Attendance

[DrungoHazewood]

Obviously the answer to that question is no, but violence is a possibility in any major city in the world, or frankly anywhere. Does that mean you don't do anything and be a shut in? I sure hope not.

This fear of a city stuff is kind of ridiculous. If you like baseball, go see a ballgame. If you're into the opera or a comedy show, go check that out. Take the kids, too; they'll be better for having had new experiences.

Again, not directed at you personally, (because I think I recall you saying that it wasn't you but some folks you know saying that), but those in general that are too afraid to go to a ballgame. Sorry, that was indelicate, but yeesh.

It certainly doesn't help that politicians and the media get a lot of benefits from convincing people that danger lurks behind every corner. We have a situation where the violent crime rate is near the lowest levels of my lifetime (I'm 45) and there seems to be a general feeling that places like Baltimore are slightly less safe than Lagos, Nigeria.

[FlipTheBird]

I think your underestimating how much fear is keeping people away. I know 6 people alone that didn't renew their season tickets because they don't want to take their kids downtown anymore. I know more and more people staying away from the harbor in general. I'm not saying it's the sole reason, but it has been an impact.

And I think you're overestimating. I know countless O's fans who haven't balked at all this season. Unless you try to wander into trouble, going to Camden Yards can be a very vanilla experience. Driving in puts you right next to the stadium. Taking the light rail in puts you right next to the stadium. Inside the stadium you're golden.

I honestly feel it's part $$$, part overall declining interest in the city. Baltimore stopped being a baseball-first city (or almost a baseball city at all) a long time ago. Stupid football.

[FlipTheBird]

For the record, here is a link to the attendance for each team in the MLB this season. Note that success rarely seems to guarantee instant attendance. The Indians and Marlins are both well below the Orioles in attendance.

Another interesting thing to note is that the large majority of the Top 10 are teams that have all long been the marquee major sports teams in their respective cities...

[atomic]

Order was not restored all because of the guard. Mosby pressing charges did .

Soon as the National Guard came in it stopped. If the police hadn't given the original people "space" to protest there would have not major riots. The looters knew that the national guard meant business.

[notfast]

And I think you're overestimating. I know countless O's fans who haven't balked at all this season. Unless you try to wander into trouble, going to Camden Yards can be a very vanilla experience. Driving in puts you right next to the stadium. Taking the light rail in puts you right next to the stadium. Inside the stadium you're golden.

I honestly feel it's part $$$, part overall declining interest in the city. Baltimore stopped being a baseball-first city (or almost a baseball city at all) a long time ago. Stupid football.

Not saying it's right or wrong...but walk around your suburban neighborhoods and talk to people about going to Baltimore. Places like Fallston, Bel Air, Hunt Valley, Westminster, Annapolis...You'd probably be surprised at the responses.

[SteveA]

I need a marketing expert to tell me why they don't do big promotions during the week.

I would Chris Davis bobblehead on a Tuesday. Fans always go on the weekends. Weekdays, they need incentive to get there.

Please tell me why they don't do the promotions for the mid-week games. It's always baffled me.

Yeah, I've noticed the Nationals do a bunch of midweek promos. Good ones.

[scottbbfm]

Yeah, I've noticed the Nationals do a bunch of midweek promos. Good ones.

Agree 100%. It's not all on the team's marketing but a lot of it is.

[Aristotelian]

There are multiple things affecting the attendance, but the minimization of the perception of Baltimore and the minimization of the actual status of Baltimore by a lot of us is fairly staggering. The perception is certainly worse than the reality, but the reality is quite bad too.

I grew up in the state. I have spent a lot of time in the city over 30 years. I have also traveled extensively to most of the major cities across this country. Based on my observations, Baltimore is in the top 5-7 cities for actual crime and closeness of that crime to the "tourist areas".

Yes, there are cops everywhere in the harbor and near the stadium. There is a good reason for that. There are really bad areas just a couple streets off the main drags. If the cops weren't everywhere, this would certainly spill over in the "good areas". I come and stay in the city a couple times per year including both play-off years. There are only a couple hotels we will stay in because of the proximity of the issues and I am very thankful that we have the money to afford them because they are very pricey.

