Signing Tebow worth every penny to Mets
If Tim Tebow’s stat line has not justified even his meager salary, his drawing power sure has.
The former Heisman Trophy winner was paid $10,000 this season while playing for the Single-A Columbia Fireflies and St. Lucie Mets and contributed to the largest rise in minor league baseball attendance in 23 years, according to ESPN.
Attendance for Fireflies games increased by 54,000 fans (21 percent) over last season during Tebow’s tenure in Columbia. The effect was more pronounced when he joined St. Lucie at the end of June, contributing to a 37 percent rise in visitors to the ballpark.
Similar results were seen during road games, where the Fireflies drew an additional 2,591 fans over the home teams’ season averages.
The last time the minors saw such a spike in attendance was thanks to another popular cross-sport athlete taking a stab at professional baseball: Michael Jordan.
Tebow’s numbers don’t stack up against Jordan’s, but the NBA champion was the single most recognizable sports brand in the world at the time. The Birmingham Barons and Jordan averaged 6,884 fans that summer.
Add to the fact that Jordan was playing Double-A ball in larger stadiums than Tebow, and the difference in their numbers is easily explained.
The point remains — Tebow was a huge draw and a tremendous boon to the clubs he played for and those he visited.
A Baseball America study conducted in June placed the value of Tebow’s contribution to ticket sales, parking, concessions and other revenue at $1.6 million.
In other words, the Mets organization got precisely what it wanted out of Tebow.