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net, saying what the young GM really meant was that the team would have to first contend, which would in turn draw more fans, and the subsequent revenue increases would then lead to more spending when winning big games was within reach.
Fans were not being extorted, Beeston insisted.
“We’ve got to win to make the fans come out, and then we spend the money,” he told Sportsnet.
“It’s the chicken and egg problem,” said Rick Schlesinger, chief operating officer of the Milwaukee Brewers.
In 2006, the Brewers averaged only a few hundred more fans per game than the Jays. But the Brewers were playing .500 baseball for the first time in a decade and attendance was slowly trending upward.
The Brewers may not have been able to keep Prince Fielder, but since 2007 they have made the playoffs twice and have remained in the top half of league attendance. Last year they ranked seventh, ahead of both the Red Sox and the Cubs.
Last year, teams combined for 1,891 non-giveaway promotions — such as concerts, fan festivals and fireworks — a 33 per cent increase over 2010, according to the Sports Business Journal. The number of promotional dates more than doubled the number of giveaway dates.
The Jays are still doing a handful of giveaways — a bobblehead series featuring Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow and Yunel Escobar, as well as batting helmets on Father’s Day — but they are also following the league-wide trend of intense brand marketing and building a better overall experience.
The marketing of the new-old logo has been incessant. They’re hoping Friday Fan Festivals will “create that culture of coming down to the ballpark early, enjoying the atmosphere,” said Stephen Brooks, the Blue Jays’ senior vice-president of business operations. The Jays’ annual attendance shrunk by more than 500,000 after ditching the $2 Tuesday ticket discount in 2009, which bumped them from the middle of the pack to the basement. They are still trying to regain those crowds.
The early signs look good. Merchandise sales and broadcasting numbers are up, according to the team.
The home opener sold out in record time.
But the biggest question remains: Will they be playing meaningful games in August and September?