Post by Bornthrilla on Apr 9, 2009 8:49:14 GMT -5
Grasshoppers adjust to tough economic times
Thursday, April 9
( updated 8:41 am)
By Robert Bell
Staff Writer
Who: Greenville (S.C.) Drive
When: 7:05 p.m. today Where: NewBridge Bank Park
Tickets: $6-$9 available online at gsohoppers.com or by calling 268-2255.
GREENSBORO -- Later today, the streets around NewBridge Bank Park will be alive with baseball fans coming out of their winter hibernation -- a guaranteed swirl of green and orange, young and old -- and filled with anticipation.
But it's not opening day that Grasshoppers marketers have to worry about -- the team has sold out every home opener since moving into the ballpark four years ago. It's those 69 other home games that have Grasshoppers management worrying.
Club officials say that with the season opener tonight against the Greenville (S.C.) Drive at NewBridge Bank Park, it's too early to know how much they'll be hurt by the recession. But they're relieved that demand for season tickets and corporate sponsorships, while taking a hit, has not plummeted.
The Grasshoppers have sold about 2,650 season tickets this year compared with 2,850 last season -- a 7 percent decline. Corporate sponsorship, another giant piece of the club's financial puzzle, is also off 7 percent, according to team president Donald Moore.
"We know we've got our work cut out this season," Moore said. "I'm pleased where we are, considering you don't have to look far to see that there are people and businesses worse off than we are."
Greensboro has been in love with the Grasshoppers from the start. More than 1.7 million fans have flocked to the ballpark since the team played its first game at the stadium in 2005. But last year was the first in which the Grasshoppers did not see an increase in attendance, perhaps an indicator that the novelty is wearing off.
And if a recent ticket promotion is any indicator, fans might be watching their wallets this year. The club picks a single day each February to sell discounted tickets for $5 each. Fans bought 600 tickets during last year's promotion. This year, perhaps in a nod to tighter times, they bought more than 5,500.
William Tolbert was one of them. Tolbert is a Jamestown accountant whose business has sagged in recent months under the crumbling economy. "I never thought I'd be pinching pennies, but nobody knows where the economy is going," he said.
Last year, Tolbert and his wife attended about a dozen games. This year they'll only attend the five games for which he bought discounted tickets in February.
To counter the reluctance of Tolbert and other fans, the Grasshoppers decided to maintain last year's ticket prices and have committed to making each game an experience for fans.
"I'm convinced people still need and want affordable entertainment," Moore said. "The message I'm stressing is that now more than ever we need to make sure we're on our 'A' game every night. That means we have a clean, friendly atmosphere and we make sure people are enjoying themselves so that they want to come back."
Sports marketers agree that attendance remains the best measure of the level of interest in a team. But while it is a major revenue generator -- depending on the franchise, gate receipts can account for 30 to 60 percent of a club's total revenue -- the impact of attendance is much broader.
It also affects concessions and sponsorships, Moore said.
"Your sponsors want to see a nice crowd, or something close, or they might start questioning the bang for their dollar," he said.
Minor-league baseball could be a fascinating test case for the recession's impact on sports in the Triad. Though the Triad sports fans spend most of their money on the Carolina Panthers and college football and basketball, most of that support came before the extent of the crisis was clear. The Grasshoppers' season, however, steers right into the teeth of the worst economy in decades.
Many analysts have argued that professional sports were immune to recession, but this recession, with its broad impact on consumers and corporations, has rocked the sports world like no other.
Consider:
* Struggling NBA teams, including the Charlotte Bobcats, have sold tickets at heavily discounted prices. NBA Commissioner David Stern recently secured a $200 million line of credit for clubs that are losing money.
* In baseball, elite free agents lingered on the open market far longer than usual during the offseason as most teams seemed unsure of their own financial security.
* Even the NFL, the industry's financial heavyweight, cut about 10 percent of the league's staff late last year.
