Puzzling Numbers

Used to be Blue Jays fans, and the organization, would look fondly back upon the championship years of the early 1990s when packed houses of 50,000 or more were all but guaranteed every night.

These days, the good old days that spawn fond memories seem to be 2007 and 2008, at least from a business standpoint. Average attendance of 29,000-plus seemed to indicate local interest was on the uptick.

Now, it doesn't seem that way.

With a shocking attendance figure of 10,658 from Thursday night, the Jays average attendance for this season has dipped a little further to around the 20,700 mark, a stunning 30 per cent drop over the past three seasons. The last time attendance was this low was way back in 2002 when the team average 20,208 per game.

Baseball in general, of course, is down, and has been for two years. This year it appears the overall figure will reflect a league-wide drop in attendance of about seven per cent, while, the Jays will be down about 10 per cent from last year.

Not good.

The confusing part is that with Paul Beeston back in charge, the disliked J.P. Ricciardi gone, a local boy running the front office and an appealing youth movement, it was expected this would the year GTA baseball fans began to feel more enthusiastic about the team.

Instead, attendance suggests the Jays are less popular now than they were last year, and definitely from three or four years ago.

'Tis a puzzlement.

Wtih Jose Bautista swatting homers at a major league-leading pace, an impressive young pitching staff featuring Brandon Morrow and some exciting prospects on the way, one might have thought there was an opportunity at hand for the Jays to recover some lost ground, not lose more. Generally speaking, local media types have approved of the direction of the team, some suggesting this has been nearly a triumphant season despite a record just about .500. Moreover, its not like any of the other pro teams in town are producing championship-quality teams.

So what's the reason behind the drop? Well, the stadium, of course. The Rogers TV issues haven't helped. Having a caretaker manager doesn't exactly get the masses excited. And, as has been the case for a long, long time, no meaningful games in August, let alone September, kills interest. Playing in the tough American League East continues to be an issue, although another competitive season from low payroll Tampa Bay is gradually taking away the division in which the Jays play as a meaningful excuse.

The season began with some shockingly low numbers, but then there was some recovery. Now, it seems the season may end on a low, which has to leave the Jays thoroughly puzzled as to what it will take - if anything - to bring the people back.

Comments

[Dan Ryan]

Loyal fan, live near the Dome, attend regularly. Went to Chisox series in April, paid $12 for a beef brisket sandwich. Bun was cold and stale, half eaten shrimp tail in amongst the beef. Disgusting. Skydome staff did nothing about it.
Bottom line, no pride taken in concessions, why should fans take pride in going. I have not and will not return.
Further, I got to watch the Jays trim an entire payroll worth of players (Burnett, Rolen, Rios, Halladay and even Delgado). The money was not thrown back into the team. Did ticket prices go down, no. In fact, they went up.
Rogers One does not help either.
The entire organization has nobody to blame but themselves. Toronto fans WILL attend. However we have no reason to.

[Drew Ford]

There's a general sense that the Jays have no chance of winning in the American League east. So much attention is paid to payroll figures that the average fan just figures their team has no chance. Also, there's such a backlash against anything "Roger's" that many of the fence sitters are not hopping over due to their dislike of the media giant's treatment of their customer base; both baseball fans and others alike.

[Don]

But how are the TV ratings? I bet they're higher. There's no lack of interest in the Jays, simply a lack of interest in going to Rogers Stadium. I bet some of it is related to traffic congestion, nobody wants to put up with it anymore. Some of it is shifting demographics within the Toronto core. And some of it is related to diminishing attention span of people in general, thanks to twitter, youtube, facebook etc....I'm a fan but even when I watch the games on TV at home, I'm always doing two or three other things at the same time...people can't sit still for 3 hours anymore to wach a baseball game.

[JetsStruggaling]

these things are often a year behind, no?
that said, we're going to have to recalibrate our expectations with regards to attendance of a lot of sports.
I think those are perfectly reasonable crowds considering the entertainment options in the city and the TV enchancements and surplus of sports on TV nowadays. Why sit there and get gashed on food many times a year when you can get the flavour of a game on TV while checking in on other sports.
I think it's crazy to expect 35-40 consistently again. We didn't have a soccer team back then, the demographics of the GTA have changed, traffic is probably more of a demotivating factor than it's ever been.
For a little perspective, just read the Hank Aaron book about his home run chase. Sure race played a small part, but Atlanta was getting 6 to 14 K for just about every game of his that year. When he played on the road it was capacity.

