Has MLB Lost Faith in the Tampa bay Area?

[RaysFan_98]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/tampa-bay-rays-officials-say-mlb-has-lost-faith-in-bay-area/1272064

This happened today and its kind of interesting and disheartening at the same time if true.

[UnderPressure]

The Marlins' move to a new stadium proved that a new stadium can improve your attendance. Of course, that was before Loria blew up the team again. The only good thing for Tampa baseball fans is that relocations in MLB don't happen overnight like they do in the NBA since arenas in this country are a dime a dozen. In baseball, only MLB cities have big ballparks.

Wow, that St. Pete mayor is really stubborn. I'm guessing that if he was the mayor back when the Lightning were still playing at the Trop, he would've also refused to let them relocate to Tampa.

[Mr. Laser Beam]

MLB hasn't lost faith. It's that bloody St. Pete mayor's fault. If he won't let the Rays leave or build a new stadium, he's got no one to blame but himself.

[Blue387]

The Rays draw badly because the stadium is far away but because the stadium is far away from the population center, no one goes to games. Is this correct?

I really hope the Rays get a new ballpark at some point. They deserve it more than Jeffy Loria.

[RaysFan_98]

The Marlins' move to a new stadium proved that a new stadium can improve your attendance. Of course, that was before Loria blew up the team again. The only good thing for Tampa baseball fans is that relocations in MLB don't happen overnight like they do in the NBA since arenas in this country are a dime a dozen. In baseball, only MLB cities have big ballparks.

Wow, that St. Pete mayor is really stubborn. I'm guessing that if he was the mayor back when the Lightning were still playing at the Trop, he would've also refused to let them relocate to Tampa.

MLB hasn't lost faith. It's that bloody St. Pete mayor's fault. If he won't let the Rays leave or build a new stadium, he's got no one to blame but himself.

Been saying the Same Mayor Foster is gonna cost us this team and he won't let go for some reason its mind boggling.

[RaysFan_98]

The Rays draw badly because the stadium is far away but because the stadium is far away from the population center, no one goes to games. Is this correct?

I really hope the Rays get a new ballpark at some point. They deserve it more than Jeffy Loria.

Correct. They want to build close to the first exit off of the bridge or in Tampa or near the I-4 275 exchange.

[UnderPressure]

How different is Tampa from St. Pete? It's like Twin Cities like Minneapolis-St. Paul and Dallas-Fort Worth, or the triplets - San Fran-Oakland-San Jose.

[RaysFan_98]

How different is Tampa from St. Pete? It's like Twin Cities like Minneapolis-St. Paul and Dallas-Fort Worth, or the triplets - San Fran-Oakland-San Jose.

St.Pete has all the Major Beaches in this area. Not much else the heartbeat of the bay area is Tampa though all the buisness and night life is there as well as Ray-Jay,The forum and the cruise port.

[Yaz]

It's 20 miles on I-275 that keeps residents of Tampa from attending games. And much of that 20 miles an absolutely gorgeous drive over the water of Tampa Bay. Somehow it's been put into their heads that a 30 minute drive to get to the ballpark is a long time. Keep in mind that there is also plenty of cheap/safe parking at the Trop.

I would venture to guess that 99% of all MLB fans allow for 30 minutes to go by between getting into their car and going through the gate. Not in Florida though....

[quagmire]

It's 20 miles on I-275 that keeps residents of Tampa from attending games. And much of that 20 miles an absolutely gorgeous drive over the water of Tampa Bay. Somehow it's been put into their heads that a 30 minute drive to get to the ballpark is a long time. Keep in mind that there is also plenty of cheap/safe parking at the Trop.

I would venture to guess that 99% of all MLB fans allow for 30 minutes to go by between getting into their car and going through the gate. Not in Florida though....

Before the Nats came to DC and the O's were good, a lot of people would make the hour drive from the DC area to Camden Yards.

The fact Tampa people can't make a 30 minute drive, that is a joke.....

[Phantom Dreamer]

the commute

I would venture to guess that 99% of all MLB fans allow for 30 minutes to go by between getting into their car and going through the gate. Not in Florida though....

That seems about right.

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Before the Nats came to DC and the O's were good, a lot of people would make the hour drive from the DC area to Camden Yards

And fans still are fond of taking the train down there too.

Unfortunately, the Trop doesn't have the luxury of transit access, so it's harder for fans to get there. Not everybody wants, or likes, to drive, and some can't. I'm sure there are many reasons why there is no mass transit down there, but the fact remains, if there isn't any, it's going to be harder for fans to reach the ballpark. No matter how much parking is available.

[quagmire]

And fans still are fond of taking the train down there too.

Unfortunately, the Trop doesn't have the luxury of transit access, so it's harder for fans to get there. Not everybody wants, or likes, to drive, and some can't. I'm sure there are many reasons why there is no mass transit down there, but the fact remains, if there isn't any, it's going to be harder for fans to reach the ballpark. No matter how much parking is available.

Not to mention Yankee fans coming from NYC to Camden Yards when the Yankees played in Baltimore. There would always be busses parked filled with Yankee fans. 80% of the fans at Camden Yards were Yankee fans. You would think the Yankees were playing at home and the O's were the visiting team. They would always drown out any O's fans that were there.

Maybe Yankee fans are a bit special in that they will travel far to see their team, but it shows how Tampa residents either find a 30 minute drive long or are just not baseball people. It can't just because of the Trop. It isn't the best baseball stadium in the world( the food is lacking....), but if DC fans could tolerate RFK while Nats Park was being built, the fans can tolerate the Trop especially with the team being playing extremely well.

[RaysFan_98]

And fans still are fond of taking the train down there too.

Unfortunately, the Trop doesn't have the luxury of transit access, so it's harder for fans to get there. Not everybody wants, or likes, to drive, and some can't. I'm sure there are many reasons why there is no mass transit down there, but the fact remains, if there isn't any, it's going to be harder for fans to reach the ballpark. No matter how much parking is available.

I make about an hour and a half trip down to the trop multiple times through out the season. And i hit heavy traffic for the games getting off of the bridge.

[drstrangelove]

It's too bad, but Forbes publishes business facts about baseball teams each year.

Rays 2010
Attendance 1.865M, gate receipts $34M, player cost $80M, profit $16M http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/33/...ys_337975.html

Rays 2012
Attendance 1.560M, gate receipts $34M, player cost $64M, profit $26M http://www.forbes.com/teams/tampa-bay-rays/


A) The Rays cut player costs from $80M to $64M, that is cutting players.
B) on 17% 1ess attendance, the Rays made the same amount from gate receipts. Ticket price increases are never the way to go as you cut stars, still gate receipts have not declined.
C) The Rays profits went from $16M to $26M. This made them the 5th HIGHEST profit of any team.
D) The Rays profit of $26M on a value of $323M gave them the 2nd HIGHEST profit return of any team in baseball.
E) The Rays signed a poor TV contract in 2008 that they wish they could renegotiate. The stadium is not the issue since gate receipts have not changed.

Bottom line: people who want to cut costs and raise ticket prices and then gain maximum profits should not cry about it on the way to the bank. Take the money, shut the mouth.