I'm sick and it's finals weekend, that means I'm digging through my inbox for every link that's been passed along since the start of December. Here's one we didn't post:
A new stadium is essential to the long-term viability of the team in this area, said Michael Kalt, senior vice president of development and business affairs for the Rays, in a presentation. The Rays rank near the bottom of Major League Baseball in attendance and in the bottom half in economic indicators such as household income and local corporations.
While Kalt didn’t disclose exactly how many season tickets the Rays sell, he said the team had about 15,000 in 1998, its inaugural season. Numbers have decreased since then to where the Rays have less than half as many as the next lowest team in the majors, he said. Two-thirds of the season ticket holders live in Pinellas County.
Yikes! I would assume the second lowest is the Florida Marlins, who had approximately 10,000 last season. That puts the Rays at x < 5,000, which is um, pitiful. Of course, that is assuming both assumptions are right. Either way, let's hope the economy doesn't derail expectations of increased amounts of season ticket holders.