[JetsStruggaling]

shoulda clarified last comment - an average of around 20 seems reasonable to me, not 10 thou

[Steve B.]

Damien,

You have omitted two of the most significant factors that have contributed to the drop in attendance numbers.

The first factor is that, up until two years ago, the Jays counted giveaway tickets in the paid attendance; i.e. any tickets donated to charities, given as promotional items or won in contests counted as 'paid' attendees, whether the tickets were used or not. This practice was discontinued by Beeston when he took over as President.

The second factor is that the Jays stopped selling 'Two Dollar Tuesday' tickets early last season. Attendance at those games was often 40% higher than the days immediately preceding or following. Again, this was a Beeston move, partly because he felt it cheapened the product, but primarily I think because those games drew large numbers of drunken yahoos.

Doubtless you were unaware of these key contributing factors, factors I'm sure your baseball-writing colleagues are well aware of, even the ones you disparage on Twitter. That lack of awareness (or even basic research) shines through whenever you write about baseball, to which you bring a dilettante's perspective.

Your sentence in the closing paragraph, "The season began with some shockingly low numbers, but then there was some recovery." typifies your lack of research/willful ignorance, as a quick perusal of previous (non-championship) seasons show a similar ebb and flow in attendance, with peaks occuring between June and August.

You also omit another factor, this time I imagine deliberately as you could not be unaware of it: the economy. Attendance at all professional sports in North America is down, due in large part to economic factors. If you really want to analyze Jays attendance you could at least acknowledge the elephant in the room.

That's not to say the Jays should be let off the hook. They have done little to try to boost their attendance. For this season, they decreased perqs given to their season ticket holders, alienating what is a dwindling base; they discontinued many promotions that served as outreach to potential clients: Pride Day, the Dog Day at the ball park; and they have fewer giveaways than any team in baseball. Again, these cutbacks seem to be tied to Beeston, who has stated in the past that only winning will bring back the fans.

Add to that that they reclassified a chunk of first deck seats as being underpriced, increasing the price without any balancing price decrease elsewhere in the stadium, a bad move in a bad economy. and of course there was the debacle regarding the moving of the games vs. the Phillies due to the G20 summit. All in all, a bad year for the Jays in terms of client relations.

That being said, the two factors I mentioned, plus the economy, are the biggest reasons for attendance decline. Your failure to address them makes this blog entry typical of your writings on baseball: uninformed and worthless.

[Vince Iezzi]

I don't think it's much of a suprise. Rogers has to be one of the most hated companies in Canada. They put 20 or so games on a new channel that alot of people don't get. To take a family of 4 to a ball game with good seats your looking at 500 bucks by the time you get home it's a joke. I really think people are just getting tired of paying good money for lousy entertainment. Leafs, Argo's, and raptors included.

[Winston]

Not all that puzzling.

The Jays are certainly more exciting this year, no question. What hasn't changed is the hopeless situation in which the team finds itself in the division. It's been like this for what, 17 years now? That's an entire generation of fans lost to crappy, boring teams with nothing to play for each year.

I'm 29, and my first pro sports event was Jays vs Royals when I was 4 or 5. I remember sitting up at the top row of Exhibition Stadium and almost being able to jump to parking lot below! I don't remember the score of that game, but I do remember how much I liked guys like Barfield, Fernandez and Bell over the next few years. I remember how electric the Dome was when they were winning, and I remember skipping school to go to that first parade with a huge blue foam "J" on my arm. People who now have disposable income i.e. late teens, early 20s, have none of that to remember. People a little older than I am who do remember those days have had nothing wonderful to share with their kids to develop that love of the team -- as opposed to the sport.

Such is life in Toronto, where corporate ownership of sports teams, indifference and incompetence has ruined literally all of our major pro teams. Fans, especially those who still cared about the team over the last decade , aren't as stupid as JP thought we were. We knew we were being BS'ed all those years, and many of us are simply ticked at the loss of character players like Hudson, Delgado and recently the Best Player to Ever Wear the Uniform.

I will go to my annual game, but it will be to see Cito in one of his last few days as manager.

[Chris]

One key fact missing from this blog entry is that the Blue Jays are now reporting attendance as tickets sold rather than tickets distributed -- freebies can no longer being given out to pad attendance numbers which could have been done in previous seasons.

I worked several Jays games in 2002-2004 where we were told, bluntly, to expect no more 3,000 fans in the stands despite an announced attendance of 15,000.

