There’s one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Fresno Grizzlies are down 6-4, and Kyle Tucker – one of the MLB’s highest-ranked prospects – is up to the plate with the tying runs on third and first base.
Tucker has been patient so far with a full count of three balls and two strikes, but the next pitch is a different story. The 21-year-old phenom unloads on the ball, hitting an absolute missile over the right field fence; it’s a three-run walk off home run. Tucker can’t contain his excitement as he throws his helmet to the side and dives into the mass of teammates that have already crowded around home plate to celebrate with him.
The Grizzlies win the game, 7-6.
It’s an exhilarating experience, the kind of comeback story that repeats itself dozens of times a day in hundreds of minor league baseball stadiums across the country. However, less and less fans may be turning up to watch.
Figures for the 2018 season show that attendance at minor league games took a drastic dip this year. Out of 160 domestic minor league teams, 103 of them posted a decrease in fan turnout from the 2017 season, according to BaseballAmerica.com. The Grizzlies, for example, had 22,938 less people attend games than they did in 2017.
“There’s definitely a downward trend, if you take it back far enough,” said Samantha Fletcher, ticket office coordinator for the Portland Sea Dogs.
The Sea Dogs, a Double A team out of Portland, Maine, had 9,812 less fans file into Hadlock Field this year than in 2017. However, extenuating circumstances help to explain the decline: Fletcher said that less-than-desirable weather throughout the season played heavily into these figures.
“We had field conditions and pretty poor weather that contributed,” Fletcher said. “But we had the same number of sellouts, as in the sellouts you can kind of count on, like the Fourth of July.”
The Sea Dogs took only a small hit in comparison to some of the other minor league teams around the country. The New Orleans Baby Cakes, the triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, saw a deficit of 97,269, which was the minor leagues’ largest drop-off of the season. 26 other teams saw a decrease of more than 20,000 fans in attendance figures, which could prove to be fatal for minor league teams that rely less on outside revenue than major league teams do.
However, it seems that baseball’s days as “America’s National Pastime” may not be completely doomed. The largest increase in fan attendance for the 2018 season belonged to the Augusta GreenJackets with 76,886 – that’s an average of more than 1,300 more fans in the stands per game than there were last year.
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, also saw a large attendance boost. Almost 35 thousand more fans attended games than they did last year.
Jay Evans, a ticket sales account executive with the Fisher Cats, attributes the success to social media marketing, an increase in groups and businesses buying tickets, and the help of some pretty big names: having top prospects Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Bo Bichette, and Cavan Biggio on the roster convinced people this summer that attending a Fisher Cats game would be a worthwhile experience.
“Who doesn’t want to see two 19-year-old prospect phenomes and the kid that can hit home runs off a batting tee?” Evans said, regarding the young talent that was on the Fisher Cats roster this season. “That’s why you come to see them, because you may never get to see this powerful of a trio playing together ever again.”
The Trenton Thunder, a double-A team from Trenton, New Jersey, is another one of the dozens of teams that posted an increase in attendance.
“More people are attending minor league games because of the affordability and the fan experience,” said Mike DeTroia, a group sales representative for the Thunder. “Thunder games are very kid-friendly, so the consistent attendees are families with younger children.”
Though many minor league programs are in tune with their most well-represented demographics – children and young families in particular – it seems that attracting a reliable young adult audience continues to allude them.
Emma Gargano, a 19-year-old Connecticut native, used to think of herself as a dedicated fan of the Hartford Yard Goats (or the New Britain Rock Cats, as they were known prior to 2016).
“I usually went with my family, whether it was for a birthday party or just going to the game. I also used to go on field trips in elementary school,” Gargano said. “They provided a lot of entertainment. You could dance in the dugout or play fun games between innings. It was a cool experience for a cheaper price than a major league game.”
But eventually, busy schedules caught up with her, the way they do with most young adults. Gargano said that as she got busier, she had less time to attend the games she used to enjoy. Minor league games were certainly no longer her top priority.
Brian Martin of Portsmouth, Rhode Island shared a similar experience with minor league baseball. He used to attend a great deal of the Pawtucket Paw Sox games because of how local they were, but he hasn’t been to a game in a while.
When asked why he stopped attending the games, Martin said that his age definitely played a factor. Once he hit adulthood, he no longer had time to hang out at minor league games.
“Life becomes too chaotic. You have more responsibilities than pleasure time,” said Martin.
So how do Minor League teams go about getting more people in the stands?
“That is the question we are all trying to answer in the MiLB,” said Lauren Hyde, marketing coordinator for the Florida Division of the New York Yankees.
“Currently, I would say that theme nights and giveaways are one of the key drawing factors to people coming out to games,” said Hyde. Most minor league teams do extensively market their promo nights, deals, and giveaways to boost attendance numbers. Though Hyde said that there was a decrease in attendance this year, there was an overall increase in revenue for her program.
A few distressing numbers and undesirable trends certainly don’t spell the end for minor league baseball. Minor league games remain a fun and affordable way to spend an afternoon with friends, family, or coworkers while supporting a local cause that a community can be passionate about.
“By going to a game, you support your local business. You add to the atmosphere of an aspiring future major league player,” said Pete Walker, pitching coach for the Fisher Cats during their 2011 Eastern League Championship run.
“It is a reasonably priced family night out, as well as an American pastime,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment