We Got Wood - 43.35 - Ownership Eyeing Heartland Gate Haul

[7teen]

Excitement and fan interest for the Portland Lumberjacks has never been higher than it is right now. Yeah sure, the Fan Interest has always been spiked to 100 since the franchise's inception in 2040 (minus a small little blip at the end of 2042) but the newness of the team has met head on with a more competitive roster for 2043. This has caused two things to happen in Portland: 1. Ticket prices have soared; 2. Attendance is up!

Most economists would tell you the first would not cause the second to happen. Typically a rise in price causes the demand to drop which could potentially eat into profits. However, Portland owner David Wallace and his accounting and financial group felt it was worth to take a gamble to start 2043 and so far the gamble is working.

"We raised season ticket prices slightly above their numbers last year" commented Wallace, "but lower than the average ticket price from last season. We sold more season tickets this season than we have in years past. That told us something. It told us fans wanted to see this team and they were willing to pay to do so. We gave our fans the chance to buy all 81 home games at a discounted price and warned fans single game tickets would be more expensive. We filled close to 50% of our stadium with season ticket sales and are now asking anyone else who wants to see this team to pay to do so."

Portland raised it's ticket prices $4.50 more from $16.50 for season tickets to $21.00 for the opening week of games. Fans didn't bat an eye. Over 37,000 fans attended each of the first 6 home games at the Trail at Multnomah and on five occasions packed the stadium to near capacity. Wallace and his group noticed. They subtly raised ticket prices $1 more for the next series of games. Fans didn't care.

"They could charge me $25 a ticket right now and I'd pay it" said one fan. "We've waited for baseball in this state for so long. We got it in 2040. It wasn't the best, but it was baseball. Now you start to get the sense this team is turning a corner. And fans want to be there to see it."

Attendance did hit a season low in the finale against Hawaii on Monday night as only 34,562 fans paid the average of $22 a ticket to attend. But that didn't seem to bother the ownership group. "We're pleased with what we're seeing right now. A good product. Fans interested. We have no intentions of raising ticket prices again this month. But we have our eye on the next few weeks for sure" said Wallace.

After the finale against Hawaii tonight, the Lumberjacks have an off-day on Wednesday before 9 more straight home games. However 6 of these games are against the dreaded Heartland division as Omaha and Twin Cities come to town. In years past, Portland has seen a down tick in attendance when Heartland teams roll in. It could be the distance traveled, it could be fans care less about the opponents from the Heartland. However, this is a different Portland team. Does this year's team have enough of a draw to make fans come to the ballpark even against the Heartland?

"It's something we'll be monitoring for sure" stated Wallace. "The games do overlap with the weekend so big draws could still be expected. If the fans show, then they'll likely keep coming as long as this team stays competitive. If they don't, it shows us our fans don't care about the Heartland division and we'll have to adjust prices or offer incentives to get fans to come watch the Heartland."