Question the answers...(at your own risk)
Here's my replies to the questions from the Bridgeport Gazette I posted yesterday:
Tim,
Answers are below. Contact me if you want any elaboration.
1. Why do you think the Sox have lower attendance figures than many other big city baseball teams?
The Sox have the misfortune of being second class in the second city, mainly due to fact that the Cubs and their ballpark have had a media-created mystique thrown up around them...that Wrigley Field is a glorious baseball palace surrounded by wonderful, well behaved neighbors, while the Sox play in a supposedly sterile facility in a supposedly unsafe section of town.
2. What does Sox management and the 11th Ward need to do to attract more fans?
Sox management needs to prove they're committed to winning. Look at the attendance figures last year after the Alomar and Everett acquisitions when the Sox were leading the division. They soared, and there was a definite buzz among even some casual baseball fans, which led to increased ticket sales. People want to see a winner. The ward organization needs to make atracting fans secondary to attracting development in the neighborhood around the park. If you develop the area, people will come, and they'll stick around after the game and spend their dollars.
3. Do you as a Sox fan wish there were more businesses surrounding the park?
Yes. Bridgeport is a bustling, thriving neighborhood...but most of the businesses aren't located within "eyeshot" of the park. Put stuff that's close, and people are much more likely to know they exist.
4. If there were more businesses surrounding the park, do you think it would dramatically increase the long-term attendance figures?
Absolutely. Get people into the area, and let them nknow the ballpark is just one of many viable options for them to visit while there.
5. Would more sports bars near the park interfere with the family-friendly image the Sox are trying to project?
If it ends up looking like Wrigleyville or the French Quarter, sure it would...but a good police presence and strict enforcement of liquor regulations prove that family-friendly and "adult" fun-friendly elements can coexist.
6. If the Sox regularly compete in the post season (and maybe even win some playoff games!) will more fans come to the park?
You bet they will. Sox fans say over and over in conversations, on message boards, on sports talk radio that they want a team that wins. A winning team is the absolute best way to sprad "Sox Pride."
7. Do you think that having Sox legends like Ozzie Guillen and Harold Baines part of the organization will boost attendance figures?
I think it already has. The Guillen hiring seemed initially like a crazy experiment or a cheap nostalgia exercise, but it turned out that Ozzie can run the team very well. His passion and enthusiasm have passed on to the players, and made them an exciting bunch to come out and watch.
Here's my replies to the questions from the Bridgeport Gazette I posted yesterday:
Tim,
Answers are below. Contact me if you want any elaboration.
1. Why do you think the Sox have lower attendance figures than many other big city baseball teams?
The Sox have the misfortune of being second class in the second city, mainly due to fact that the Cubs and their ballpark have had a media-created mystique thrown up around them...that Wrigley Field is a glorious baseball palace surrounded by wonderful, well behaved neighbors, while the Sox play in a supposedly sterile facility in a supposedly unsafe section of town.
2. What does Sox management and the 11th Ward need to do to attract more fans?
Sox management needs to prove they're committed to winning. Look at the attendance figures last year after the Alomar and Everett acquisitions when the Sox were leading the division. They soared, and there was a definite buzz among even some casual baseball fans, which led to increased ticket sales. People want to see a winner. The ward organization needs to make atracting fans secondary to attracting development in the neighborhood around the park. If you develop the area, people will come, and they'll stick around after the game and spend their dollars.
3. Do you as a Sox fan wish there were more businesses surrounding the park?
Yes. Bridgeport is a bustling, thriving neighborhood...but most of the businesses aren't located within "eyeshot" of the park. Put stuff that's close, and people are much more likely to know they exist.
4. If there were more businesses surrounding the park, do you think it would dramatically increase the long-term attendance figures?
Absolutely. Get people into the area, and let them nknow the ballpark is just one of many viable options for them to visit while there.
5. Would more sports bars near the park interfere with the family-friendly image the Sox are trying to project?
If it ends up looking like Wrigleyville or the French Quarter, sure it would...but a good police presence and strict enforcement of liquor regulations prove that family-friendly and "adult" fun-friendly elements can coexist.
6. If the Sox regularly compete in the post season (and maybe even win some playoff games!) will more fans come to the park?
You bet they will. Sox fans say over and over in conversations, on message boards, on sports talk radio that they want a team that wins. A winning team is the absolute best way to sprad "Sox Pride."
7. Do you think that having Sox legends like Ozzie Guillen and Harold Baines part of the organization will boost attendance figures?
I think it already has. The Guillen hiring seemed initially like a crazy experiment or a cheap nostalgia exercise, but it turned out that Ozzie can run the team very well. His passion and enthusiasm have passed on to the players, and made them an exciting bunch to come out and watch.
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