Baseball crowds in the Baltimore-Washington area have dwindled considerably since just last season. The Orioles have already drawn their smallest crowd ever at Camden Yards ? 13,000 and change, and the Nationals failed to crack the 20,000 mark for the first time in their brief history in a 4-2 loss to the Reds on Monday.
I was debating a caller on the air this week about the Nationals? situation. He said that the smaller crowds at RFK Stadium were proof-positive that baseball won?t work in D.C. ? despite selling 2.7-million tickets last year. I said that many fans in the Washington area have stepped back from baseball since 2005 in frustration over Major League Baseball?s foot-dragging in naming an owner fortheir team. The caller responded by saying that no one buys a ticket to watch the owner.
That?s true. But they can also refuse to buy a ticket based upon the job they perceive the owner is doing.
The Birds are off to a pretty decent start. They?re not dominating anyone, but they?re not getting embarrassed either. Any objective observer would conclude that the atmosphere in the clubhouse has improved dramatically. Yet, based on what we?ve seen so far, the fans are more excited about the Ravens? draft prospects than a potential wild-card run by the Orioles.
The biggest name the Birds added in the off-season was Leo Mazzone, a pitching coach. The local seam-heads could grasp the importance of that move, but it meant little to the casual fan. Eight straight years of losing baseball can do that.
A significant reason for smaller attendance figures in both cities is marketing. Hey, do you really think those big crowds of the past happened spontaneously? The Orioles used to have a significant marketing budget, but warehouse insiders say it?s a fraction of what it used to be.
The Nationals, other than some printing costs, spent next to nothing in 2005, preferring to let the newness of the franchise do the job. They fired their marketing vice president and didn?t replace him. They did zero off-season promotions and now are paying the price. Even though it?s still April, this season may be a wash for the Nats, although their season-ticket base is large enough for them to still draw close to 2 million.
No one can ever accuse Peter Angelos of not wanting to win. He?s spent millions over the years with the intent of improving his team. Some moves have worked. Others have failed. But I think back to his 1993 purchase of the club and a story related to me by a former Orioles? employee who gave the new owner a warehouse tour. Pausing between departments, Mr. Angelos turned to his guide and said, “I?ve alwaysheard what a well-run organization this is, but I?ve never bought into that.”
Missteps like that accumulate, and, to borrow a phrase from President Bush, the team “misunderestimated” the fans? ability to connect the dots.
Hear Phil Wood every Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN Radio 1300/WJFK.
