A recent ticket promotion offered by the Pittsburgh Pirates has drawn considerable fan ire, but a closer look reveals that this action was necessary
The Pittsburgh Pirates revealed a new twitter promotion yesterday, presumably to boost attendance and atmosphere at PNC Park.
Access to every game at PNC from June thru September for just $29.99/month?!
The new Pirates Ballpark Pass is here! https://t.co/Xmn2s5FovQ pic.twitter.com/iVPoCJCXQT
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 22, 2017
The promotion is not unique, as our own Steve Kubitz noted.
https://twitter.com/SteveKubitz/status/867018738301898754
The promotion has drawn such incredible fan ire in less than 24 hours, the bulk of which coming from season ticket holders. Make no mistake, season ticket holders are the lifeblood of a small-market team such as the Pittsburgh Pirates. Without a television contract on par with teams such as the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers, the Pirates are more reliant upon gate revenue than many other clubs.
In that light, is it any wonder that the team would try something – or try anything, really – to ensure that their attendance remains at stable level?
Further, the Pittsburgh Pirates are perhaps putting this plan in place to reverse a trend which has roots going back to last season. In 2016, attendance at PNC Park lagged for the first time in five years, as we noted previously:
It is also paramount to note that despite the second best record in baseball in 2015, the Pittsburgh Pirates still ranked at the very middle of the pack in terms of attendance in MLB. The expected slide after a down year in 2016 did not help that ranking.
So with that data in hand, it is a surprise that the Pirates have not put this new plan in place sooner given the early 2017 returns. Oh, about those…
2017 Attendance Facts
In 2017-to-date, the Pittsburgh Pirates have seen the following trends in attendance:
- 498,265 total attendance across 21 home games – a ranking of 14th out of 15 National League teams
- A 22nd-ranked 23,726 in average attendance, down 2,010 per game from the 21 game point in 2016.
- From an optics standpoint, a somewhat sterile park experience has been seen- to be expected with a team still finding its way.
Though season ticket holders may not like it, a move to spike attendance – and atmosphere along with it – is absolutely necessary to stave off these disturbing trends. Much has been made about the Pirates regaining the Pittsburgh baseball fan’s passion for the team over the Clint Hurdle era. Now, there is a feeling starting to creep in of general malaise among the fanbase. Some of that is within the team’s control via on-the-field product, and some is outside of its grasp.
But the feeling is there. And it’s palpable.
Kudos to the Pittsburgh Pirates for doing anything and everything in their power to start to reverse that trend, even if the result shows up only on the ledgers and balance sheets.
None of this is presented to “fan police” anyone. I am a firm believer in not preaching to any section of the fan base, large or small at any level of commitment.
However, before those fans wildly cast their ire into the wind, it might save them a large amount of time or anxiety to consider the position the team finds itself in that results in a move such as this.
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