2017 Attendance

[tomterp]

Svrluga takes the team to task for how much they jacked up the prices for the Cubs series, and how it almost certainly negatively impacted attendance. 

The Washington Nationals average 31,684 fans per game at home, best in the National League East, an increase over a year ago. The Chicago Cubs are the World Series champions, a team with a nationwide fan base enjoying its first title defense in 108 seasons. And in the first three games of a marquee series at Nationals Park, the Nationals couldn’t even once match their average crowd.

What gives?

“Maybe it’s not as big to the people here as it is to both these teams,” Nationals Manager Dusty Baker said following Wednesday night’s 8-4 victory for Washington, a game seen by 31,072 good folks — but distinguished, as the first two games of the series were, by blocks of empty seats.

And yet, the crowds for the weekend games against middling Cincinnati: 36,347, 40,139 and 35,387.

The calculus for all this is, quite obviously, complex. But it’s also quite clear, with the series finale against the Cubs set for Thursday afternoon, that the Nationals contributed to the lackluster crowds with a pricing strategy and ticketing policies that could generously be called aggressive.

This year, the four Cubs games were listed in the preseason pricing structure as “Diamond” games, the highest of four tiers of pricing the Nationals offer. The only other Diamond game on the schedule was Opening Day. Even the annual Fourth of July game, this year against the Mets, is a step down.

That means there were higher prices across the board for the Cubs series. The July 5 game against the Mets, for instance, is in the “Regular” tier of pricing — the lowest. The most expensive seat is $370. A dugout box seat is $90. The cheapest advance-purchase ticket is $12.

But for the Cubs games, the increases were significant. For Thursday’s series finale, the high-end Delta Sky360 Club seat runs $450. The dugout box seats are $140 apiece. And the right-field terrace seat — that cheap ticket that is the price of the movie less than a week from now — is $35.

The smallest game-over-game increase is $18 for seats in the scoreboard pavilion, gallery and upper gallery sections. Those seats, for the Cubs finale, are $40, $50 and $39, respectively. For the July 5 Mets game: $22, $32 and $21, respectively. Seven of the 16 different pricing sections had markups of at least $40 per ticket for the Cubs games.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2017/06/29/did-the-nationals-price-themselves-out-of-sellouts-for-the-cubs-series/?hpid=hp_local-news_sellout-845am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.a6e743e673ab

[nats2playoffs]

Cubs' fans also have to hire accountants to calculate the added cost of buying 10 beers per person at the baseball game.

[spidernat]

The Lerners

[UMDNats]

This is me, for 99% of baseball games:

“I’d rather watch it on TV from my couch,” Harper said, deadpanning a bit. “That MLB plan is pretty good. Great coverage.”

Even the Cubs coming to town in the middle of June while we're up 9 games in the division wouldn't entice me. Also, I don't care about the Cubs.

[PowerBoater69]

That Mets game has $9 tickets available via coupon code. Today the RF Terrace is listed at $37. (I'm not sure if Barry's numbers are off or if the Nats changed the prices.)  Plus the "convenience" fee for the $9 tickets is $1 but $5.50 for the ones for today. So the Cubs game is priced more than four times as much as the Mets. Cubs fans might pay that much but Nats fans won't, not when there are plenty of other games. Val effectively priced out the home town fans, which might have gone unnoticed if Baker hasn't brought up the small crowds.

[DPMOmaha]

It was glaring on TV. I figured there'd be huge crowds for this series. That's a lot of potential revenue left on the table for the Lerners.

[mitlen]

Svrluga takes the team to task for how much they jacked up the prices for the Cubs series, and how it almost certainly negatively impacted attendance. 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2017/06/29/did-the-nationals-price-themselves-out-of-sellouts-for-the-cubs-series/?hpid=hp_local-news_sellout-845am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.a6e743e673ab

I read that today.    I'm glad someone is addressing this in the media.    We (the fans) have been takin' hits from Dusty and FP specifically recently.     There's one male reporter that asks about fan enthusiasm about twice a home stand.    I'd like to know who it is and borrow his free press pass.

