Increasing attendance? (White Sox Live Start--What else can be done?)

[eauhomme]

Let me see... I've taken a 41-121 team to 49-33 at the mid-way point, cut the admission price by almost $7.00, and improved fan interest from 37 to 51. For that, my attendance is up a whopping 3.1%.

Any ideas?

Brian,

I have reviewed the goals I have set out for you. My comments are below.

Team Record:
Seems like the team is well on its way to another playoff appearance. Once you're there, anything can happen.

Improve team stats:
While pleased that we've improved to 7th in On-Base PCT, I was hoping to end the season at least top-6. Do you think that's still possible?

Acquire a player:
I'm pleased with people who do what I ask of them. You brought in Brent Rooker, a Top Player, who should be a great addition.

Increase Attendance:
I'm not asking for sold out crowds every game, but we need to see more fans than we have been. I know we're up slightly from 2024, but we still have a way to go to reach the target I set for you.

Improve Team Chemistry:
The team chemistry is off the charts. Great work!

Improve your fan interest:
I think you'd better reconsider your approach to increasing fan interest. It's not working.


During our time working together, I have been very happy with your progress towards the goals I have set out for you. I feel similarly about your handling of the team's on-field and front office management.

The final evaluation towards these goals will come at the end of the season. Good luck in the second half!

Jerry Reinsdorf

[jksander]

Yeah, 51 fan interest isn't gonna get you much improvement ... what's your fan loyalty rating? My bet is that's way in the toilet, so it's taking your fans longer to figure out you're actually going to stay good (or they don't trust that it's not a rug to be pulled out from under them).

[niu354]

Jerry out.

[eauhomme]

Originally Posted by jksander

Yeah, 51 fan interest isn't gonna get you much improvement ... what's your fan loyalty rating? My bet is that's way in the toilet, so it's taking your fans longer to figure out you're actually going to stay good (or they don't trust that it's not a rug to be pulled out from under them).

Below average, of course. Not much you can do with a 41-121 team. I'm curious what will happen with the team long-term. Will it be like the Rays, who can't even sell out a playoff game? Or will the fans come around after making it to the playoffs all of a sudden?

[jksander]

Originally Posted by eauhomme

Below average, of course. Not much you can do with a 41-121 team. I'm curious what will happen with the team long-term. Will it be like the Rays, who can't even sell out a playoff game? Or will the fans come around after making it to the playoffs all of a sudden?

Steady continued success will help but would have to be sustained success in my experience.

[Pelican]

This is an example of this aspect of the game not being flexible enough to mirror IRL events. You can bet, if the Pale Hose would go 49-33 to start next year (they won't), the excitement in Chicago would be intense, and they would be selling out home games. It's true, in a bell curve sense, that fan interest lags, and takes time to build, as jksander correctly points out. But a suddenly competitive, potential worst-to-first, team is an exception. Season tickets obviously won't change in the first year, but the walk-up admissions would skyrocket. The game ought to reflect that here.

[jksander]

Originally Posted by Pelican

This is an example of this aspect of the game not being flexible enough to mirror IRL events. You can bet, if the Pale Hose would go 49-33 to start next year (they won't), the excitement in Chicago would be intense, and they would be selling out home games. It's true, in a bell curve sense, that fan interest lags, and takes time to build, as jksander correctly points out. But a suddenly competitive, potential worst-to-first, team is an exception. Season tickets obviously won't change in the first year, but the walk-up admissions would skyrocket. The game ought to reflect that here.

I totally agree ... was only replying to OP relating to how OOTP works

[Bobfather]

There are no tools available. It should be for team interest, player events, card shows, sponsorships, etc. For Attendance special discount events. I'm sure others can come up with ideas. But the worst part of owner goals is that we aren't given any tools to improve most of them. I turn them off.

[jksander]

Originally Posted by Bobfather

There are no tools available. It should be for team interest, player events, card shows, sponsorships, etc. For Attendance special discount events. I'm sure others can come up with ideas. But the worst part of owner goals is that we aren't given any tools to improve most of them. I turn them off.

I'd like to see this with player emails ... guy emails you daily that he's pissed you're not using him right ("I am not a scrub!") when you're batting him seventh instead of fourth to maximize having multiple power players and both players are hitting well ... I should be able to send him a response instead of just deleting his email and cursing at my wall lol

[Ty Cobb]

Disco…demolition…night…🤣

[Pelican]

Originally Posted by jksander

I totally agree ... was only replying to OP relating to how OOTP works

Of course, as Commissioner, I have the option of "correcting" for such oversights - so long as (by house rule) it's not my team. So in that scenario I would nudge up fan enthusiasm and not feel the least bit guilty about it.