[Matt B]

I think the current dip has a lot to do with fans being ticked at Rogers for their Sportsnet One fiasco. People I know who do not care too much about the Jays are even miffed at Sportsnet One and blame the Jays just as much. Rogers seems to think the Bill Wirtz-Blackhawks model of depriving fans of seeing the games on TV will drive up attendance.

[Jason]

Damo, do ya think maybe Toronto Baseball fans don't wanna fork out the kinda $ we would/do for hockey games? With prices ranging from $11 (yeah, who really wants to sit way up in the 500 level where u can't even see if the pitch was a strike or ball, let alone even close to the plate...) to $200+ to sit right up close? Add in the fact that if ya wanna see a divisional rival or a team that has drawing power wherever they go, you're gonna have to pony-up an additional 10% for "Premium" games. I'd personally would love to take in more games, but I can't justify paying $40 per ticket to take my son to a game and have to fight for space in the outfield seats. Maybe if they really are committed to drawing fans and proving the team is worthy to watch, the Jays should consider something radical - lower the prices, especially the games that no one seems to care to show up for. Seeing as there are so many empty seats every night, maybe consider offering up some freebies - contests, fan "rallys", etc....

Just a thought.

[Cliff S]

Hm, how about if the Jays and Rogers stopped shooting themselves in the foot?

Just as interest was peaking (many people were starting to talk about the Jays that haven't in years in my circle) Rogers starts up sportsnet1 and cuts off the rest of the season for many fans that enjoy the game at home. Do they not understand a broadcast game is a 2-3 hour commercial for coming down to the park and taking in a game?

Could it be the cost of tickets and concessions? $10.50 for a beer at the stadium vs. $2 at home. Don't get me started on the pizza or peanuts.

Could it be that those who watch at home get to see replays, and the fans in the ballpark that have made the time and money commitment to the Jays don't?

Maybe it's that the dome is almost always closed unless it is 30' and sunny - I'll admit the roof has been open more often this year. It sucks to watch a game indoors when there is rain in London, ON and nothing in the city.

The Jays also changed the way they report attendance to the turn-style, not the mythical tickets printed count.

Off the top of my head these might be a couple reasons why attendance is hurting this year. Add 6 more people to tonight's game - I'll be there along with some guests.

[robguy]

Damien, Many reasons for the slide I think. All of the above fits. Letting Ricciardi hang along for too long disenfranchised the fans who will now wait for a sure winner before coming back. Exiting team - yes. Can they compete in this division - who knows but many fans have lost hope.
Ricciardi had a moving target for his 5, 7 9 year plan. I have heard many fans say that they were insulted, if you will, by the GM - he made fans feel like they were from some backwater and did not know the game. Throw in the economy and high ticket prices and you have to wonder as well and there are just too many reasons not to go.

[Sharkey]

I completely agree, it's unbelievable that attendance hasn't at least jumped slightly. I'm not talking sellouts but even for games against a pretty good opponent in Texas in September you'd think there would be more.
That said, I honestly think a big issue is the SkyDome (yes, I know what the corporate name of the stadium is). Remember what a marvel it was to everyone when it was built? The first retractable roof stadium in the world (that is a roof that actually worked), a feat of architecture, and -- most importantly -- a winning team to boot. Well three years later Camden Yards opened and the end of the multipurpose stadium was at hand. When the roof is open the park has a semblance of baseball atmosphere, save for the artificial turf and multi-purpose 1980s look.
I guess what I'm saying is it's not a bad stadium by any means, and definetly not the worst in baseball. That's in Miami, no question. But the stadium is outdated and I don't think people enjoy watching a ballgame there the way we once did. Perhaps it's time for a change. Could a baseball-only stadium on the Portlands help? I think it really could. One way to raise the money might be to sell the land SkyDome is on back to the city once the shovels are in the ground, and get a few free years of rent while the new stadium waits to be built. The land SkyDome sits on is very valuable, and it could pay for a new stadium. Bottom line: give it about five years and you'll start to hear serious rumblings about a new Jays ballpark. Guaranteed.

[Chris]

Why would it be puzzling when the Toronto media has 1 hour hockey shows every day at lunch during the summer, and a friggin Ilya Kovalchuk contract- a hockey player on a US NHL team, gets front page coverage for weeks? The Leafs signing another 4th line slow poke who thinks he is one season away from scoring 30+ goals gets hours and even days of coverage, and the Jays are always 2nd best to possible the worst franchise in all of pro sports. You guys need to give your own heads a shake as to why no one pays attention to the Jays.

