Diffusing Red Sox Fans/Cheers at OPACY

[Domenic]

Agreed, Trust me I want nothing more than a good football team to pull for....what does this say about the orioles being competetive, that we are on an O's boards talking about the skins?!?!?!? Anywas, I think O's/Skins fans are lucky to have Trembley and Zorn - I see a lot of similarities!! First time to be excited about something in a while!!!!

A little poll - What will attendance be like in BMore when the skins are in town?

50-50

60-40 Ravens

60-40skins???

I'm a huge fan of both Trembly and Zorn. That said, I've had undying loyalty to Coach Gibbs since I was a kid, and that will never change. As for the game in Baltimore this season, it'll probably be similar to when the Ravens come to FedEx. In my experience, it's generally been about 70-30 Skins fans, so I would assume that it'll be the same in favor of the Ravens this season. Both teams sell out every game each season, so the only way that Skins fans will be able to get tickets is through ebay, stub hub, etc. Or if they know someone that's willing to sell or give their tickets away...I'm hoping for the latter of those options!

[frankpembleton]

So how do the transient citizens of DC get on the 25 year long waiting list?!?!?! I've been to every skins game in the last my whole life, and I haven't noticed other teams fans at the games - I have seen 40 year old skins fans talking crap to 12 girls of opposing temas however

The waiting list is a joke. If you want to go to the games, you can go to the games. It's not hard to get tickets, ever.

I really don't know what to say about your last comment.

[Domenic]

Totally false. I've gone into the Redskins garbage stadium for two Ravens games, as a Raven fan, and did as I pleased. And I've been to a Cowboys game at the Redskins garbage stadium and it's almost like a Red Sox game at OPACY.

Just not true.

Sorry, I've never been to a game at FedEx Field where Skins fans have been outnumbered by opposing fans. Some games have more opposing fans than others no doubt, but never more than Skins fans.

[emmett16]

Totally false. I've gone into the Redskins garbage stadium for two Ravens games, as a Raven fan, and did as I pleased. And I've been to a Cowboys game at the Redskins garbage stadium and it's almost like a Red Sox game at OPACY.

Just not true.

Honestly, I think that Skins fans have a soft spot for the Ravens - because the large majority of Redskins fans are O's fan and we have had that tie to Baltimore for a long time. You will still hear O screamed during the national anthem at skins games(though it began to die out a bit the last couple years)

[nadecir]

Let's face facts. The Orioles fan base is just nearly not what it used to be.

The Orioles have declined in attendance over 41% since 1997. Over those ten years, average Ameican League attendance has gone up about 13%. Without the 400,000 or so Yankees and Red Sox fans coming to Camden Yards every season, Orioles' home attendance would be around the Pirates level as one of the bottom three or four in the league.

The Orioles television ratings are terrible. The Orioles currently have the third worst average household numbers watching their games in the entire major leagues. The Pittsburgh Pirates have more households on average watching their games. The Nationals, however, are by FAR the team with the worst television ratings. The Yankees have about eight times the average number of households watching their games then the Orioles and Nationals combined.

Mismanagement of the Orioles, and the subsequent lost of fans, has cost this franchise well over 100 million dollars in revenue. A team hovering around .500 is not going to bring Orioles fans back in the numbers anything like the mid to late 90's. Let's just hope the young fans who never really adopted the Orioles can somehow start getting excited about the Orioles sometime in the near future. It's going to take a while for the Orioles to build their fan base up again.

[Domenic]

The waiting list is a joke. If you want to go to the games, you can go to the games. It's not hard to get tickets, ever.

I really don't know what to say about your last comment.

The waiting list is long, but there are some "joke aspects" to it. Sometimes I wonder if it's not really luck of the draw in terms of when or if you get tickets. I was on the waiting list from 1999 until 2004. But I also hear about people that are still on the list and have been so for 20 years. Anyone can get tickets, but the only seats that are available year in and year out are premium seats, and most of us common folk don't want to pay for those. My tickets are only $30 per game...

[Domenic]

Honestly, I think that Skins fans have a soft spot for the Ravens - because the large majority of Redskins fans are O's fan and we have had that tie to Baltimore for a long time. You will still hear O screamed during the national anthem at skins games(though it began to die out a bit the last couple years)

I agree with that. Everyone in my section is an Oriole fan, and yells O! Plus the stadium is in Maryland. These are two separate cities, but we're all part of the same area.

[frankpembleton]

The Orioles television ratings are terrible. The Orioles currently have the third worst average household numbers watching their games in the entire major leagues. The Pittsburgh Pirates have more households on average watching their games. The Nationals, however, are by FAR the team with the worst television ratings. The Yankees have about eight times the average number of households watching their games then the Orioles and Nationals combined.

.

I generally agree with your post, except for the above. When you look at ratings share (which takes into account market size), the Orioles do much better on television. So while the actual number of households is third worst, it doesn't necesarily mean that ratings are terrible.

The Baltimore metro area is pretty small - around 2.6 million people.

[PaulBako]

My Aunt from Boston started a tradition where she comes down once a year to see a Red Sox/Orioles game. I have only been to the game 3 times, and I am amazed every time I see the crowd of all Red Sox fans. It makes me die a little inside. My record is 1 and 2. My first game was a loss with my aunt. And the second game, my aunt couldn't come. That was the game when Kevin Millar hit the walk-off home run against his former team. That was a great moment. I love seeing those snooty red sox fans cry! Then earlier this year we lost to them we got crushed!