[Bunktown Ballers]

Originally Posted by jksander

Yeah, 51 fan interest isn't gonna get you much improvement ... what's your fan loyalty rating? My bet is that's way in the toilet, so it's taking your fans longer to figure out you're actually going to stay good (or they don't trust that it's not a rug to be pulled out from under them).

He just has to run his course with the rebuild, but as long as the ownership remains in place it's going to take more than a half season of winning. In real life my White Sox team is run by a penny-pinching group of millionaires/billionaires. 1st thing they have to do is get a coaching staff that can properly develop players

[Bunktown Ballers]

Originally Posted by Pelican

This is an example of this aspect of the game not being flexible enough to mirror IRL events. You can bet, if the Pale Hose would go 49-33 to start next year (they won't), the excitement in Chicago would be intense, and they would be selling out home games. It's true, in a bell curve sense, that fan interest lags, and takes time to build, as jksander correctly points out. But a suddenly competitive, potential worst-to-first, team is an exception. Season tickets obviously won't change in the first year, but the walk-up admissions would skyrocket. The game ought to reflect that here.

One thing I do like about the White Sox MLB team is their young pitching staff, especially Crochet. Been a hardcore Sox fan since 1972 & this is the worst time in my fandom.

[Bunktown Ballers]

Originally Posted by jksander

i'd like to see this with player emails ... Guy emails you daily that he's pissed you're not using him right ("i am not a scrub!") when you're batting him seventh instead of fourth to maximize having multiple power players and both players are hitting well ... I should be able to send him a response instead of just deleting his email and cursing at my wall lol

this

[eauhomme]

Originally Posted by Bunktown Ballers

One thing I do like about the White Sox MLB team is their young pitching staff, especially Crochet. Been a hardcore Sox fan since 1972 & this is the worst time in my fandom.

As a Whiteyball disciple, this is largely how I've done it.

I traded away Robert for starting pitching (Robert and prospects for Michael King and Dylan Cease, with King leading the league in wins and second in ERA), kept Crochet, traded prospects to the A's for Brent Rooker, and then in general signed or traded for speed and defense guys. Lots of platooning and defensive replacements. Catchers the best framers in the league, with good arms as well.

I presently have a league-leading defensive efficiency and range, resulting in league-leading ERA despite being 8th in FIP. I also have double the stolen bases of the second-place team. My payroll is slightly higher than it was on the 41-121 team, and my farm is still in decent shape.

[NoOne]

Think most covered it ... simply win and over time it'll rise.

One related tip... Always charge a veritable #2-ton for season tickets -- a price you know you'll never reach during the season. It won't impact attendance. you'll still reach teh same numbers as your fan interest/loyalty/record dictate, but you can significantly improve your average ticket price for any winning team. you still get fullhouses and you slowly increase prices over the year and maintain those full capacity sellouts or 97% etc.

I have no idea if 95% is more profitable than 99% but that's splitting hairs at that point.

I always set my season ticket prices higher than any price i've been able to set for a playoff or WS ticket price. If you win a couple in a row or more, you can go higher than the first WS.

you can always test out ticket price. set it, play game, but don't enter it. The initial screen is not in-game but shows attendance numbers on bottom left or right or screen unless UI changed... quit game before it even starts. adjust and repeat to figure out highest price for best attendance -- there's some variation in exact attendance numbers but you can quickly recognize the tiered results.

you can learn this slowly over time too or learn it much faster with this method. it's something you can learn without the 'hack'. the point at which you can increase prices during the season and still get full attendance doesn't require the hack either, but you will be 1 game delayed. All of a sudden that ticket value will cause a slightly different result - must be able to recognize the tiered values of attendance. All of a sudden you may drop a tier and that usually means you can charge a bit more (assuming you keep winning at same or higher percentage)

In the playoffs you know each step you can charge a little more.. Consecutive years of playoffs can rise even further than what you were able to charge the first year.

these seem like small things, but you can increase your gate revenue for the year significantly if you learn and react to maximize ticket price throughout season and playoffs.

Would you like to afford another superstar or maybe 2-3 everyday ML-quality players on your roster? I bet that's the minimum boost to revenue with consistently high-end teams. Not so important during lean years if you have a small market size. Large markets should never have lean years.

I never bother to try to calcualte 'optimal' .. gonna need some calculus because there's 2 independent variables at play. I've always priced it based on resulting percentage of total atendance. It's been so long i don't recall my rough trial and error maximized value.. 15-25%?

If you charge doubel and you only get 10% from season tickets, that's still a 20% increase in average ticket price. You'll make extra money even while you test out what values maximize the effect. When you have a stretch of years with consistent success, you'll learn quickly through trial and error.

Oh, i don't share gate revenue.. may need to adjust the revenue benefit estimate a bit if you do.. slightly lower. I'd still wager money you could add 1 more superstar salary by doing this, all other factors the same.