[bluestreak]

It was glaring on TV. I figured there'd be huge crowds for this series. That's a lot of potential revenue left on the table for the Lerners.

Well if they charge 40-50 percent more for tickets but only have 25% less attendance....

[DPMOmaha]

Well if they charge 40-50 percent more for tickets but only have 25% less attendance....

Not saying they can't charge more for that game, but charge a little less and you probably fill the building. This series should have been at least 3 sellouts.

[bluestreak]

Not saying they can't charge more for that game, but charge a little less and you probably fill the building. This series should have been at least 3 sellouts.

Oh, I agree. I think given how much they charged, the probably made more money on that series. But they only probably made a little more and at the cost of alienating fans and players.

[dcpatti]

Another thing that dampened attendance is that SPH exchanges were blacked out for this game. I know that you're basically drawing attendance away from one game to give it to the other when you allow exchanges, but nobody expects a packed house for a noon game on a Wednesday in July against the Brewers, so if you "only" get 20k people, who cares?

I have houseguests and a season plan with just 2 seats, and I've given the Nats tons of ticket money this year, so when they decided to black this series out, well, that is why I took my houseguests to two games against the Reds and none against the Cubs.

[tomterp]

Well if they charge 40-50 percent more for tickets but only have 25% less attendance....

And lower concessions, not to mention the much deader atmosphere.

[HalfSmokes]

I think this market is far more price sensitive than the local teams give it credit for

[PowerBoater69]

The Nats did offer free shirts with a $200 purchase and free replica line up cards with a $100 purchase. So you can't say that the revenue chief wasn't trying to bring in Nats fans.

[tomterp]

They f'd up, plain and simple.  What should have been a pulsing, energetic series was undercut by the poor attendance.  And the games themselves were lively and full of great moments.  An opportunity squandered.

[Natsinpwc]

Not a baseball town.  When does Redskins camp start?

[mitlen]

Not a baseball town.  When does Redskins camp start?

Stop.    Just stop.   You'll be at Bengals' camp anyway.     

[Natsinpwc]

Stop.    Just stop.   You'll be at Bengals' camp anyway.     

I wonder where it is? People on talk radio are really down on the Bengals and with good reason I think.  And it's their 50th anniversary season (which they are celebrating this year as compared to the Nats who would celebrate it in the 51st year).   The Reds are playing a little better than expected.  Haven't had a chance to get to a Reds game since the Yankees in May.  Cubs in town this weekend--prices look expensive.

[tomterp]

I wonder where it is? People on talk radio are really down on the Bengals and with good reason I think.  And it's their 50th anniversary season (which they are celebrating this year as compared to the Nats who would celebrate it in the 51st year). 

Maybe it's time for Boomer to come out of retirement and give it another go.

[Natsinpwc]

Maybe it's time for Boomer to come out of retirement and give it another go.

No.  Kenny Anderson.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

No.  Kenny Anderson.

I vaguely remember a 1 or 2 year wonder named Cook who was their QB sometime before Anderson.

[nats4ever]

Not a baseball town.  When does Redskins camp start?

Your the reason why people from boston, new york, philly laugh at the dc fan base. You were probably one of those that just became a fan when they start winning.

[spidernat]

Your the reason why people from boston, new york, philly laugh at the dc fan base. You were probably one of those that just became a fan when they start winning.

Natsinpwc is the philly fanbase. He's waiting for the phillies to start winning again to op back on the phillies bandwagon.

[Natsinpwc]

Your the reason why people from boston, new york, philly laugh at the dc fan base. You were probably one of those that just became a fan when they start winning.

I had season tickets from the start but have had to give them up in recent years. The test will be when they fall in hard times. Will the fans show up. Takes a while I think.

[Natsinpwc]

Natsinpwc is the philly fanbase. He's waiting for the phillies to start winning again to op back on the phillies bandwagon.

You would think with two teams I would have a decent shot at another ring. But probably not.