Stone Crabs reduce ticket prices by 21%

I normally don't write about the Charlotte Stone Crabs. They are outside of Tampa Bay and out of the purview of this site. However, I want to comment on some recent Stone Crabs news.

According to the Stone Crabs website, the team is reducing ticket costs by 21% across the board.

Box seats are being lowered to $9.50 while reserve seating will drop to $8.50 when fans purchase tickets in advance. Child and Military tickets for both pricing levels will be $8.

Comparatively, tickets for the Bradenton Marauders are $10 for the Infield, $8 for the Baselines, and $6 for the bleachers. Perhaps the Stone Crabs were pricey compared to other teams.

The Stone Crabs were in the middle of the pack in regards to Florida State League attendance in 2016. They drew 95,588 fans to Charlotte Sports Park, averaging 1,593 fans per game.

So besides the typical public relations spiel about giving the fans better value, why did the Stone Crabs lower their prices? Seemed like something they didn't have to do. Fans were still going at the prices offered last season.

It will be interesting to see if the Stone Crabs ticket price reduction results in more ticket sales.

Toronto Blue Jays talk extension in Dunedin

As reported by Noah Pransky via twitter, last week the Toronto Blue Jays met with Pinellas County officials to discuss extending the Jays spring training home.

I've been critical of a Blue Jays extension for some time. I wrote a lengthy piece on Fangraphs.com last year that stated why an extension was not in the best interest of Tampa Bay. Noah Pransky's website has also been critical, as has Tom Rask of DunedinReporter.com.

Those who support the extension are Dunedin city officials, which is to be expected.

According to Pransky's tweets, Pinellas County commissioners didn't seem as optimistic as their counterparts in the small town of Dunedin. Commissioner Charlie Gerdes told the Jays they needed expected financials and Janet Long said the Jays were not putting in as much money as public dollars.

Fortunately, we are starting to see a least a little bit of pushback against sports teams recently. Whether this is all show by politicians has yet to be seen. But this does allow the Pinellas County Commissioners to be "the bad guy" in the City of Dunedin's battle to keep baseball. Either the Dunedin mayor will point to the commissioners and say "they are the reason the Jays left" or she will say "despite pushback from the commissioners, I helped keep the Jays". It is a win-win for Mayor Bujalski.

There was also this interesting quote in a recent StPetersblog article:

Pro teams, with their highly paid legal talent, too often take advantage of local officials, Republican Michael Bileca said.

Teams should not fall for the emotional plea of how long teams have been in small towns. Even the most loyal fan should know the Blue Jays would move somewhere better if they thought they could get a better deal and make more money somewhere else. As a reminder, the Dodgers were in Vero Beach from the 1940s to 2008 then they left. Loyalty means nothing in sports business.

The Pinellas County Commission will continue meeting with the Blue Jays in the next few weeks. This website maintains that until the Rays situation is settled, the region is better off without the Blue Jays.

Baseball, Business, and Mixed Messages

Corporate support is very important to professional sports. Corporations provide partnerships, advertising, and group ticket sales that bring in a significant amount of revenue for teams. While individual fans are the face of fandom, corporations do the heavy lifting in regards to supporting a team.

I've often written that conflicting interests hurt Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay. This conflict is not only with football, hockey, the beach, or any amusement park. This conflict is also with other baseball teams.

With Spring Training in full effect, Tampa Bay area business organizations are reaching out to teams, scheduling the latest installment of their relationships. But these organizations are adding to the confusion of what baseball team the Tampa Bay business communities truly support.

On March 21, the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce is hosting a networking event at Steinbrenner Field before the Yankees vs Red Sox game. This event includes members of the South Tampa Chamber, the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Brandon Chamber. The event costs $65 and includes ticket and food.

On March 28th, the Tampa Bay Business Journal is also hosting a networking event at Steinbrenner Field. The entry level tickets for the event also costs $65 and includes food and drink.

Finally, on May 4th, the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce is hosting a networking luncheon with the Rays. Several Rays players and executives will be present for a meet and greet. This event only costs $50.

So the event with the lowest cost is for the local Major League team and the more costly events are for a team that only spends three months in the area. That makes about as much sense as a Wookie on Endor.

For the record, I have been to previous Tampa Chamber luncheons with the Rays. They are usually interesting and a great way to meet other business leaders, although the first question asked of team executives is usually "when are the Rays building a stadium in Tampa?". It has become so regular as to be expected.

