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March 24, 2008
Will The Yankees Always Draw This Way Now, Going Forward?
The Yankees announced today that they have reached 3.8 million tickets sold for 2008, already, before their first pitch of the regular season.
There's little doubt that the Yankees will draw 4 million fans this year - making it four years in a row that they do four-plus. Next season should be good for another four-mill - with the opening of the new Stadium.
And, you have to wonder how long this will last in the Bronx?
In 1990, the Blue Jays drew 3.8 million - and then followed that up with three years, in a row, of four million. But, once the Jays started playing poorly after the 1994-1995 work stoppage, the fans stopped showing up in Toronto. In fact, from 2000 to 2004, the Jays couldn't even draw 2 million a season.
In 1993, in their first season, the Rockies drew 4.4 million - and then, after a small dip, they were near 3.8 million each season from 1996 through 1998. But, since 2003, Colorado has basically been a team that draws around 2 million a season.
From mid-season 1995 through 2000, you could not get a ticket to an Indians game. They sold out every game. But, since 2003, Cleveland has been lucky to draw 2 million fans a season.
Also, once Camden Park opened in 1992, the Orioles were good for at least 3 million fans each season - many years way past that, in fact. But, around 2005 the bottom dropped out and the team has barely taken in two million fans in each of the last two seasons.
Then again, since 1977, the Dodgers are usually good for 3 million fans (or more) a season.
I'm sure that's the model that the Yankees want to follow. The trick is to make sure that you manage, most of the time, to finish first, second or third - like Los Angeles has done since 1977.
But, the Dodgers have been lucky too - because the N.L. West is nothing like the A.L. East should be this season and in the next five years to come.
Who knows? Maybe, sometime around 2013, we'll be talking about the days "back when" when the Yankees used to sell out all the time...like the fans of the Blue Jays, Indians, Rockies and O's do now...
Posted by Steve Lombardi at March 24, 2008 08:18 PM
Comments
You don't see a difference between the Yankees' franchise -- the most famous and popular in baseball and all of sports -- with the Blue Jays, Indians, Rockies and O's, which had new ballparks at the time or new fans?
Posted by: baileywalk ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.waswatching.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at March 24, 2008 09:55 PM
FWIW, that most famous and popular [franchise] in baseball and all of sports drew 21,589 a game (on avg.) as recent as 1992.
Posted by: Steve Lombardi at March 24, 2008 10:24 PM
FWIW, it's very unlikely that any future Yankee team -- considering the money they spend on players, draft and development -- will go 76-86, which the 1992 Yankees did. Besides the fact that being a Yankee fan has become cool now -- going to the Stadium goes beyond being merely a baseball fan. It's the place to be.
If the Knicks can fill MSG with the worst franchise in basketball and charge a fortune, even an average Yankee team will fill the new Stadium for years to come.
Posted by: baileywalk at March 24, 2008 10:34 PM
As long as the Steinbrenners don't sell the team to that man Dolan, or hire JP Riccardi as GM, I think they'll be fine for the forseeable future.
Posted by: Andrew at March 25, 2008 12:05 AM
The Yankees announced today that they have reached 3.8 million tickets sold for 2008, already, before their first pitch of the regular season.
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Remember how Steinbrenner used to say that the Yanks couldn't draw because of the area, and that people were afraid to come to the stadium, and they needed a new Stadium in _________?
My how times have changed. Just goes to show, if you win, if you put a decent product on the field, the fans will come (:
Posted by: Raf at March 25, 2008 10:06 AM