A's Attendance Woes

means never having to say you’re sorry about attendance. tarp. fremont.

While the concessions and gear aren’t well represented in the outfield… the inner portion of the Coliseum is just fine by my standards. I have been to several ballparks and this one has plenty of charm even if I do drink the Kool-Aid. However, I would have given anything to see it before Mt. Davis fucked up the view of the bay. That’s for sure.

I feel somewhat out of place to even post my opinion since I’m not from the area but it’s very disheartening to see the attendance every night. The Oakland area is a very loyal bunch even though there numbers aren’t always strong but life, in general, comes down to money. The economics are the only thing that matters to ownership these days and Gordon Gekko’s foreshadowing is eerily familiar in this instance.

I think it’s inevitable that the A’s have to move to Fremont or someplace else but that is only the case because of economics. If I had season tix for years, I would be very upset but I wouldn’t necessarily blame ownership for what they are doing. They are acting within their own rights and the local politicians seem very disinterested in their local constituents or might be acting on behalf of the majority of them.

about the ownership’s calculated alienation of fans who like cheap seats and the City of Oakland.

is a discussion among RAFs regarding specific reasons why each of us don’t go to more games.

The Coliseum has always offered terrible sightlines for watching baseball. Good grief, you sit in the 25th row directly off first base, how many feet are you horizontally from the foul line? That did not make so much difference when the seats in Section 112, Row 25 were maybe $15. But now those seats are $35 (or $40 for a “premium” game, i.e. Yankees). I have a much better seat from my living room couch, for no marginal cost. Granted, I pay Comcast more than $1000 per year for that seat, but Comcast is providing other services as well for that price. I would be paying that $1000 even if baseball shut down in yet another labor dispute.

The “old” Coliseum did offer good value and good sightlines from the pre-Mt. Davis bleachers. The current “bleachers” are some football seats that remain after enough other seats are moved away to permit a baseball field to be laid out. From most of the seats in the Mt. Davis area, you cannot see a substantial portion of the outfield. I would be willing to pay the current “bleacher” price of $13 ($15 “premium”) to sit in the old bleachers, but that option is not available.

In summation, I think live attendance at A’s baseball games at the Coliseum is a lousy value. I still go once in a while, out of loyalty, addiction, however you want to phrase it, but I’ll be in my living room tonight, and I’ll use the money on a Lake Tahoe trip this upcoming weekend.

OK, RAFs, here’s you’re opportunity. What is your reason for watching games on TV when you could be at the Coliseum?

I was able to make it out from ATL to the coliseum for the first time in four years last Friday for the Angels game. I will say one thing, for the few fans that are there, the support is great. I swear almost every person in the stands has some sort of A’s shirt, jersey, jacket, or hat. I mean everyone has green. The few people that I did talk to had a good knowledge of the team as well. This is a huge contrast to the Braves here in ATL where you are lucky to see 5 Braves logos in an entire section. More on this later.

With that said, I had some sweet seats in section 121. Albeit expensive ones, but I can say I had no complaints. The problem with this is, when you start to head more down the baselines you get so dang far away from fair territory. It’s like you are so disconnected from the field it feels like you are watching it on tv. Couple that with the fact the outfield bleachers sit 20ft. off the playing field, there is really no sense of intimacy to the ballpark. You don’t quite get the same affect at the coliseum as in parks where you can see the players faces, here them chat, and the sounds are so much more defined. Also, the isles throughout the concourses are so dang narrow, it’s a pain in the ass trying to get out of the game, even when there are only 15k there. For true baseball fans these are all huge detractors.

I feel really bad that the team has so little attendance. I can totally understand it though. To go to more than a couple A’s night games a year you really have to be a die hard fan. The place isn’t exactly beaming with charm, or drawing the casual person in either. For instance I have met friends at college in Auburn, AL that say, “Dang, have you ever been out to that new Giants park in San Fran. We had some free time and stopped in to see a game while on vacation. It was so cool…” Places like Wrigley, Pac Bell, Fenway, and Yankee stadium not only have their own unique charm, but they are also tourist destinations. I’m curious of the percentages, but there are undoubtedly thousands of out of towners who make it a point to see these places while in the city.

When Cisco Stadium opens, if they can ever get the crazy environmental people to chill out over the pile of dirt on the site, I’m sure it will be drawing just like AT&T. I’m just hoping that the casual people in attendance won’t drown out the 10k or so die hards. I think thats kind of what happens in ATL.

a way to make 3-4 games a week. Why? Because I love baseball and the A’s. I sit in shit seats (actually I like the 9 dollar seats first row dead center), but I make the games and cheer on the home town 9.

