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Fans Need To Back Rays

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 21, 2008

There's never a good time to raise ticket prices, especially now, with the economy spiraling south. But you have to give a hand to the Tampa Bay Rays for maintaining their ultra-fan friendly approach even when increasing ticket prices for 2009.

Unlike the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have raised ticket prices six years in a row, in some cases 30 percent alone for the current season, the Rays are only boosting costs a tad. Overall, about 70 percent of single-game tickets will require fans to ante up just $1 more, still making the Rays one of the best bargains in the Tampa Bay region and in all of Major League Baseball.

In announcing ticket charges earlier this week, the team also offered a goody to entice more people to buy season tickets so the team can improve its financial standing, fan base and long-term feasibility: discounts of up to 35 percent. This means season-ticket holders can attend the entire 81-game home schedule for the price of just 53. That's a heck of a deal.

The Rays also are smart to keep a couple of fan-attractors unique to Major League Baseball. Four or more people who carpool still will get to park free in lots operated by the team, and fans can bring with them certain food and beverages. Both will help keep games more affordable for families and encourage more people to come to games.

This could be a make-or-break year for the Rays, whose recently completed worst-to-World Series season was one of the greatest stories in the history of professional sports. The team, which gave Philadelphia a good fight in the World Series, won the American League championship, so paying a little more to attend games next season doesn't leave a sour taste at all. If the team had remained in the cellar, it would be a different story.

The big question, though, is whether attendance will continue to be an issue, as it was most of last season and has been for the majority of the team's history. Fans should know by now that strong attendance - even for non-marquee games against teams that aren't from Boston or New York - and a bigger season-ticket base are vital to keep the team either in St. Petersburg or elsewhere in the Tampa Bay area.

The team drew about 1.8 million people last season or about 22,370 a game, ranking 26th in the big leagues.

"We need to get into the 2s," principal owner Stuart Sternberg recently told Sports Illustrated.

It's not our place to say where you should spend your money, especially during these bad times. But Rays fans need to understand that the team's future here won't be a sure thing unless attendance, the number of season-ticket holders and corporate sponsorships pick up significantly.

Surely, more fans can step up to the plate to help this exciting young team, especially considering that ticket prices, in some cases, are the same as going to the movies. Even after a great movie, the audience doesn't stand and scream.

At the ballpark, the new Rays are giving fans plenty to cheer about from the first pitch.

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