Seattle's Best: Mariners Hope To See Increased Attendance
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Mariners Hope Promotions Like Putz'
Soul Patch Offering Will Boost Attendance |
The Mariners this season are trying to "rekindle interest in a team that has struggled to lure fans to the ballpark in recent seasons," according to Greg Lamm of the PUGET SOUND BUSINESS JOURNAL. Home attendance in '07 was down by "about 900,000 compared with the record-setting 2002 season, which drew 3.5 million people" to Safeco Field. Season-ticket sales plummeted during the same period -- after a club record 23,608 full-season equivalent sales in '02, the club saw a 41% decline last season, selling just 13,838 full-season equivalents. The Mariners hope to draw more fans "from a variety of sources." The team "hopes to build on last year's series of 'microevents' that offered ticket discounts for niche groups." Also, the Mariners want to attract more fans from around Portland. A new initiative "is to place billboards and other advertising in the Portland area." The team is hoping TV exposure "earlier during spring training might translate in more ticket sales." Lamm notes the Mariners will run several game-day promotions to increase attendance. Fans can expect a "new series of bobblehead dolls, free T-shirts and other giveaways, along with a series of discount nights for families and military personnel." One event that "symbolizes a key piece of the Mariners' strategy" is a giveaway before the team's April 12 game against the Angels in which 20,000 fans will receive strips of synthetic facial hair that "will simulate the 'soul patch' on the chin" of P J.J. Putz (PUGET SOUND BUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/22 issue).
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