[Domenic]

Let's face facts. The Orioles fan base is just nearly not what it used to be.

The Orioles have declined in attendance over 41% since 1997. Over those ten years, average Ameican League attendance has gone up about 13%. Without the 400,000 or so Yankees and Red Sox fans coming to Camden Yards every season, Orioles' home attendance would be around the Pirates level as one of the bottom three or four in the league.

The Orioles television ratings are terrible. The Orioles currently have the third worst average household numbers watching their games in the entire major leagues. The Pittsburgh Pirates have more households on average watching their games. The Nationals, however, are by FAR the team with the worst television ratings. The Yankees have about eight times the average number of households watching their games then the Orioles and Nationals combined.

Mismanagement of the Orioles, and the subsequent lost of fans, has cost this franchise well over 100 million dollars in revenue. A team hovering around .500 is not going to bring Orioles fans back in the numbers anything like the mid to late 90's. Let's just hope the young fans who never really adopted the Orioles can somehow start getting excited about the Orioles sometime in the near future. It's going to take a while for the Orioles to build their fan base up again.

If this year is any indication, that will happen. We were supposed to loose 100 games this year. While I assume we won't go to the playoffs, we won't loose anywhere near 100 games either. So in my opinion this season is somewhat of a success. If they can keep building and get better each year, people will come back, or join us for the first time.

[Domenic]

My Aunt from Boston started a tradition where she comes down once a year to see a Red Sox/Orioles game. I have only been to the game 3 times, and I am amazed every time I see the crowd of all Red Sox fans. It makes me die a little inside. My record is 1 and 2. My first game was a loss with my aunt. And the second game, my aunt couldn't come. That was the game when Kevin Millar hit the walk-off home run against his former team. That was a great moment. I love seeing those snooty red sox fans cry! Then earlier this year we lost to them we got crushed!

I was at that game too last season. It rocked! That one really turned me off towards the Red Sox and their fans. I wasn't thrilled with them to begin with, but this took the cake. There was a row of Boston fans behind me, and my row was full of O's fans. During the third inning, they played a tribute video for Cal. These arrogant pieces of work had the nerve to complain that if they're going to honor a #8, it should be Yaz. A couple of them actually booed and started to yell "We Want Yaz!" If the situation had been reversed and I had been at Fenway during a tribute to Yaz, I would have applauded also because the guy was a great player. Classless...just classless. I took a lot of pleasure in telling those guys to fcuk off on my way out of the stadium that day.

[nadecir]

I generally agree with your post, except for the above. When you look at ratings share (which takes into account market size), the Orioles do much better on television. So while the actual number of households is third worst, it doesn't necesarily mean that ratings are terrible.

The Baltimore metro area is pretty small - around 2.6 million people.

The reach of MASN is much larger than just the metro Baltimore area. I am sure if you looked at the ratings number for the entire MASN viewing area the ratings number would be lower than the Baltimore metro area. Ratings, as indicated by a percent of televisions watching in just the Baltimore metro area, doesn't really mean too much, in my opinion.

Given the reach of MASN, the average number of households watching the Orioles (and the Nationals) is near the bottom as compared to the rest of the teams in the majors.

[frankpembleton]

The reach of MASN is much larger than just the metro Baltimore area. I am sure if you looked at the ratings number for the entire MASN viewing area the ratings number would be lower than the Baltimore metro area. Ratings, as indicated by a percent of televisions watching in just the Baltimore metro area, doesn't really mean too much, in my opinion.

Given the reach of MASN, the average number of households watching the Orioles (and the Nationals) is near the bottom as compared to the rest of the teams in the majors.

Yes, but that figure is the number of households watching in the Baltimore area. It doesn't include the full reach of MASN.

[bluedog]

I live in NY, and even the sports guy on the local news here made some comment about the Red Sox seemigly having a home game in Baltimore.

As someone whose second home as a kid was Memorial Stadium, it just makes me ill, but I don't know what to do short of moving back home and cloning myself.

Fight the good fight people.

I think that when the O's 50 millionth fan is a Red Sox fan from Boston who does all the interviews and stuff in Red Sox cap and t-shirt turning the whole thing into a pr nightmare for the O's, that we'll have reached rock bottom on this.

I sure hope that the O's faithful turn out en-force today to keep this from happening.

[Domenic]

I think that when the O's 50 millionth fan is a Red Sox fan from Boston who does all the interviews and stuff in Red Sox cap and t-shirt turning the whole thing into a pr nightmare for the O's, that we'll have reached rock bottom on this.

I sure hope that the O's faithful turn out en-force today to keep this from happening.

Not possible. No matter how good the computer system is, they can't be scientific enough to decipher who the true 50 millionth fan is. If you read the promotion, it says something to the effect that they'll know when and which gate he comes through, and at that time Orioles officials will DESIGNATE the 50 millionth fan. So that means they're going to choose someone effectively at random. Therefore if you're wearing red and blue tonight, you should know that effectively you have no chance at winning. In the thread regarding this, someone pointed out that the O's didn't designate this as an official contest, but instead as a promotion. If it was a contest then they'd have to go to any and all possible lengths to ensure that it was done fairly, and a Boston fan could effectively sue the O's if he felt that he was the rightful winner and the thing was fixed (especially with the amount of money involved). But since it's a "promotion," they can effectively choose anyone they want to "represent" the 50 millionth fan. Same with the 100 millionth fan, which I hope is me since I'll be at Saturday's game!