-Sox-fan-proofed.

[southsider2k5]

Away from last year, this is true and it alleviates the pain from the reality that we really have s***ty fans. I hope it's me and the usual other ~20,000 when the Sox are fighting for the pennant in these coming Septembers.

 

It isn't popular to say, but White Sox fans are some of the biggest bandwagon fans in pro sports.

[ptatc]

The White Sox would have to black out the games to have lower ratings than the Dodgers. Again, Jerry makes his money off the Sox with low attendance and bad TV numbers... this is not something we need to worry about. In some ways the White Sox have been White-Sox-fan-proofed.

Don't you mean white sox ownership as JR is a minority owner (but Chairman of the Board) in the Sox.

[Dunt]

Away from last year, this is true and it alleviates the pain from the reality that we really have s***ty fans. I hope it's me and the usual other ~20,000 when the Sox are fighting for the pennant in these coming Septembers.

 

I went by myself to saturday nights game and found myself enjoying the game much more when it's just the Sox die hards there and the stadium is half empty.

Edited September 30, 2014 by Dunt

[Thad Bosley]

You actually have to wonder about accountability over there at 35th and Shields. TV ratings and attendance are in the toilet (28th in MLB in both categories) and no playoff appearance in 6 years now. As far as key performance indicators go, those statistics tell a whole lot about how lousy this organization has been at running its business in recent years. And yet instead of hearing about people losing their jobs and/or shake-ups in management due to these absysmal results, we only hear stories about how loyal the Chairman is to his employees. Again, the root cause of the team's problems, to me, are management/ownership related, not about a bandwagon fan base.

 

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/201...est-since-1999#

[Soxfest]

It isn't popular to say, but White Sox fans are some of the biggest bandwagon fans in pro sports.

That is especially true since the new park was built.

[BlackSox13]

You actually have to wonder about accountability over there at 35th and Shields. TV ratings and attendance are in the toilet (28th in MLB in both categories) and no playoff appearance in 6 years now. As far as key performance indicators go, those statistics tell a whole lot about how lousy this organization has been at running its business in recent years. And yet instead of hearing about people losing their jobs and/or shake-ups in management due to these absysmal results, we only hear stories about how loyal the Chairman is to his employees. Again, the root cause of the team's problems, to me, are management/ownership related, not about a bandwagon fan base.

 

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/201...est-since-1999#

Well said. I used to rip cub fans by saying the cubs could put 9 chimps on the field and the fans would still sell the place out. Now, even cub fans are sick of losing and staying home.

 

Sox fans have shown that if the FO puts a contender on the field, they will come out and spend some money. This is nothing new. I don't buy into the bandwagon thing, not with Sox fans.

[southsider2k5]

Well said. I used to rip cub fans by saying the cubs could put 9 chimps on the field and the fans would still sell the place out. Now, even cub fans are sick of losing and staying home.

Sox fans have shown that if the FO puts a contender on the field, they will come out and spend some money. This is nothing new. I don't buy into the bandwagon thing, not with Sox fans.

 

This is the very definition of bandwagon fans!

[BlackSox13]

This is the very definition of bandwagon fans!

No, its the definition of idiocy and a cub like mentality. Just because a fan does not go to games does not make them any less of a fan. You can still be a fan by watching at home, following along on the internet, buying merchandize and most importantly knowing about the teams players and management.

 

Why should fans spend their hard earned money to watch a sub .500 team? The FO gets in return what they put into it.

[LittleHurt05]

Well said. I used to rip cub fans by saying the cubs could put 9 chimps on the field and the fans would still sell the place out. Now, even cub fans are sick of losing and staying home.

 

Sox fans have shown that if the FO puts a contender on the field, they will come out and spend some money. This is nothing new. I don't buy into the bandwagon thing, not with Sox fans.

 

Even that's not completely true. Fall 2005 there were some very small crowds, same thing in 2008. The place was half empty most of 2012. The place seems to only fill for playoff games, that sounds like bandwagon fans to me.

 

 

[southsider2k5]

No, its the definition of idiocy and a cub like mentality. Just because a fan does not go to games does not make them any less of a fan. You can still be a fan by watching at home, following along on the internet, buying merchandize and most importantly knowing about the teams players and management.

 

Why should fans spend their hard earned money to watch a sub .500 team? The FO gets in return what they put into it.

 

Sox fans are watching games at a rate that is almost last in all of baseball. Two of the teams worse than them are on that list because their team feed doesn't get to a ton of households for contractual reasons.

 

So Sox fans aren't going to games AND they aren't watching games.

[BlackSox13]

Sox fans are watching games at a rate that is almost last in all of baseball. Two of the teams worse than them are on that list because their team feed doesn't get to a ton of households for contractual reasons.

 

So Sox fans aren't going to games AND they aren't watching games.