But asking when the Rays are moving to Tampa is an act of support. For members of the South Tampa Chamber and the readers of the Tampa Bay Business Journal, what does this say about their loyalty and fandom? I understand the need to schedule networking events and baseball makes a great backdrop, but why encourage spending money on a team that is not the local squad?

Local media has reported for years that the Rays corporate support is not strong. The often cited claim is that the Rays receive far less corporate support than any other team in Major League Baseball.

Having business member networking events at Steinbrenner FIeld continues the acceptance that supporting the Yankees in Tampa is acceptable, instead of supporting the Rays 100%. Of course the Yankees don't mind. Just as they didn't mind when the Hillsborough County Commission extended the lease on Steinbrenner Field for another 20 years.

Events such as these further build bonds with local business leaders and the Yankees, while decreasing the incentive to do business with the Rays, a team struggling with corporate partnership.

Dunedin Blue Jays now engaging in Security Theater

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how the Clearwater Threshers were adding enhanced security features at their gates to coincide with Major League Baseball requirements.

According to a Blue Jays press release, the same security measures are now in place in Dunedin.

Once again, I don't see the point. Dunedin is one of the smallest cities for Minor League Baseball in America. It is the smallest Spring Training venue. The Dunedin Blue Jays average less than 750 fans per game.

This is hardly a terrorist target of opportunity.

With so few people in a 5,000 person stadium, even if a gunman were to try to wreak havoc in small, sleepy Dunedin, the gunman would really have to work to find targets. A well-placed armed police officer could easily extinguish the threat.

As well, if there hasn't been a threat yet to Dunedin or Blue Jays fans, why the need for additional security now? What changed?

Security measures should not increase unless a response to specific threat. Otherwise, they increase work and cost for no reason. They might also be an attendance deterrent and with the Dunedin Blue Jays last in the Florida State League in attendance for the last several years, that's not a good thing.

But then again, the Blue Jays are looking to receive millions in upgrades from Pinellas County (More on that soon.). So perhaps they don't care about Dunedin attendance.

Marketing Kevin Kiermaier

A few weeks ago, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times wrote a very interesting article on Kevin Kiermaier. Topkin explored Kiermaier's popularity and growing market allure. According to Topkin,

Starting small, Kiermaier is slowly getting the attention of local and regional companies that want to put his pretty face on their products — though not much, yet, nationally given the challenges inherent with playing in the Tampa Bay market.

Morgan Auto Group has featured Kiermaier in three TV commercials, with plans for more this year promoting its dealerships throughout the Tampa Bay area. The Clearwater-based company behind the Original Protein Water signed him — and gave him ownership shares — to help its major push into the sports drink field. Majestic sports apparel is spotlighting him in in-stadium and in-store signage and internet advertising. Eastbay sports equipment had him on the cover of its winter catalog. The LeBron James-run Uninterrupted media platform added him to its roster of athletes sharing video updates.

Biggest of all could be a deal under discussion with the Tampa-based PDQ chicken chain.

Considering Kiermaier's beginnings as a 31st round draft pick from Parkland College, he is a great story and definitely marketable to part of Tampa's demograph. As Topkin states, Kiermaier has "Midwestern values" and "model good looks".

Basically, he is Ben Zobrist meets young Evan Longoria.

But there are problems marketing Kiermaier - the two biggest are his stats and his durability. Unless he has a Zobrist-like awakening at the plate, Kiermaier will never will an MVP. He may never make an all-star team.

Baseball history is littered with slick fielding center fielders. Players such as Devon White, Steve Finley (pre-bulk), Garry Maddox, and many others all sucked down fly balls and racked up the defensive accolades. Although most made an all-star game or two, none were overly marketable.

Kiermaier's potential is limited by how complete his game is. Unfortunately, defense is not an overly marketable skill outside of baseball circles. The Rays can show clips of Keirmaier diving and running into walls, but as the old adage goes "chicks love the long ball".

However, in the current state of the Rays, Kiermaier might be the most marketable position player on the team. Evan Longoria is now the steady hand and the leader - good for selling the brand but not really himself. Besides, he has Ducky's and his other business ventures to be interested in.

Chris Archer is an interesting case. As a starting pitcher, he does not play everyday. But his allure is unmistakable. He participates in the Boys and Girls Club, he visits schools, and he has made an all-star team. But, like Kiermaier, Archer's stats haven't popped off the page recently. Few 19-game losers are the face of their team.

So Kiermaier is the face of the Rays these days. If it gets people buying merchandise and tickers, that's not a bad thing at all.