The problem can’t be blamed on weak economy (attendance has sucked the last decade or so), the trading of players (see last point), or exorbitant parking fees. I’ve gone over this many times before. I grew up in So Cal going to hundreds of Angels games (1985 through my first year at berkeley in 1997). The Angels were second fiddle to the dodgers from their birth through 2002. Now it can be argued that the angels are the more popular team in so cal. What changed. Sure they won a World Championship, but the bottom line is Arte Moreno is a great owner.

First thing he did was lower beer prices. He now sells 2 for 1 season tickets to get the butts into the seats. It is actually “cool” to go to an Angels game; it is a destination. The difference is their owner (the once second class citizen) thinks outside of the box. The best our owner can do is try to rip off the rally monkey. That there friends is our problem. A COMPLETE LACK OF BUSINESS SENSE, MARKETING SENSE, ADVERTISING SENSE, ETC.

I’m tired of hearing the coliseum be put to shame, i’m tired of hearing that it’s due to the fact that we don’t keep our players, and I’m tired of all these lame ass excuses.

The bottom line is we don’t have owners with vision. It is that lack of vision that is killing us. If I had the all the answers I’d be a millionaire and I wouldn’t be wasting my time as a lawyer. However, the problem is clear – the answer my friends is blowing in the wind.

1. All seats 50% off on every game that isn’t a weekend.
2. All beer $5. All the time.
3. $2 hot dogs. All the time.
4. Free parking on weekdays.

That’s it. Fill the stadium by making less money. Fill it for three weeks straight, then inch things back when people have had a chance to get back into A’s baseball.

SRO.

and I’ve given up trying. I go to at least forty games every year. The A’s have played great baseball the last ten years (if you think they’re “boring” I’ve got no idea what you want from baseball). I have always loved the Coliseum, but I go to be at the game, not the ballpark. And if you think watching the game on TV is a superior experience… too bad for you.

From beginning to end: My bottom 10—there are many more:

1-ugly(ass) approaches over the stalag BART bridge or in the lots
2-cattle drive to the over-enthusiastic strip searches by Security
3-parking structure chic decor
4-dingy, crowded underworld routes to the seats
5-vastly over-priced, uninspired crap for concessions and merchandise
6-shallow, distant sitelines
7-ushers who refuse to keep promenaders out of the aisles except between batters->obstructed views
8-unintelligible scoreboard stats
9-no buzz from the scoreboard content (except the li’l ‘phant puppet - I love Lilpant)
10-a team built for people who are deeper in the baseball onion
Okay, a bonus one: 11 - team website that is poorly organized and where stuff is hard to find

Fix it, Unca Lew!

A note sent to Customer Service this AM:

I am writing to ask that you reconsider instructions to the ushers.

1-item - we are partial season ticket holders in 1xx. We come in A Gate from the north lot or down the ramp from the BART bridge. Twice on arrival for recent games, the usher at the top of the 125 aisle has tried to force us to walk around to 1xx in the dark, dank, dingy and over-crowded underworld. Note that this was at 6:30ish, when sweet-farkall nothing was happening on the field. Last evening, he accused me of “thinking I’m a guy the rules don’t apply-to.” He may be right, especially when/if it’s a senseless rule like that one. Neither the stairs nor the aisle was crowded, at all, at the time—and this was a pretty well-attended game.

2-item-we sat with friends on the homeplate-side aisle in 126 over the weekend. During the game, the top and bottom ushers (not the same guy as above) refused to limit the aisle promenaders to times when there was nothing going on in the game - like between batters or between innings. Consequently, my view was as often blocked as it was open. You would have to be at least five seats-in the row before that was not a problem. A direct, polite request that they try to limit traffic was met with this response: “but what if they want to go buy something?” Answer: they learn to do it between innings - as at the competition’s facility across the Bay.

The upshot is that the ushers attempt to control the aisle when there’s nothing going on (1, above), but not when the game is in progress (2). This seems backwards to me. At a time when attendance is down, I think this is a management matter that would help improve the “best possible fan/family experience” at the Coliseum.

Thanks for considering.

A lot of posters have alluded to this, but I think the lack of offense on this year’s team may be part of the drop, that and the huge vacant tarp thing over everyone’s head. The colsieum is still a good place to watch baseball, despite what sportswriters call the place. You can get good seats almost anytime and the access is great with BART at the front door. Part if it might be the makeup of the Oakland population also- younger, busier, less interested in the slow game of baseball.

