Naturally, new ballparks are a great way to generate new or more revenue. Aside from actually paying for the new park, the extra people through the gates (especially in the first couple of years) should help boost the coffers of any ball club, regardless of how well they play.
The Twins first season in Target Field was a success. A 94-68 record, good for a first place finish in the Central. Their attendance during the inaugural season was at 3,223,640.
However, seasons two and three at the new yard weren't very successful. For the 2011 and 2012 seasons, the Twins would finish in last place in the division, with 99 losses in '11 and 96 last season. Attendance for the 99-loss season? Not much worse than the 94-win season, at 3,168,107.
But last season's attendance showed a drop to 2,776,354. With the novelty of a new ballpark wearing off, the patience of Twins fans is wearing rather thin - it's hard to imagine that last year's attendance will be less than this season's attendance. Certainly, the crop of talent that the Twins will display on their roster to start the season will do nothing to entice more fans to spend on this ball club.
Here's an example of that - a co-worker of mine decided that he wasn't interested in renewing his season ticket package. Here's his reason, and the reply that he got from Dan Strong, a Twins season ticket and sales executive (the second paragraph of Mr. Strong's reply is one that had me laughing for 27 consecutive minutes):
I'm sorry, but the Twins haven't done much since then to change my mind about renewing my season tickets. I did like the trades made to acquire some promising young pitchers (Worley, Meyer, and May), but this was quickly undone by (what I view as foolish moves and a waste of time and money) the free agent pick-ups of Kevin Correia, Mike Pelfrey, and the very oft-injured Rich Harden (the Joel Zumaya of 2013?). I don't think that this group of mediocre (in fact borderline major league talent) will do much to change the Twins' fortunes this year - it's just the same old group of retread pitchers with a different name on the back of their uniform.
I respectively disagree with your assessment that the Twins "provide a baseball experience second to none." I would argue that winning is the most vital part in providing an excellent baseball experience. The Twins have not won a World Series since 1991 and have only won one play-off series since then (and that was way back in 2004). I do appreciate the good (not great) teams that the Twins have fielded over the years, but recently, this organization has definately taken a step back. I am glad that you (and I assume the Twins office in general) are confident about the 2013 Twins - however, I do not share this confidence at all and expect the Twins to finsh last in the AL Central yet again. It is likely that only the Astros will prevent the Twins from having the worst record in the AL this year. I hope that I am wrong. Yes, Target Field is a great ballpark to watch a game, but when the team is dreadful, and nearly unwatchable at times, the baseball experience is bad regardless of what kind of palace they're playing in.
As far as the Twins season ticket plans, I was very disappointed with how the whole seat selection process was conducted when Target Field first opened. I realize that there are logistical issues involved, but the fact that my 10 years as a season ticket holder had virtually no impact on the quality of seats that I could purchase really made me angry. Every Johnny-come-lately with deep enough pockets to afford a full or 40-game package immediately stepped to the front of the line. Compounding this was the fact that 20-game buyers were limited to the fringe areas of the ballpark. One equitable solution in my mind would have been to break every established season ticket holder into equivalent "full seasons". Thus an account that had 8-20 game seasons in their history would be the equivalent of 2 full seasons, while one with 8-40 game seasons would have the equivalent of 4 full seasons. This would've been fair, but the Twins organization decided to take the short view and simply reward those who had spent the most money most recently (disregarding the total amount of money that we loyal partial game holders had poured into the Twins coffers over the years). I do appreciate the Twins' decision to start giving a 10% discount on concessions to season ticket holders - that is a smart move.
As I said below, I'm sure that tickets for the upcoming All-Star game will be handled in a similar fashion. Small potatoes like me would get the chance to buy tickets to the dumb events like the homerun derby, but would likely just be thrown into a "lottery" to have the chance to buy 2 nose-bleed tickets to the actual game.
Anyway, I still remain a Twins fan - just not one who will blindly spend my money to watch vastly inferior baseball. I continue to believe that the best way for me to make my displeasure felt is to not renew my tickets. I've had to sit through far too many horrible games started by Nick Blackburn, Francisco Liriano, Sam Deduno, et al in the past two seasons - I won't make it a third with Correia, Pelfry, etc. I am not concerned at all about losing my position as a long-standing season ticket holder. From a practical point of view, it didn't do me any good anyway.
And the reply:
While we are sorry that you did not renew your season tickets for the 2013 season, it is my hope that we did everything we could have to keep you as a Twins Season Ticket Holder.
Over the years, the Twins organization has earned a reputation for building quality teams and providing a baseball experience that is second to none. And as we look to the upcoming season, we are committed to restoring the Twins winning tradition and have confidence that the 2013 Minnesota Twins will be a team you will once again be proud of.
As you know, a Twins season ticket delivers more than just a guaranteed seat. The 10% concession and merchandise discount and the opportunity to purchase 2014 All-Star Game tickets are just a fraction of the benefits and opportunities being offered to Season Ticket Holders this season. And if you return as a Season Ticket Holder before Opening Day – you will retain your priority date with us, meaning your tenure with the Twins will remain uninterrupted.
Thank you for your past support of the ball club. If I can answer any questions, please contact me at the phone number or email address below. I’m happy to assist any way I can.
Dan Strong
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I know, I know... that second paragraph from Dan Strong, right?
Though he might be right - the Twins baseball experience may indeed be "second to none." I just wonder if they're expecting that experience for their fans to be *that different.*
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