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Indians Already Reaping Benefits Of Strong '16 Season With Ticket Sales For '17 On The Rise

The Indians clinched the AL Central division on Monday, and their impending playoff appearance "already is making an impact" on the club's '17 gate numbers, according to Kevin Kleps of CRAIN'S CLEVELAND BUSINESS. Indians Senior Dir of Ticket Sales & Service Tim Salcer said that the club "sold the equivalent of 700 full season tickets since Aug. 1." The Indians have "long thought that pumping up their season-ticket base was one of the most critical steps they could take to improve their attendance, which has ranked in the bottom three" of MLB each year since '11 and "hasn't been among the top 20 clubs" since '02. This season, even as the club has been "among baseball's best from June on, the Indians' attendance norm heading into the final weekend series was 19,442." The average marked a 9.2% jump from '15, an "improvement that was the third-largest in MLB, but still ranked above" only the A's and Rays. The Indians started '16 "with about 8,700" full season equivalents. The club's season-ticket holders have "renewed their seats at a 95% rate, and the Tribe is already approaching 9,000 FSEs" for '17. Ohio Univ. Exec Dir of the Center for Sports Administration Jim Kahler said that teams that renew their season-ticket holders at a 90%-or-higher rate are "in the best position to grow their base." He said, "If you lose more than 15% of your season-ticket base, the demand just isn't going to be there (for it to increase)" (CRAIN'S CLEVELAND BUSINESS, 9/26 issue).

OCTOBER SKY: In Cleveland, Joe Noga noted tickets for the Indians' ALDS home games 1 and 2 yesterday sold out "about 45 minutes after going on sale to the public," but tickets "for a potential home game 3 are still available." Additionally, a "limited number of suite rentals are available for all potential ALDS games at Progressive Field" (CLEVELAND.com, 9/27). 

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