An insightful look at Spring Training attendance

Like the ballplayers themselves, Spring Training has always been a warm-up for me. I pay attention to it, but not fully. I don't track the attendance numbers, but I do track trends. I read the headlines, but rarely listen or watch the games.

The reason I don't track individual games here is that a majority of attendees are not locals. That means their revenue is not beholden to Tampa Bay trends or the Tampa Bay economy. They could arrive whether or not Tampa Bay could support baseball. Their presence is completely independent.

That said, Spring Training is still an interesting phenomenon. Thankfully, William Juliano of the Yankees-centric The Captain's Blog has tracked Spring Training attendance, especially in regards to Tampa, for a while. In his latest blog post, Juliano explores the impact of the World Baseball Classic on Spring Training. It is a great post and highly recommended.

Juliano posits that Spring Training does take a dive in years when the World Baseball Classic takes place. He links this to an early Spring Training schedule as well the lack of certain star players at the Spring Training locations as they commit to their national teams.

After looking at Spring Training and the Grapefruit League attendance, Juliano focuses on the Yankees Spring Training attendance. While I have looked at Yankees attendance in Tampa since 2005, Juliano looks since the opening of Steinbrenner Field in 1996. That was also the beginning of the Jeter, Rivera, Posada, Bernie Williams era Yankees and their long reign at the top of the American League East. That reign is currently over and with it also ends guaranteed spring training attendance.

Not only will Spring Training attendance decrease this year because of the World Baseball Classic, but Yankees spring training attendance will drop and not bounce back until the Yankees start to win again.

Again, check out Juliano's article on Spring Training attendance.

Baseball and the lack of public transportation in Tampa Bay

A few weeks ago, the Tampa Bay Times produced an amazing look at the quagmire that is Tampa Bay transportation.

Among some of the most damning findings:

• Out of the country’s 30 largest metro areas, the region ranks 29th in four of six common ways the federal government measures public transit coverage and usage.
• Tampa Bay spends far less on transit each year than any other major metro area.
• Almost every other top-20 metro area has at least 600 buses. Tampa Bay has the fewest, about 360.
• Denver, Pittsburgh and Baltimore spend twice as much on bus alone as Tampa Bay, despite being similar sizes.

Those are just the biggest points. The story details several Tampa area workers and their struggle getting from their homes to their place of work.

While the focus of the article was specifically on employment and transportation, we could easily make the connection to recreation and transportation. If Tampa Bay is struggling to get people to work, are they also struggling to get people to leisure activities such as the beach, downtowns, or sports stadiums? How many buses pass Tropicana Field? Are there bus stops near the Trop? How often do buses pass? How many people can reasonably be expected to take public transportation to games?

Tampa Bay will never be New York City, where thousands of people take the train to the games after work. Tampa Bay doesn't have the population nor the infrastructure to make that happen in the next 100 years.

But even against comparable markets, Tampa Bay is struggling to get people to sporting events. Especially baseball.

I have often compared the Tampa Bay baseball market to Pittsburgh. The two metro areas have the same sports (MLB, NFL, and NHL), they have similar populations, and both the Rays and Pirates were subject to relocation rumors when attendance was a struggle.

The Tampa Bay Times article depicted how many jobs people could get to via public transportation in various cities. For many cities, sports stadiums are along a major job and transportation corridor. Here is the Pittsburgh transportation/job map followed by a Google map plotting PNC Park, home of the Pirates.

Here is a similar map for St. Petersburg and Tropicana Field.

The inability of public transportation to get people to Tropicana Field is definitely a factor in Rays attendance. I don't have the numbers of how many people take public transportation to Pirates games, but the potential to take public transportation is definitely greater in Pittsburgh.

The Tampa Bay Times also compares Tampa Bay transportation to Phoenix. Both regions have relatively new MLB teams, have extensive Spring Training in February and March, and according to the Times,

Phoenix and Tampa Bay faced many of the same challenges in the mid ’90s. Both Arizona and Florida are small-government states with limited transit funding. Both struggle with car cultures and swaths of sprawl, though Phoenix’s is much worse, ranking 14 spots behind Tampa Bay in density among the top 50 metro areas.

Phoenix politicians, however, invested heavily in public transportation increasing ridership from 24th nationally to 14th. Tampa Bay's ridership rose only from 28th to 26th.

Public transportation affects so much of life in metro areas. Investment in public transportation is a necessity that Tampa Bay is sadly lacking in. Jeff Vinik of the Lightning calls it the "Achilles Heel" of Tampa Bay's economic growth. And his team plays in Downtown Tampa.

