Cincinnati Reds struggle to fill seats; recent game hits new low - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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Attendance is down so far this and on April 28 the team had its lowest home-game attendance since opened in 2003. Just 9,878 payin g fans showed up that night. Despite the team’s strong start on the attendance for Reds home games throughn 11 home dates is down 6 percentt from the same number of dates ayear ago. That’s a steeper decline than the 4.4 percent drop in paid attendanc for all of through the endof April. The sluggisuh attendance comes in spite ofthe Reds’ 14-12 start througuh May 5 that had them tied for third place.
With promising youn g talent and a stronfgpitching staff, some expertxs even picked the team to be a dark horsed candidate in the National League Central Divisionm race. But fans haven’t jumpe d on the bandwagon, at least not yet. Observers say the economy is havinbgan impact. And fans might be skeptical afterthe team’as eight straight losing seasons. Even the loss of star sluggers Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn from last seasomn might cause some fans to waitand see. Whatever the case, the Reds have averaged 21,460 fans a game so far this ranking 24th out of the30 major-leaguew teams. That’s down from an average of 22,82t5 after 11 home dates a year ago.
And the team finished last yearranke 23rd. “The current environment has impacteddticket sales,” said Bill Reds vice president of corporate sales. “We’re selliny smaller ticket packages.” The weathere has had a big impact, too, he Heavy rain was in the forecastApril 28, although it clearesd before game time. “Bu t that didn’t cause people to be spontaneous and come down to see the saidJeff McDonald, public relations director at downtownj ticket broker . “It’s concerning,” McDonald said. “We’ve sold tickets at ridiculouslylow prices.
” Some fans who bought ticketss to 20 games last year have told his firm they are more hesitany this year. They point out that without the star powef of Griffeyand Dunn, they’re less likely to go to the And because of the roughn economy, McDonald’s company has been able to buy high-enx tickets from season ticket holders at affordablse prices, as those fans look to recoupp some costs, he said. The Reds have takeh steps to attract fans. They’ve offered a value menu for concessions. The team froze ticket prices from last year and slashed some seatswto $5. The Reds also added a new high-definition scoreboard.
But they’rre still struggling to keep theturnstiles spinning. Corporatre sales haven’t taken as big of a hit, becauser many of those are locked intomultiyead contracts, Reinberger said. And the team has addexd four major new dealathis year. Those are with , , lawn care firm and longtim sponsorStadium suites, too, are mostly on multiyea deals. Only one or two are vacant now, Reinbergef said. Companies are more aware of the return on investmenf for theirsponsorship dollars, he In the past, getting their brand out therwe was enough. And companies are takinvg more time to makebuyinfg decisions. Winning cures a lot of ills. That helpe d the , another small-market team in the Midwest.
They alreadyy have sold 2 million tickets this The Reds barely topped 2 million tickets all of last Much ofthe Brewers’ ticket selling success is a resul of the team makingg the playoffs last year for the first time sincs 1982, said Tyler Barnes, vice president of communications for the Brewers. “Winning is the absolut e No. 1 factor in paid attendance,” Barnes