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Rays Are Earning More Than Runs

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By JACOB SCHNEIDER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 17, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - The Tampa Bay Rays' recent success may have earned them wins on the baseball diamond, but the impact is being felt in the stands, at the bar and in the parking lot.

"It was a struggle all of them years, but now it's smooth sailing. Every game is a good game," Spider Robertson, a concessionaire, said as he hawked a tray of cotton candy on the first deck of Tropicana Field at a recent Rays game.

Robertson and fellow vendors say the rise in attendance and fan morale has meant more sales. On an average night, the vendors say they can sell four or so trays of cotton candy, beer or Cracker Jack. But on the best nights this year, they have sold as many as 10. They chalk it up to the wins.

"It's meant numbers going up, a lot of people in the stands, everyone's happy and excited," said Mark Ristor, who has been selling at the Trop since before the Rays started play in 1998. "It's a fun place to be."

Everyone with ties to the Trop is telling that same story, from the improvised parking lot attendants who fill their private lots at twice last year's price to the team itself, which has seen ticket and merchandise revenue go through the roof. The relative windfall is a testament to the financial value of a winning team, especially in an undeveloped baseball market such as Tampa without a dedicated fan base. But experts say the profit could prove short-lived if the team doesn't continue to perform. Bob and Bette Molitor have operated a small parking lot in an empty plot across First Avenue South from the Trop since 2001. Big market teams, such as the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, have always drawn a crowd. But they have been surprised by the buzz generated by some of the smaller series this year, and they have doubled their price for many games from $5 to $10.

Down the street at Ferg's Sports Bar and Grill, a watering hole where many fans stop before and after games, owner Mark Ferguson said he has seen a 30 percent to 40 percent increase in patronage on game days this year.

Through July 7, the Rays drew an average of 21,062 people per game, more than the Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, Florida Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates. At the same time last year, the team was averaging 15,538. Through the 2007 season, the average crowd was 17,149, barely edging out the Marlins for the second-lowest turnout in baseball.

In addition to the increased gate revenue, those extra bodies in the stadium have translated to a 20 percent increase in concession sales, according to Mark Fernandez, the team's senior vice president for sales.

The average rating of Rays game broadcasts has jumped by more than a point since last year, pushing the price of commercials to three times last year's rate.

But from the team's perspective, the most dramatic increase this year by far has been the spike in merchandise sales, fueled by a revamped logo and identity — dropping the "Devil" from the moniker — in addition to the wins.

Rays merchandise represented more than $10 million of the roughly $4 billion in Major League Baseball merchandise sold last year, the second-lowest take in baseball ahead of only the Toronto Blue Jays, according to Matt Powell, an analyst at SportsOneSource, a company that researches the sporting goods industry.

So far this year, the Rays' share has jumped to almost $30 million of the expected $4 billion in spending.

The team could reasonably expect a 50 percent bump from the new logo alone, Powell said. The rest is attributable to winning.

"It's kind of a perfect storm that this new competitive team coincides with the new logo," agreed Jon
Greenberg, executive editor of Team Marketing Report, which tracks trends in sports marketing.

The money earned in merchandise sales is combined with the revenue of all 30 teams and then divided equally among them. But even if that doesn't translate to a financial boon for the team, the bounce in sales demonstrates the Rays' increasing popularity.

"It's tying people to the team. It's keeping the logo in the public's eye. It's starting conversations in the grocery store," Powell said.

The Rays' Fernandez said fans have forged an emotional bond with the winning team.

"The difference between baseball and any other sport is that it's every night," Fernandez said.

The revenue bump has built in the past three months as the team ascended in the standings, Fernandez said. Revenue from the first four days of July — while the first-place Rays battled division rival Boston Red Sox at the Trop — equaled revenue from the previous 30 days.

That success easily could disappear if the team doesn't continue to win, experts said. The home stand beginning tonight could be a test of the fans' newfound loyalty — the Rays are coming off a seven-game losing streak.

"On the upside, you've got a whole lot of fans out there who are newcoming fans who don't have any Rays product at all," Powell said. "If they were to go on and win the World Series, it could be a big thing.

"If they don't perform well, then likely the fans will start to lose interest," he added.

Greenberg cited the example of the Florida Marlins, who twice built World Series-winning teams, then sapped the team's strength by trading key players. Five years after their last championship, the Marlins now rank last in the league in average attendance.

"For any team, there's going to be a core of passionate fans who stick with the team. But sports fans are fickle," said Andrew Zimbalist, a professor of sports economics at Smith College in Northampton, Mass. "Yes, it will carry forward, but it's very fragile."

But, as Greenberg noted, given the Rays' historical level of performance, any change is welcome.

"Regardless of what you say, there's nowhere to go but up," Greenberg said.

Reporter Nick Bergus contributed to this report. Reporter Jacob Schneider can be reached at (813) 259-7850 or jschneider@tampatrib.com.

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