Competition, weather blamed for Goldeyes sliding attendance

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/06/2019 (2339 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Over their 25 years, the Winnipeg Goldeyes have won four championships and missed the playoffs just six times. A quarter of the way through the 2019 season, the Fish are fighting for top spot in their division.

Normally, that would take fans out to ball games, where they’d buy peanuts and Cracker Jack and root for the home team.

But data on the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball website show Goldeyes attendance has fallen almost every year since 2004, when total attendance peaked at 323,241.

Last year’s total was 219,370, and attendance is down again this season after the first 13 games.

Longtime Goldeyes fan Jérémie Laporte says it is “heartbreaking” to see the fan base dwindling.

“I love watching. Being in the city, you almost feel part of the team,” said the 21-year-old Laporte, who became a fan in Grade 5 and worked selling concessions at the ball park for two years.

The number of empty seats in the park has left him wondering whether people still care about the team.

Compared to the rest of the league, the Goldeyes’ per-game attendance is still near the top.

On average, more than half the 7,461 seats at Shaw Park are filled each game. But the decline is a disturbing trend that team broadcaster Steve Schuster said has the organization searching for answers.

For significant chunks of time during the Goldeyes’ 25 years, their only summer spectator-sport dollar competition was the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Now, there’s a third — Winnipeg’s Valour FC soccer team, playing in the Canadian Premier League’s inaugural season.

Overall, there is a limit to how much Winnipeggers are willing or able to spend on sports entertainment in a city that has more options than ever.

The return of the National Hockey League in 2011 and its premium-priced tickets to watch the Winnipeg Jets has certainly cut into the Shaw Park crowds as has, to a lesser extent, the Jets’ American Hockey League affiliate Manitoba Moose.

And the relocation of the Western Hockey League’s Kootenay Ice to the city in time for next season’s play will likely draw a few more dollars away from the ball club.

On the face of it, the effect of more year-round competition would appear to be contributing to the Goldeyes’ woes, but Schuster was cautious, suggesting research data would be required to show a direct correlation.

Of note, the sport has been experiencing a renaissance of sorts across the province since 2010, Baseball Manitoba executive director Jason Miller said — the number of registered players jumped from 8,000 to 11,200 in 2018.

But that hasn’t translated to watching the local side.

The Goldeyes have an aging fan base, which is the case for pro baseball at all levels, including the major leagues.

Some local fans say minimal advertising and a lack of media coverage are other possible reasons for the decline; the games are streamed online and carried on nostalgia radio station CJNU 93.7 FM.

The club has, however, made a concerted effort to appeal to a younger demographic by keeping ticket prices affordable for families, offering myriad food options and adding the Craft Beer Corner in 2016 to draw more young adults.

Goldeyes media co-ordinator Nigel Batchelor, after canvassing opinion in the team’s office, pointed to unfavourable weather being a factor.

Opening weekend — traditionally the biggest draw of the year — fell victim to a chilly opening-night rainout followed by an equally chilly rain-delayed doubleheader the next day.

Upwards of 5,000 people who’d likely have been enjoying the games chose to stay warm and dry at home.

“Since then, we’ve had great attendance,” he said, sounding optimistic. “It’ll pick up — it always does. That’s baseball — it’s a long season.”

nicholas.frew@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @n_frew6