Read more:
www.news-record.com/content/2009/04/09/article/minors_deal_with_major_problem
Thursday, April 9
( updated 8:41 am)
By Robert Bell
Staff Writer
Who: Greenville (S.C.) Drive
When: 7:05 p.m. today Where: NewBridge Bank Park
Tickets: $6-$9 available online at gsohoppers.com or by calling 268-2255.
GREENSBORO -- Later today, the streets around NewBridge Bank Park will be alive with baseball fans coming out of their winter hibernation -- a guaranteed swirl of green and orange, young and old -- and filled with anticipation.
But it's not opening day that Grasshoppers marketers have to worry about -- the team has sold out every home opener since moving into the ballpark four years ago. It's those 69 other home games that have Grasshoppers management worrying.
Club officials say that with the season opener tonight against the Greenville (S.C.) Drive at NewBridge Bank Park, it's too early to know how much they'll be hurt by the recession. But they're relieved that demand for season tickets and corporate sponsorships, while taking a hit, has not plummeted.
The Grasshoppers have sold about 2,650 season tickets this year compared with 2,850 last season -- a 7 percent decline. Corporate sponsorship, another giant piece of the club's financial puzzle, is also off 7 percent, according to team president Donald Moore.
"We know we've got our work cut out this season," Moore said. "I'm pleased where we are, considering you don't have to look far to see that there are people and businesses worse off than we are."
Greensboro has been in love with the Grasshoppers from the start. More than 1.7 million fans have flocked to the ballpark since the team played its first game at the stadium in 2005. But last year was the first in which the Grasshoppers did not see an increase in attendance, perhaps an indicator that the novelty is wearing off.
And if a recent ticket promotion is any indicator, fans might be watching their wallets this year. The club picks a single day each February to sell discounted tickets for $5 each. Fans bought 600 tickets during last year's promotion. This year, perhaps in a nod to tighter times, they bought more than 5,500.
William Tolbert was one of them. Tolbert is a Jamestown accountant whose business has sagged in recent months under the crumbling economy. "I never thought I'd be pinching pennies, but nobody knows where the economy is going," he said.
Last year, Tolbert and his wife attended about a dozen games. This year they'll only attend the five games for which he bought discounted tickets in February.
To counter the reluctance of Tolbert and other fans, the Grasshoppers decided to maintain last year's ticket prices and have committed to making each game an experience for fans.
"I'm convinced people still need and want affordable entertainment," Moore said. "The message I'm stressing is that now more than ever we need to make sure we're on our 'A' game every night. That means we have a clean, friendly atmosphere and we make sure people are enjoying themselves so that they want to come back."
Sports marketers agree that attendance remains the best measure of the level of interest in a team. But while it is a major revenue generator -- depending on the franchise, gate receipts can account for 30 to 60 percent of a club's total revenue -- the impact of attendance is much broader.
It also affects concessions and sponsorships, Moore said.
"Your sponsors want to see a nice crowd, or something close, or they might start questioning the bang for their dollar," he said.
Minor-league baseball could be a fascinating test case for the recession's impact on sports in the Triad. Though the Triad sports fans spend most of their money on the Carolina Panthers and college football and basketball, most of that support came before the extent of the crisis was clear. The Grasshoppers' season, however, steers right into the teeth of the worst economy in decades.
Many analysts have argued that professional sports were immune to recession, but this recession, with its broad impact on consumers and corporations, has rocked the sports world like no other.
Consider:
* Struggling NBA teams, including the Charlotte Bobcats, have sold tickets at heavily discounted prices. NBA Commissioner David Stern recently secured a $200 million line of credit for clubs that are losing money.
* In baseball, elite free agents lingered on the open market far longer than usual during the offseason as most teams seemed unsure of their own financial security.
* Even the NFL, the industry's financial heavyweight, cut about 10 percent of the league's staff late last year.
Read more:
www.news-record.com/content/2009/04/09/article/minors_deal_with_major_problem
