Why are the Orioles games not sold out right now?

[ScottieBaseball]

I live a short light rail ride from OPACY, and I've been to two home games and one away game this year with another away game already booked. I'm also looking into tickets for the Cal statue day; I was at Eddie's.

The reason I'm not shuffling in every single night is two fold. First, a $100/night habit (tickets plus gas plus train fare plus food) is unsustainable as someone making less than six figs. Even if I were making six figs it would be pretty unsustainable without sacrificing a lot of things that are important to me.

Second, I just don't have the energy to get home after midnight every weeknight only to get up for work less than six hours later. It would destroy my physical and mental health to regularly deprive myself of that much sleep. I work for a living, and it's not a very good living. I'm currently saving up a small fortune for maintenance that my car desperately needs, and I can't afford to eat into that savings for a ballgame, or I might find myself having to call a taxi to get to work, which is even more expensive.

I'd be there if circumstances were different and I could say money is no object. But I think a lot of area fans agree with my reasons for being unable to attend. It's expensive and time-consuming and takes away sleep. It's easy to criticize the lack of turnout when you exclude yourself from responsibility due to the distance you live from the park.

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I think this gets lost on the "If I lived closer I'd go to every game! What's wrong with YOU guys?!?!" crowd. I think if the tickets and food were free we'd all go to way more games. Oh, and while I'm at the O's game, who's going to take my kids back and forth to football/cheerleading?

It's so easy to question from afar, so how about this: You guys from New York, California, and all points outside of the Baltimore Metro area, how about you don't try to tell me how to be a fan, don't question my fanhood, and I'll do the same.

[Orioles0615]

I live a short light rail ride from OPACY, and I've been to two home games and one away game this year with another away game already booked. I'm also looking into tickets for the Cal statue day; I was at Eddie's.

The reason I'm not shuffling in every single night is two fold. First, a $100/night habit (tickets plus gas plus train fare plus food) is unsustainable as someone making less than six figs. Even if I were making six figs it would be pretty unsustainable without sacrificing a lot of things that are important to me.

Second, I just don't have the energy to get home after midnight every weeknight only to get up for work less than six hours later. It would destroy my physical and mental health to regularly deprive myself of that much sleep. I work for a living, and it's not a very good living. I'm currently saving up a small fortune for maintenance that my car desperately needs, and I can't afford to eat into that savings for a ballgame, or I might find myself having to call a taxi to get to work, which is even more expensive.

I'd be there if circumstances were different and I could say money is no object. But I think a lot of area fans agree with my reasons for being unable to attend. It's expensive and time-consuming and takes away sleep. It's easy to criticize the lack of turnout when you exclude yourself from responsibility due to the distance you live from the park.

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I feel ya, I live in northern Virginia so its tough to make it up to any other games besides weekend games. I have been to about 4 games this year and will hopefully make it to two more in September. I am sure the OP is more of a question towards causal fans and not the die hards at the OH

[LookitsPuck]

Absolutely. I'm in sales and have already booked a box for a home game in September. I couldn't give away tickets to an Os game the past five years and I've already got a full house for the box. So ole SG was spot on in the regard.

SG is just wrong. He said short term winning doesn't drive sales. Do me a favor and look at the Rays the year they had a winning season. Compare to previous year. Orioles attendance is up 3,700 a game.

[Dark Helmet]

I don't get it either. Those seats must be really expensive! :rolleyestf:

sfosfan

Well, even at 10 bucks a ticket, Id be looking at 40 bucks + parking at say 20 + 8 in tolls, plus gas..thats a 100 bucks a trip..Going more than once a month just isnt an option with a mortgage, 400+ bucks in utilities, gas to just get to work, trips to the dr (that are always unexpected with little ones), oh and a little thing called food :rolleyestf:. It's really unfair to call out fans, when no one knows the reason. Part of it may be Angelos, and another part is the Nats are one of the best teams in baseball, but don't rule out the economy for the most part. I can speak to that myself. Not everyone in the Baltimore area is a white collered worker. Most of us are blue.

[Mondo Trasho]

Anyone who is between the ages of 18 and 30 probably has only vague (if any) memories of the Orioles being a great team and a talk about town. An entire generation grew up with the Orioles being really bad. The last time they went to the playoffs I had just started 4th grade. It will take some time for this team to get traction with casual fans. The die hard types that post on here we all go as much as we can.

[ShannieDC]

Ok, from what I have read (elsewhere), Maryland is one of the richest states (median income) top 4 or so. Where are these people?