Rays ownership hasn't been as vocal about referendums and the current plight of Tampa Bay public transportation. On one hand, they are not as invested in the community economically as Vinik, who is rebuilding a significant portion of Downtown Tampa. On the other, there are so many other factors and self-inflicted wounds affecting attendance for the Rays to focus on public transportation as a cure-all. People would surely throw those factors at the Rays as deflection from the public transportation mess.

But there is no doubt, public transportation is a HUGE issue affecting baseball attendance, leisure activities, work/life balance, and every other facet of life in Tampa Bay.

Spring Training 2017 has sprung in Tampa Bay

On Thursday, February 23rd, the Philadelphia Phillies kicked off Tampa Bay area Spring Training by hosting the University of Tampa Spartans at the newly re-named Spectrum (formerly Bright House) Field. The game was one of three MLB vs college exhibitions that began the Grapefruit League schedule. As to be expected, the Phillies beat the Spartans, this year by a score of 6-0. 2,924 fans attended the contest.

This season Tampa Bay area teams will play a total of 67 Spring Training games, including split-squad but not including games against World Baseball Classic National Teams.

• Phillies: 18 home games
• Pirates: 17 home games
• Yankees: 16 home games
• Blue Jays: 16 home games

Last year, Tampa Bay area teams played 60 spring training games, drawing 449,793 fans for an average of 7,497 per game. This was a 2% decrease from 2015's spring training attendance.

Over the last 12 years, individual teams have had several ebbs and flows in their attendance. The following chart depicts team trends as well as the overall per game attendance for spring training in the Tampa Bay area.

While Yankees spring training attendance has been consistent, Phillies spring training attendance has plummeted nearly 2,000 per game since 2011. The Blue Jays have also seen significant increases since 2011. Meanwhile, Pirates spring training attendance has increased 1,800 per game since 2007.

Without the star power of the past, it will be interesting to see if the Yankees can keep the high level attendance they have had in previous years. The Phillies are also rebuilding without big name talent, leaving the Pirates and Blue Jays as the local spring teams with the biggest talent draws. These teams play in the smallest parks in the Tampa Bay area.

I usually don't comment too often on Spring Training other than overall trends. Due to tourism, spring training is not an indicator of baseball passion in Tampa Bay. I will have occasional posts if anything out of the norm happens and I will talk about total trends after the Grapefruit League concludes in early April.

It's good to have baseball back in Tampa Bay.

Rays and Braves should swap spring training locations

During the offseason, the Atlanta Braves began negotiations to find a new spring training home. Last year, they looked toward Pasco and Pinellas County. In late 2016, Braves officials met with Sarasota County officials. In late January 2017, plans were submitted on the construction of a 6,500 seat stadium in Sarasota where the Braves would play from 2019 to 2049.

According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, the Braves new spring training complex will cost approximately $75 to $80 million dollars. According to Shadow of the Stadium, the Braves will pay none of the cost up front - the entire cost will be from state and county funds.

Of course, the government of Sarasota County wants a spring training team because .... some reason. Despite what elected officials claim, there are many studies that debunk the idea that spring training has a huge economic impact.

The reason the Braves want to move from their current location is because "the vast majority of teams in Florida’s Citrus League play along either the state’s east or west coasts, making the bus rides to play competitors too long" according to the Executive Editor of the Atlanta Business Journal.

(Although this is cited without evidence and without financial impact on the billion dollar franchise, we will accept it as fact for the case at hand.)

The Braves currently play at Champion Stadium at Disney World, the same stadium the Rays played select regular season games in 2007 and 2008. Which leads me to a strategic solution that would save taxpayer money, solve the Braves location problem, and help the Rays build their fanbase:

Starting in 2018, the Rays and Braves should swap spring training locations. The Rays should move from Port Charlotte to Disney World and the Braves should take the Rays spring home in Port Charlotte. The Braves should assume the Rays' contract with Port Charlotte and the Rays should sign a new contract with Disney's Wide World of Sports.

The first beneficiary of this spring home swap is the taxpayers of Sarasota County, who no longer have to pay the Braves the money necessary for the Braves to engage in their business in Sarasota County. Since the Braves' sole purpose in moving is to be closer to other spring training competitors, this move would put them near the Red Sox, Twins, Pirates, Yankees, Phillies, and Blue Jays. Exactly where they want to be for far less cost to taxpayers.

Because there is no Braves fanbase to worry about, the Braves can move anywhere. They believe their fans will find them, whether that be at Disney World, Pinellas, Pasco, or Charlotte County.

