Staff reporter Annie Johnson from the Nashville Business Journal bolsters the case for a new ballpark for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds (Pacific Coast League) by ranking and showcasing the top-10 new minor league ballparks based on a percentage increase in attendance. Read more here. View Top-10 gallery here.
If You Build It, Attendance Will Increase
Filed under Design & Construction, Rankings & Attendance, Stadium Issues
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Most individuals attending a minor league baseball game are not there for the team’s winning, but are for other factors: promotions, good weather, company outingds, free tickets and the facility itself. A downtown ballpark in Nasville would spark an attendance boom and hopefully one that continues for many years. If the Sounds can create a good mix of promos for the families and non-families it could be an interesting place to see a game. Nashville is due for a 21st century ballpark and I hope someone figures out how to build one.
It may lead to a short-term increase; but I’m willing to hear from others around the country about similar experiences when a new stadium is built. Isn’t the more traditional minor league experience one where attendance; after the magic of a new stadium wears-off, dependent upon how well or how poorly the team is doing?
I’ve not done any research; but even at the major league level — given a team’s losing record for years, if not decades — why would anyone want to attend, pay a premium for a major league ticket (plus parking and concessions and the time it takes to get to, then in and out, then home) and exposed to the product on the field?