“That absolutely affected the cadence of our ticket sales, both our single-game tickets and our groups,” Schlesinger said. This year’s 99-day lockout wasn’t settled until March 10, resulting in a revised schedule. The only teams with attendance increases from their 2019 break averages are Toronto (48.5%), San Diego (29.4%), Miami (23.3%), Atlanta (19.1%), Seattle (12.7%), the Chicago White Sox (9.5%), Detroit (6.9%) and the New York Mets (4.8%). Other teams whose attendance has dropped at least 15% from where they were at the 2019 break include Arizona (26.7%), Pittsburgh (20.8%), Washington (19.7%), Philadelphia (17.9%), Cincinnati (17.8%), Cleveland (16.3%), LA Angels (15.1%) and Kansas City (15.1%). The Athletics dramatically cut payroll amid concerns about the franchise’s future in the Bay Area as they seek a new stadium. Oakland’s attendance has plunged nearly 55% from its 2019 All-Star break level. “The group business has not returned to anywhere near normal levels, frankly not surprisingly,” Schlesinger said. He noted some businesses are still working remotely and therefore are having fewer group outings, and that not as many schools as usual have made ballpark trips. Schlesinger estimated that total would be about 400,000 this season. Rick Schlesinger, the Brewers’ president of business operations, said last month at a Milwaukee Press Club gathering that the team’s group-ticket sales normally total about 600,000 annually. Teams have been particularly hard hit in group sales. He also speculated some franchises might have reduced their staffs during the pandemic and paid for it with reduced ticket sales. Lindsey believes dissatisfaction because of the lockout may have caused some fans not to renew their season tickets. “And a lot of recreational entertainment - dining out, travel - a lot of those areas are back to pre-pandemic levels.” “But those are factors that are common across all sorts of recreational experiences,” Lindsey said. Lindsey cited inflation as a leading cause and said the pandemic may have contributed to a lesser extent. He said the NBA faced a similar problem this season. “If travel’s disrupted, either by expensive gas prices or expensive airline tickets or just general travel disruptions, that could make a big dent,” Matheson said.Ĭharles Lindsey, an associate professor of marketing at the University at Buffalo School of Management, noted that single-game ticket sales remain solid but season ticket sales have gone down. That makes MLB particularly vulnerable to issues that could curtail tourism.
JACOB NOTTINGHAM JERSEY PROFESSIONAL
Matheson said MLB relies more than other professional sports leagues on out-of-town fans. “I think people are maybe more concerned,” Hearing said. That could prove particularly true this year as inflation causes more people to spend more carefully. Heaning said he stopped going as often because he bought a house last year and is staying at home more often, but he also believes the high price of attending games may be keeping fans away. He’s attended just three this season, has tickets for two more games and doesn’t plan to attend any others. Bob Heaning, a 48-year-old fan from Cranford, New Jersey, said he used to attend about a dozen New York Yankees games per year.
0 kommentar(er)
