Quebecers ambivalent about baseball
A survey found that while 59% of us say we’d like to see the return of professional baseball to Montreal, most of us have little interest in watching games, whether live or on TV. Younger people had the least interest.
The project has no future here. Do we want to risk building a second stadium that becomes a white elephant but needs expensive upkeep?
Mr.Chinaski 14:14 on 2019-06-20 Permalink
59% support means for Montreal-metro more than 2 million people, and that is excluding any tourist attendance. If they only see 1 game per year, that is already more than the #1 attendance in the league (LA Dodgers)
Kevin 16:03 on 2019-06-20 Permalink
That doesn’t mean 59% would go to a game. In fact the survey says more than half couldn’t even be arsed enough to watch a game on TV, and two-thirds of those under 35 saying they will never, ever, go to a game.
It’s 59% giving moral support to a team, as in ‘yeah, it’s nice to have a baseball team in Quebec” which is comparable to people feeling good about Videotron having its HQ in Quebec, or thinking the lights on a bridge are pretty, or enjoying F1 even if they never go.
Thomas Herrmann 16:56 on 2019-06-20 Permalink
Some food for thought:
1. Roughly half of the people in this report say they would watch a game on TV while 20% say they would see a game in person. This is on par with most other cities I’ve seen that currently have MLB teams. There isn’t a single team in the MLB that doesn’t make more money on its TV deal than attendance (roughly 2x to 4x more depending on the size of the TV market). In fact, some teams could still turn a profit even if they didn’t sell a single ticket.
2. Younger people having less interest in watching baseball is a trend across the league and is not particular to Montreal. What is less certain is if they regain interest once they age or whether this is truly a generational shift.
3. Merchandise sales are also a significant form of revenue for most teams and in the past few years, Montreal Expo merchandise has ranked 7-10th in sales despite the team having now been defunct for 15 years.
Now this news that came out this afternoon that they are considering splitting games between Tampa Bay and Montreal is absurd, would alienate both cities from the team, and has failed before (when the Expos used to play 22 games per year in Puerto Rico). Who knows if this is a serious idea or whether it is a tactic to scare one city into ponying up for a stadium (which I would oppose).
Jay 17:13 on 2019-06-20 Permalink
It’s so unfortunate that on such an informative and enjoyable blog that we have to keep hearing the same biased and negative rhetoric, when anything comes out regarding baseball and it’s return.
It does spur some discussion though, I’ll give you that.
Kate 17:57 on 2019-06-20 Permalink
Jay, this is a blog, and it’s the blog of one person. Of course I have an opinion on some things, and lavishly spending public money on a sports facility is one of them.
I don’t call it bias, because nothing in this world obliges me to not have a view and to express it.
qatzelok 18:33 on 2019-06-20 Permalink
@Kate: ” Do we want to risk building a second stadium that becomes a white elephant but needs expensive upkeep?”
Well, do we want a pension fund privately planning our “public” transit?
Do we want the federal government to build pipelines to carry dil-bit across BC?
Do we want GMO content in food to be secretive?
The answer is No. But why does the 1% care what we think? They can change what we feel with their money, and that always trumps whatever we “think.”
Kevin 19:29 on 2019-06-20 Permalink
The city splitting deal would require a new stadium and cannot take place for a decade without a financial penalty.
“The Rays cannot explore playing any Major League Baseball games in Montreal or anywhere else for that matter prior to 2028, without reaching a formal memorandum of understanding with the City of St. Petersburg,” St. Pete mayor Rick Kriseman said via statement.