Courageous Orioles Get It Right, Cowardly Pirates Don’t

The Baltimore Orioles claim their raise in ticket prices this offseason are the first since 2006.  The season ticket holder from section 386, or is it 86, claims differently.  

The Orioles will also have higher game prices for the higher demand games such as Opening Day against Jim Leyland’s Tigers, the Yankees and the Red Sox. The O’s also will charge more to those who buy tickets at the walk-up window.

The Orioles season ticket prices did not go up for 2011.  The O’s increase in 2006 did not affect all of the tickets sold.  The price increase by the O’s this year is reported to be the first, full seat hike for advance tickets since after the 2003 season. The increase after 2006 affected some but not all of the tickets sold.

Ok, ok, that’s a whole lot of information about a team you don’t give a shit about.  Here is the point of interest.   The Orioles raised prices this season after they lost 96 games in 2010.  It was their 13th consecutive losing season.  The Orioles had their lowest attendance EVER at Camden Yards in 2010.

This offseason they signed some very familar names in free agency.

Of course there will be negativity around the decision to raise prices.  Some will put together some stupid correlation between the product on the field and the price of the product.  Ha. Ha.  Yeh, those Orioles are so stupid.  Same old shit, right?

Not quite.

You’re pissed off the Bucs didn’t get J.J. Hardy I bet.  Who got him?

You might be pissed about Derrek Lee.  Who got him?

A small group of people were pissed when Adam Reynolds didn’t come to Pittsburgh?    Who got him?

Before you laugh at the Orioles decision to raise prices on average $3 bucks, think about it for a little bit.  They turned their season around last year after Buck took over, but they still managed to lose a huge number of games.  What if they waited until they had a winning season?  That would be stupid right?  What message does it send when the team loses at such a prolific pace and prices are raised?  I am not sure.   If you look at the comments in the Baltimore Sun people are pissed off.  I understand.

But despite all that, the Orioles are a very good ticket value.    Kudos to them for having the foresight to see the need for an increase and the courage to implement it.

In Pittsburgh the old dinosaur sports writers would have a grand old time on their typewriters pecking away at how hideous of a decision it would be for the Bucs to raise prices.

When the Orioles bump prices a buck or two again next season after having a solid 2011 don’t be surprised.  When they sign some more familar name acquisitions in the offseason don’t be surprised.

When the Pirates don’t do either you better not be surprised.

We wrote about this at the beginning of the month.  The Pittsburgh Pirates AAA affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians’ increased their attendance while increasing ticket prices. 

I can forsee the same thing happening with the O’s.   In Indianapolis 20,000 more fans went through the turnstiles at Victory Field.  The Indians attendance was 569,969 in 2010. The $1-per-ticket increase helped increase  ticket revenue to $4.11 million.

Simply the thought that the Pittsburgh Pirates won’t bump their ticket prices, blows my mind.  But that’s just me.  The trouble is if they don’t give tickets a bump now, when would the Pirates increase those prices?    Why not increase them now and add a value like having the gates open in time for fans to see batting practice?  Create a loyalty program.  Have an area of concessions open early to accomodate those that are ready to spend cash.  The O’s announced they won’t do that.

Die hard baseball fans love BP.  You want loyal fans, let them in the park to see their favorite Pirates.

We get it, certainly a price increase, no matter how small will be another PR pitfall for the Bucs.  The ticky tack ticket fees already piss people off, but you hear very little about those fees.

But in the end, don’t the  Pirates have an excellent PR department who should excel at this type of shit?   The Bucs should put a plan together and increase their revenues to a number that would be relevant for Pirates fans.  Who fucking cares what the non-ticket buying public thinks?    This agreement could be the ‘Partnership With Pirates Fans’ if you will, lay out what the goal of the price increase is and why it matters to Pirates fans.

The Pirates owe it to the young core of talent that is building at PNC Park.  Do it now, before it’s too late.

[Here is the end of our article earlier this year on the topic:]

This team is damned no matter what they do by the poor guys who are stuck at the top of PNC Park.  If the Pirates allow the media and the non-Pirates loving public to stunt their growth it’s a damn shame.  The improvement of the park is delayed.   Clubhouse upgrades are ignored.   And most importantly having the cash necessary to sign an impact player when the team is ready to contend is compromised.

Waiting to increase prices until this team gets back to winning ways is even more foolish.  Millions of dollars in ticket revenue are gone because the Pirates haven’t raised prices since 2002, the longest such stretch in Major League Baseball.  And seriously, nothing in America stays priced the same for as long as Pirates tickets have.

Milk?   Gas?   Tobacco?   Beer?  Indianapolis Indians tickets?    All of those items have increased in price.  But oh hell no, not Pirates tickets, those never change.   Apparently the mentality is we suck—we can’t possibly raise prices a dollar or two.  Don’t you know the media would crucify us?   Screw the media.  Is this about winning or is it about making sure people like the Bucs?

Whatever sport business guru began associating winning ball games with ticket pricing should be water boarded.  The non growth of Pirates revenues is as tragic as the losing.   Since when did Bob Nutting care about what people think of him?  The Pirates number one goal should be to win baseball games.  To do that, a serious amount of cash is needed each and every year.  How about this idea?   Sign Andrew McCutchen  and announce a ten percent increase on the same day?  It would be classic Pittsburgh Pirates.  The KC Royals announced a 15 percent increase in 2008.   Last month, they traded away an ace.   Explain that shit?

Here is the bottom line.   We know the argument will be this:  nothing in America has been as bad as the Pirates have been.  Yeh, we get it.  Still, I would have done it.   Years ago.  But we want the best possible team in uniform at PNC Park.

Being in a small market is one thing.  Being foolish and being in a small market is entirely different.

Follow us on Twitter because we haven’t raised that price,  it’s still free.