You think maybe it has to do with the low expectations going into the 2014 season? Everyone knew the Sox were going to suck so what was there to get fans hopes up for? The FO said they were " reshaping" which was a load s*** in itself because it is a rebuild. Fans are not stupid.

 

You can call it fair weather since its such a neat little catch phrase and all. But the bottom line is some people choose to find better things to do and better ways to spend their money and I don't blame them. Nowhere is it written that to be a fan you must be at the games or in front of the TV watching every game. If I'm not doing anything or I have no plans, I'll check out a game but if there's something for the lady and I to get out and do, we do it. I've been a fan for over 40 years but I will not revolve my summer around the Chicago White Sox schedule either. Life and Chicago summers are too short for that nonsense.

 

 

[southsider2k5]

You think maybe it has to do with the low expectations going into the 2014 season? Everyone knew the Sox were going to suck so what was there to get fans hopes up for? The FO said they were " reshaping" which was a load s*** in itself because it is a rebuild. Fans are not stupid.

 

You can call it fair weather since its such a neat little catch phrase and all. But the bottom line is some people choose to find better things to do and better ways to spend their money and I don't blame them. Nowhere is it written that to be a fan you must be at the games or in front of the TV watching every game. If I'm not doing anything or I have no plans, I'll check out a game but if there's something for the lady and I to get out and do, we do it. I've been a fan for over 40 years but I will not revolve my summer around the Chicago White Sox schedule either. Life and Chicago summers are too short for that nonsense.

 

In other words, Sox fans will be back when the team wins... aka they are bandwagon fans. Call it what ever you want, I call it history. Sox fans have always been this way.

[TheTruth05]

You think maybe it has to do with the low expectations going into the 2014 season? Everyone knew the Sox were going to suck so what was there to get fans hopes up for? The FO said they were " reshaping" which was a load s*** in itself because it is a rebuild. Fans are not stupid.

 

You can call it fair weather since its such a neat little catch phrase and all. But the bottom line is some people choose to find better things to do and better ways to spend their money and I don't blame them. Nowhere is it written that to be a fan you must be at the games or in front of the TV watching every game. If I'm not doing anything or I have no plans, I'll check out a game but if there's something for the lady and I to get out and do, we do it. I've been a fan for over 40 years but I will not revolve my summer around the Chicago White Sox schedule either. Life and Chicago summers are too short for that nonsense.

 

I think it's just a case of the Sox having bandwagon fans to the point where they won't go out to the stadium or watch the games on tv until they prove they can win year in year out. I hate comparing sports but the Blackhawks were like that, empty UC in the early 00's before the now current Hawks craze that swept the city after the 1st SC. If the white sox can win the division the next 4 out of 6 years (or something close) the rating and attendance will no doubt increase substantially. And it definitely will help once the cubs have a contending team to renew interest in the crosstown rivalry. until then, irrelevancy is where the sox/cubs sit.

[max power]

In other words, Sox fans will be back when the team wins... aka they are bandwagon fans. Call it what ever you want, I call it history. Sox fans have always been this way.

I hate to agree with that statement, but I do. If there is little interest in the team unless they are winning, how can that mentality be described as anything other than bandwagon mentality?

 

The white sox have some real passionate fans, but they also have disproportionate amount of casually interested band wagoners. I also believe that the passionate fans struggle to manage their expectations well enough to watch a young, losing team grow.

[southsider2k5]

I hate to agree with that statement, but I do. If there is little interest in the team unless they are winning, how can that mentality be described as anything other than bandwagon mentality?

 

The white sox have some real passionate fans, but they also have disproportionate amount of casually interested band wagoners. I also believe that the passionate fans struggle to manage their expectations well enough to watch a young, losing team grow.

 

Don't get me wrong, I hate it. I would love to have 40,000 a night filling up the stadium, and all of the extra payroll money and flexibility that would create to give the team more resources to operate with. But it isn't reality. The Sox fan base is what it is, and the reality of it means the Sox have to run their team in a certain way. It is the primary reason we could never do a Cubs style rebuild, but instead have to always be pushing to do improvements ASAP, otherwise they risk losing more of the fan base.

[bmags]

I imagine the % of hardcore to casual fans for white sox is pretty similar to elsewhere. I just don't think there is a large amount of sox fans so it becomes exaggerated.

[IlliniKrush]

I imagine the % of hardcore to casual fans for white sox is pretty similar to elsewhere. I just don't think there is a large amount of sox fans so it becomes exaggerated.

This is where I'm at. There just aren't a lot of "real" Sox fans. As far as bandwagon/fair weather, most fan bases are like that. Win and more people show up, lose and attendance dwindles. It's not anything that only Sox fans do.

 

When they are good, you get the bandwagoners/casual fans out. Even so, IMO most "casual" baseball fans are Cubs fans anyway. There aren't a ton to pull from.

 

In the mean time, you only get the hard core fans out, and there simply aren't enough of them to fill up a park for 81 games. And obviously they'll go to more games when they are good, so that makes attendance spike even more.