[Slappy]

Season tickets are a meaningful portion of attendance and are sold before the season.

Before this season we had been awful for 15 years, and there were plenty of pundits predicting a 100 loss season.

It just doesn't happen over night. Attendance is up around 20% and that's a reasonable jump. Plus the Nats have hurt the attendance base, there's no question.

[allquixotic]

Ok, from what I have read (elsewhere), Maryland is one of the richest states (median income) top 4 or so. Where are these people?

That doesn't mean everyone here is rich. It just means that we either have a lot of people who are wealthier to drive up the median, or we have fewer poor people and a thicker middle class. That is generally true when you consider that the suburbs are very stable and always bustling with business, since we have a stable, pseudo-planned economy largely driven by tax dollars being spent on federal and state programs in the area. The Delaware/Maryland/Virginia/DC area houses a great many Federal offices, both civilian and military.

These white class workers, many of whom work in the "public sector" (government contractors), spend their money where they live, in the suburbs, on things like food, HVAC repair, house maintenance, gardening, electronics, and other such services and retail. But if you look at all the people who support those businesses, all but the owners are poorly paid and their positions don't require a college degree, and the pay reflects that.

So that's how the Maryland economy works: national tax dollars get funneled here to staff and support national programs, then the people employed by the govt or a contractor (who often do make six figs) spend their money around the suburbs and sustain a great many people who would typically be out of work in other parts of the country where there's no federal presence and its accompanying stability. But when you're a blue collar worker and you have to put food on the table, you're just glad that you can and that you aren't on the street -- going and spending $50 - $100 on a baseball game is a low priority when you are living paycheck to paycheck.

I personally am lucky enough not to be in the blue collar workforce, but even as a white collar worker, I know people who deliver mail for a living who make more than I do. We may not have as many people living under the poverty line as other states, but that's not to say that we're the land of riches. I know fully well that my company is vastly underpaying me for my talent and I'm not getting anywhere close to what people in my profession get elsewhere. And I'm not alone -- everyone in my office feels the same way.

P.S. -- The minority of our population that is quite wealthy probably only comprises around 10,000 to 50,000 people total, depending on your criteria. Some of these don't care about sports; some live too far away for it to be worth it; some are up in the corporate boxes on the second deck drinking wine and watching the game on a HDTV; some are too old or too boring to consider it worthwhile. The O's have to be able to attract regular people as customers; people who aren't Program Managers and Vice Presidents at government contracting companies.

[oriole]

A couple random thoughts on the subject...

...First off, the Nats are a real killer. No surprise there! A guy I work with who lives in southern MD told me if he goes to a ball game, its always the Nats. He said its because they're doing well. When I reminded him that the O's where also doing well he replied, "Yeah...we'll see how long that lasts." Can I blame him. Nope.

Recently I caught my grandfather watching the Nationals game instead of the Orioles. He has been a diehard O's fan since...well, I don't remember. Far before I was born. He was more concerned about Davey Johnson than anything else and he proceeded to tell me about when he was the 2nd baseman for the O's back in the day. Then it hit me...what a stroke of genius to hire Davey. Old school Oriole player, last Oriole manager before the organization crapped the bed. What a great way to lure beat up O's fan than a shiny new team down the road with amazing young players, willingness to outspend the competition, and a familiar face to manage?

Then you've got kids. I have some cousins that will walk out of the room if an O's game is on. I'll ask them, you don't like baseball? Their reply is usually nothing more than the Orioles suck, why watch a team that always sucks? They don't know that the O's didn't always suck...and until they see it they won't believe it. If the O's keep it up maybe I can get them to come to a game with me. Until then when I tell people the Orioles are doing well, they'll keep grinning and nodding in a "first place loser" fashion. Kinda like the fat kid that is congratulated just for finishing the race.

[Mondo Trasho]

A couple random thoughts on the subject...

...First off, the Nats are a real killer. No surprise there! A guy I work with who lives in southern MD told me if he goes to a ball game, its always the Nats. He said its because they're doing well. When I reminded him that the O's where also doing well he replied, "Yeah...we'll see how long that lasts." Can I blame him. Nope.

Recently I caught my grandfather watching the Nationals game instead of the Orioles. He has been a diehard O's fan since...well, I don't remember. Far before I was born. He was more concerned about Davey Johnson than anything else and he proceeded to tell me about when he was the 2nd baseman for the O's back in the day. Then it hit me...what a stroke of genius to hire Davey. Old school Oriole player, last Oriole manager before the organization crapped the bed. What a great way to lure beat up O's fan than a shiny new team down the road with amazing young players, willingness to outspend the competition, and a familiar face to manage?