Fanbase is exactly why a move to Disney World would be a major win for the Rays. In 2009, the Rays moved to Port Charlotte to  expand their fanbase to the South. Port Charlotte is a town of 54,000 people. In 2014, the New York Times plotted baseball fandom by zip code. Zip code 33948, home of Charlotte Sports Park was 29% Rays, 20% Yankees, and 16% Red Sox. If we assume 50% of residents are baseball fans, the breakdown of baseball fans in Port Charlotte is:

• 7,830 Rays fans
• 5,400 Yankees fans
• 4,320 Red Sox fans

Other fans attending games in Port Charlotte are a mix of fans from other similarly divided counties. According to Ryan Holleywell of Governing.com, the Rays paid $4 million dollars to move from Al Lang Stadium in St Pete, where they were not growing their fanbase at all, to Port Charlotte, where they may be winning fans by the dozens. At the time, moving to Port Charlotte was cheap and convenient, but for a team needing to win the hearts and minds of baseball fans throughout Florida, Port Charlotte is no longer the best place for the Rays to prepare for the season.

Moving to Disney World is the perfect way for the Rays to capture the Orlando market. According to the aforementioned New York Times fan map, the Rays are the third most popular team in the Orlando area, far behind the Yankees and Red Sox. Some zip codes had as much as 41% Yankees fans to only 9% Rays fans. Orlando is Yankees Country. The Rays need to penetrate that market.

In 2006, the Tampa Bay Times published an article discussing the Rays attempts to grow their fanbase throughout the state. According to writer Eduardo Encina,

Why is Orlando important?

The Rays want to expand their fan base every way possible. The spring training move to Port Charlotte in 2009 embeds them in the south, and they've talked about efforts north into Ocala and Gainesville, but commanding Orlando, the 20th largest media market in the country, is instrumental in their regional efforts. The Rays haven't had much presence in Orlando. That's changing, albeit slowly. Bright House cable is scheduled to air 67 games this season in the Orlando area, up from 25 last season.

Ten years later, Orlando is still important. On population alone, it is more important than Port Charlotte. There are more potential fans and more money in the only major US market without professional baseball. To stay in Port Charlotte when the Orlando market is available is passing up a great opportunity, even if it means breaking the final 12 years of the lease agreement with Port Charlotte.

For years, fans have advocated the construction of a new Rays stadium in Downtown Tampa or near the Hard Rock Casino to make baseball more convenient for Rays fans in Lakeland and Orlando. Moving spring training to Disney World would finally capitalize on those fans.

The Rays have used Disney's Wide World of Sports in previous years to increase their Central Florida footprint, and they should do again. This time on a permanent basis.

If this were to happen, the Rays gain the ability to grow their fanbase, Port Charlotte still keeps a spring training client, the Braves acquire the spring training location they are looking for, and the people of Sarasota County don't have to spend their tax dollars on a new baseball facility. The only losers would be the politicians of Sarasota County who can no longer kowtow to the wishes of a professional sports team.

While writing this, I realized in late 2015 Jared Ward of DRaysBay wrote a post about the Rays moving to Disney World. When writers with the same passions both come to the same conclusions, idea should be repeated every so often.

Threshers engaging in Security Theater

After changing the name of their stadium last month, the Clearwater Threshers made another announcement last week.

According to a press release on their website, the Phillies security team are installing metal detectors at Spectrum Field.

All guests will be expected to walk through metal detectors at all entrance gates, starting with the Phillies vs. Tampa Spartans game on Thursday, February 23, 2017. The added security is part of a Major League Baseball mandate that all fans are subject to metal detection screening.

I'm confused. This is a Major League mandate. Not a Minor League mandate. Why is it being done at a Minor League field? The reason security is high at Major League parks is because they are typically large gatherings of 25,000 to 50,000 people. Spring Training at Clearwater rarely tops 10,000 and Florida State League games at Clearwater rarely top 5,000 and typically are between 1,500 and 3,000.

However unlikely the odds, if a terrorist were to plant a bomb at Spectrum Field, there are only a few select dates in which they would inflict maximum human casualties. If there was a gunman, that is something that can be taken out by a quick thinking armed security guard, which I hope are already present.

And it doesn't prevent a drone from flying in something. Or someone from hoping a fence.

Or someone getting hurt in a bar fight. After all, there is a bar in left field that serves alcohol.

Threshers average attendance has been over 2,700 per game the last three seasons. While Spring Training fans might not mind the security inconvenience, we will see if local Clearwater fans will put up with this latest episode of Security Theater.