I don't understand why anyone would use St. Louis or LA as an example of how Baltimore isn't that bad. Yeh, those cities are pretty awful. How does that make Baltimore good? It doesn't. Boston, NY, Atlanta, Dallas, Austin, Orlando, San Fran, San Diego, Seattle, even Philly are all much better overall than Baltimore. Only Detroit, Miami, and St. Louis come to mind as being as bad or worse. Chicago and LA aren't good, but I would say they are less dangerous overall.

I just don't understand the point of minimizing the issues. The city is not in good shape and the situation isn't getting better. The education situation alone is just embarrassing. We all love The Wire and yet some of us seem to forget the point of all those different seasons. It is worse now than it was then.

Why don't we call the problems what they are while saying we love the city and want it to be better? Ignoring it isn't going to work and frankly it is what the city "leadership" is hoping will happen IMHO.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I fully agree with everything you have said about Baltimore...I just don't see the connection to baseball tickets this year. We are down 2,500 per game from last year and 4,000 per game from 2014, even though we are in first place. Baltimore is messed up, but has it gotten 13% worse in two years?

As bad as you say Baltimore is, and I agree, it hasn't affected my experience of Camden Yards. It's always been an oasis in the middle of a poor city. There is nothing drastically different this year aside from one night where a lot of people were understandably and predictably upset in response to a specific incident.

[ShaneDawg85]

The raise in ticket prices has to have played a large part in the problem. But it's not just that prices went up, it's that casually selecting games to go to is confusing because of the different prices for different games. When it was just prime games for the Yankees and Red Sox, that was one thing, it made sense for those tickets to be more expensive. But, having three of four different level of prices to pay, depending on the opponent, day of the week, and or giveaway is overkill.

[Redskins Rick]

So people in Toronto, St. Louis, SF etc don't have big screens and cable? They still pull in fans.

Toronto is 2.6 million, compared to 650K people. Compare apples to oranges.

Midwest teams, don't have attendance problems, for whatever reason.

There was a Dodger fan killed at Giant stadium a few years ago.

How many Oriole fans or visitor fans have been killed at OPACY.

There has been fans killed at Dodger stadium too.

Are those claiming they are too scared to come to Baltimore for ballgames, still coming to other events in Baltimore?

[BradyBunch]

They got a lot closer than Lexington Market.

How about right outside the stadium?

I have no fear of going to the game as well but the rioting was going on right outside and it wasn't peaceful.

Learn to read.. I said (outside of Pickles and Sliders which involved drunk baseball fans).

What happened outside of Pickles and Sliders was on April 25th .

We all know what happened outside of Pickles and Sliders. But that wasn't a riot, that was two groups, one drunk, one angry, getting into it. It wasn't a big deal. It was a poorly handled situation by BPD and Bar security.

[BradyBunch]

I agree with you, but it is the perception. Let's face it, the media is highlighting every arrest made in america! I mean the officers did everything they could yesterday with that sad incident and some news outlets still tried to blame the police. As someone who goes to the games, I am feel very safe and the police do a great job.

Yes, perception played up by Media and believed hook line and sinker by anybody who wants to live in fear.

[BradyBunch]

Baltimore is a dangerous city. It is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. They played a game with no fans and then played 3 home games out of town. Lets not try to minimize the situation.

Not saying Baltimore isn't dangerous, just saying it's not like cities in Mexico. It's American norm type of dangerous in cities. Yes, they did. They played 3 games out of town because of curfew set by the Mayor and the Governor which was over blown on their part. 2015 "Riots" were small potatoes to the 1968 riots.

[OriolesMagic83]

Learn to read.. I said (outside of Pickles and Sliders which involved drunk baseball fans).

What happened outside of Pickles and Sliders was on April 25th .

We all know what happened outside of Pickles and Sliders. But that wasn't a riot, that was two groups, one drunk, one angry, getting into it. It wasn't a big deal. It was a poorly handled situation by BPD and Bar security.

I know when I go to a "peaceful" protest, I always bring a bag of bricks. Just in case.

[BradyBunch]

Multiple People have been recently murdered in Fells Point. Heck a woman was just murdered in Roland Park. There was looting in Fells Point.

So? People get murdered all the time.. surprised it doesn't happen more often considering the neighborhoods around it, but I see Fells Point as Broadway south of E. Baltimore down to the Harbor (or where the cross walks are bricked). There wasn't looting in Fells Point, it happened just outside of it.