[Steve K]

You might want to mention next time that TV ratings are doing very well. I don't know this for sure but according to Bob McCown they're as high as they've ever been.

[J.]

Its not the stadium, its the ticket prices and the people. Skydome isnt a horrible place, the people who go are boring.

Why am I going to pay to see a bunch of millionaires when I have other dollars to use? Its too expensive.

Also, there is no atmosphere. Its what happenes when you get rid of the "rowdy" crowd. There is no emotion. The people who go are super quiet, so much you can hear conversations from an aisle over.

Moreover, if you do decide to heckle a player, you will be kicked out if someone else complains.

People pay for an atmosphere, sadly people complain when that atmosphere is around, the people who provide the atmosphere stop going (and go to TFC games instead)and its lead to Skydome being empty.

[Peter]

Rogers One is gong to be an issue formed.

In fact my son and I flew in from Vancouver for two series this year and stayed at the grand old hotel across from Union Station.

I can cop the price of a $10 beer if I want, I can understand the ticket price structure. But do not rip me off by putting Jays games on TWO channels owned by the SAME proprietor.

My name is Chucker not stupid ....

[sam]

Agree with some of the post's - The Team is great - they have a chance to win each time they step on the field -
A good core of young pitchers that can keep you in the game - Bautista's chase of the home run title - What's Not to like?

I imagine it's not cost effective entertainment for many folks. As has been pointed out here - The cost at the concessions border on robbery -
I live a couple of hours drive away from the Dome and the time and cost don't add up for me.

I also don't think Rogers has done a good job of selling the product. The introduction of Sportnet 1 has taken the game away from a lot of viewers - the rationale for moving the Jays games to the new channel is transparent -and can only be seen as a cash grab -

I do follow the team - thanks the Fan590 and the net - Also Rogers products. The Question needs to be asked - Do we need to keep adding to Rogers pockets? It seems like they have the Jays and baseball fans in Central Ontario wrapped up.

[bill]

I have not attended a Jays game this season for the first time in years. It's just not a fun atmosphere there any more in my opinion - the Rogers Centre Fun Police kill the atmosphere. While I realize the drunken antics of 'Twoonie Tuesdays' past were over the top and loutish, I have been threatened with ejection a few times over the last 3 seasons and I was being neither vulgar or rude nor was I swearing....just razzing the opposing teams players in a mostly family-friendly manner. People in my section would usually cheer along and seemed upset most times security asked me/us to stop or when they decided to have security stand by our section.

They have the Sprite Family zone so why not an adult zone? I realize the line between having fun and being a drunken lout is often fuzzy, but I think it's a few drunken louts that give the rest of us a bad name. The Rogers Centre does not need to be a police state! Lighten up a bit and the younger folk will come out...and it's the younger folk/fans that this team needs to have come out and support the team if the Jays are going to climb out of this attendence hole they are in...that or field a Championship team...Toronto loves a winner.

[Bl33d Blu3]

1) They are out of the race already... again.

2) Nobody is going to pay $100 (food, ticket, parking, etc) to watch Bautista alone.

3) Skydome is a dump. I went to AT&T in San Fran and it was amazing!!! I'd go all the time if we had that kind of atmosphere.

4) Three words... BACK TO SCHOOL. Every parent out there would rather see how their kid did at school than watch the Jays half ass it.

5) You start shutting pitchers down in early Sept, and you expect the attendance to stay the same?

6) Skydome is a dump. (worth saying twice...)

[bill]

PS: giant TV's and HD in many peoples homes are also to blame - why spend $20 for a beer and a hot dog when I can order a pizza and grab a beer from my fridge and still have a pretty good fan experience watching (I am a Rogers subscriber so I get Sportsnet One :D) the visually-appealing HD broadcast on my big-screen TV?

[HatingRogers]

Sportsnet One. Period.
I'm a Cogeco subscriber...deeply angry about this. Last year saw 5 games at the park...remember that night with 8,000 fans? Well, I was there...even rented a hotel room overlooking the field. Now I'm done, after 30 years. Wallet closed.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Maybe you can't just sit back and rake it in at the ticket window without an ounce of effort. Here's a foreign concept for Toronto sports franchises: it's called "promotion". You can look it up, Rogers, MLSE. Might be worthwhile. Cheers.

[Dave in BG]

To quote Al Davis

Win baby, win

Thats all it will take to get the crowds back