I’ve given up trying to figure out why attendance is so poor. When I was living in San Jose, I could only make a handful of games a year (because of school, then work etc) even though my family had season tickets. Since moving back to Fremont in 2001 (which is where I was raised in the green and gold) I have attended at least 20 games a year. My father is a (senior citizen) season ticket holder, and I had been able to sit in lower level seats for well under $20.00 for many seasons. I wasn’t happy when the tickets went up to $25.00 each, but it’s not going to keep me from the ballpark. The people who give excuses as to why they don’t attend games (the prices, the parking cost, the bleachers, the food, the tarp, the players being traded, the team moving, the owner, the fees when buying tickets online, the security guards . . . . etc.) are going to find an excuse no matter what the situation. I feel fortunate that year after year I watch the A’s contend for the division and/or the wild card. There are plenty of places (i.e. across the BAY) that don’t have that luxury.

I would say that my wife and I averaged about 5 or 6 games a year (more if the A’s were in the playoffs). I haven’t been to a game yet this year, and other than maybe my birthday or if someone invites me, I probably won’t go to very many… or any. Here are my reasons:

- My two favorite players were traded… again. Haren and Swisher were fun to watch and fun to cheer on. Swish especially had a personality. Just listening to Suzuki or Buck do radio promos makes me cringe. Maybe some of the new guys will develop into stars (either on talent or personality or both), but until that happens I really don’t feel the draw to support them in person.

- $8 beer. I know this is typical and has been for a while, but, c’mon.. eight bucks for 16 oz of Miller Lite And if I drink in the parking lot before the game, I’m usually cashed-out by the 7th inning.
I can accept high ticket prices, but the cost of concessions is out of hand.

- The Richmond/Fremont BART line being down for most of the summer isn’t helping things. I don’t own a car, and $15 parking is insane. I know two people who have had their car windows smashed and items stolen from the truck during A’s games at the Coliseum.

- Clearly Lew and the A’s owners have given up on Oakland and the Coliseum and are focusing completely on Fremont and 2012. I’ve just following their lead.

- The odds for seeing something “amazing” happen has gotten slim. Heck, I feel like the odds of seeing a win are slim (I’m happy to be proven wrong thus far this season). Except when Harden is on the mound, and we all know that you can’t rely on Harden starting all season.
I know walk-off homers and complete game shutouts are rare, but there used to at least be a sense that “it could happen tonight” almost every night. Particularly with Hudson-Mulder-Zito,

- And, most importantly, an overall disgust of the business of baseball that I’m feeling. The whole Mitchell report – HGH – Clemens scandal has left a real sour taste in my mouth. MLB reports record profits and attendance and yet I feel that it is continually disregarding its fans. I feel Selig and scumbags like Clemens, Giambi, and the rest of the clearly guilty dopers are mostly responsible for this, and the A’s are just my local team so they are getting hurt by being part of what I am beginning to feel has been a pretty corrupt business. It is hard to give hundreds of dollars to a game (and business) I am conflicted about financially supporting while I can just as easily enjoy it on the radio or television for free.
So yeah, screw Selig, screw their record profits while clearly looking the other way while players doped, screw these vague apologies and rediculous denials, screw Wolfe and his real estate development business (which is what Cisco field is all about), screw these pointless television blackout rules, and screw $30 for a t-shirt. I can enjoy A’s baseball without all that by staying home and listening or watching a game with my friends for free.

In addition, I want to make clear that many of the reasons listed in this topic are NOT why I’m not attending games this season. The Coliseum and its sight-lines are fine with me. Ticket prices are pretty decent when compared to most other ballparks. And I’m not going clubbing after the game so I really am not concerned about taking the train to East Oakland. These factors have not changed since I moved to Oakland started going to games in 1996, and they aren’t a factor now.

Espcially Radio, must be boosted. The radio signals are so weak and their radio network is pretty bad.

I can’t find it, and when I go to my Profile, my several comments in that thread are gone, too.

Did somebody say something naughty?

They raised ticket prices and gutted the team in the same offseason. Mr. Wolff made it clear that he cared nothing about the fans who have been supporting the team for years. Right back atcha, pal.

My experience – the biggest complaint was the loss of Swisher and how, for some, it was ‘the last straw’

They A’s have always lost players but losing Swisher and Haren. Not to mention Kotsay and Scutaro. Was brutal last winter. I honestly thought this team might lose 100 games this year when I thought about who was going to be on it. Now to my happy surprise those players we got in return have turned out well but for many fans it is too little too late. The team has zero marquee names. The team is moving within the next 5 years. If I didn’t have a tatoo on my arm that said A’s I wouldn’t be going to games either.
As for me if the A’s really did lose 100 games this year I would still come to games. But I’m a die hard. The A’s just don’t have that many die hards.

It’s much simpler for me, though. I moved to Sacramento so I could buy a house before I die.