Then you've got kids. I have some cousins that will walk out of the room if an O's game is on. I'll ask them, you don't like baseball? Their reply is usually nothing more than the Orioles suck, why watch a team that always sucks? They don't know that the O's didn't always suck...and until they see it they won't believe it. If the O's keep it up maybe I can get them to come to a game with me. Until then when I tell people the Orioles are doing well, they'll keep grinning and nodding in a "first place loser" fashion. Kinda like the fat kid that is congratulated just for finishing the race.

Indeed I've noticed some of the same stuff (I live in No. Va). The first couple years after the Expos moved to DC some people would still be seen wearing O's gear. I once asked a guy about it and he said he supported both teams. Nowadays I hardly ever see anyone with an Orioles hat on or a t-shirt.

I don't know. I never understood it. I was 17 when the Expos moved and had grown up watching the O's and having the O's be "our team". Being a turncoat and switching to the Nationals just never felt right (especially due to how Montreal was treated by the whole affair). But you're right though, the Nationals have really eaten into some of the fan base, more than some are willing to recognize.

[weams]

A couple random thoughts on the subject...

...First off, the Nats are a real killer. No surprise there! A guy I work with who lives in southern MD told me if he goes to a ball game, its always the Nats. He said its because they're doing well. When I reminded him that the O's where also doing well he replied, "Yeah...we'll see how long that lasts." Can I blame him. Nope.

Recently I caught my grandfather watching the Nationals game instead of the Orioles. He has been a diehard O's fan since...well, I don't remember. Far before I was born. He was more concerned about Davey Johnson than anything else and he proceeded to tell me about when he was the 2nd baseman for the O's back in the day. Then it hit me...what a stroke of genius to hire Davey. Old school Oriole player, last Oriole manager before the organization crapped the bed. What a great way to lure beat up O's fan than a shiny new team down the road with amazing young players, willingness to outspend the competition, and a familiar face to manage?

Then you've got kids. I have some cousins that will walk out of the room if an O's game is on. I'll ask them, you don't like baseball? Their reply is usually nothing more than the Orioles suck, why watch a team that always sucks? They don't know that the O's didn't always suck...and until they see it they won't believe it. If the O's keep it up maybe I can get them to come to a game with me. Until then when I tell people the Orioles are doing well, they'll keep grinning and nodding in a "first place loser" fashion. Kinda like the fat kid that is congratulated just for finishing the race.

I hear about these types of experiences. But I don't see them. Plenty of folks who a year ago were wearing Phillies or Red Sox caps have dusted off their Orioles hats. Or bought new ones.

We will see how long the "love affair" with the D.C. team lasts. I suspect through an election cycle.

You do mention that the Orioles have done a poor job of selling the season packages that are so important to a good seasonal attendance. That will change with the face lift and the 2012 season, whatever the outcome.

I for one, do not welcome our Nationals Overloads. In fact, I reject them and will help lead the insurgence to over turn them.

[crowmst3k!]

Ok, from what I have read (elsewhere), Maryland is one of the richest states (median income) top 4 or so. Where are these people?

Outside the DC Beltway.

[TonySoprano]

The Sept. 6-9 Yankee series should draw enormous crowds. I'd be astounded if they drew less than 150,000 for those games. The home finale series with the Red Sox also should be big despite the Red Sox's collapse. The rest of September is weekday games with the Rays and Jays, and the race will decide whether people come out. One thing is certain - that Rays series will draw a lot more than the equivalent September 2011 Rays series (which drew under 40,000 over three days). That series could be crucial in the wild card race.

September 6 is a Thursday night, and a school night. However, it's Ripken night, the Yankees are in town, and Bundy could be making his debut. If that game isn't a sellout or close to it, I will be amazed. For the record, I bought tickets for that game months ago.

[The B&G]

September 6 is a Thursday night, and a school night. However, it's Ripken night, the Yankees are in town, and Bundy could be making his debut. If that game isn't a sellout or close to it, I will be amazed. For the record, I bought tickets for that game months ago.

I really hope a lot of O's fans make it out to that game, it'd be embarrassing to hear Yankee chants on Ripken night.

[weams]

September 6 is a Thursday night, and a school night. However, it's Ripken night, the Yankees are in town, and Bundy could be making his debut. If that game isn't a sellout or close to it, I will be amazed. For the record, I bought tickets for that game months ago.

I'll let you know where your place in line is