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Friday, November 16, 2007

MLB: More than 800 seats to be added at Fenway for ‘08 season

The red crane that hung high in the air at Fenway Park on Friday morning removed one of the temporary suites originally installed for the 1999 All-Star Game, and it served as a type of symbolism in the mind of Red Sox president/CEO Larry Lucchino.

“If we had a sign up here, a caption, it would be, ‘Your fan dollars at work,’” Lucchino said. “We’ve spent lots of money improving Fenway Park, and here’s another illustration of where that money is being used.”

“We’re talking about approximately 800 to 900 seats, plus several dozen standing-room seats up there, and I think it will add both aesthetically and capacity-wise in terms of revenue,” said Lucchino. “I think it’s another step in a long march to make Fenway Park—to preserve it, protect it, enhance it and improve it.”

and desecrate it.

Repoz Posted: November 16, 2007 at 08:51 PM | 24 comment(s) | Login to Bookmark
Related News: General, Business, Boston

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1. Hello Rusty Kuntz, Goodbye Rusty Cars Posted: November 16, 2007 at 08:58 PM (#2617827)

Yeah, but they didn't add Yorvit Torrealba.

2. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: November 16, 2007 at 09:00 PM (#2617828)

They should threaten to move to Oklahoma City and get the city of Boston to pay for it.

3. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: November 16, 2007 at 09:01 PM (#2617832)

Oh, and is this legal?

4. cercopithecus aethiops Posted: November 16, 2007 at 09:02 PM (#2617834)

Standing-room seats? There's a fancy foreign-sounding word for that, isn't there?

5. PJ Martinez Posted: November 16, 2007 at 09:14 PM (#2617848)

"and desecrate it"

huh? I think the park looks better than ever-- they even got rid of that awful glass in front of the 600 Club, or whatever it's called.

I mean, I haven't seen any pictures of this new addition, but I don't see any desecration in the previous additions-- which have presumably helped preserve (and increase) Fenway's financial viability (which I'm glad about).

6. Barry`s_Lazy_Boy Posted: November 16, 2007 at 09:19 PM (#2617852)

Standing-room seats? There's a fancy foreign-sounding word for that, isn't there?

cement.

7. GregD Posted: November 16, 2007 at 09:24 PM (#2617858)

Nothing could be more of an affront to the true nature of Fenway Park than charging people to watch baseball there.

8. aleskel

Posted: November 16, 2007 at 09:29 PM (#2617871)

Standing-room seats? There's a fancy foreign-sounding word for that, isn't there?

in football (soccer) stadiums, its the "terrace." Of course, that's where the hooligans congregate.

9. Iwakuma Chameleon (jonathan) Posted: November 16, 2007 at 09:43 PM (#2617891)

Nope. Not legal.

10. JRVJ (formerly Delta Socrates) Posted: November 16, 2007 at 09:53 PM (#2617902)

Anybody have an idea how much these seats will sell for?

I ask, because it'd be interesting to know how much extra revenue this will bring the BoSox (and I'm going to assume that these seats will be sold-out).

My back of the envelope calculation is that if they build 850 seats (could be more, could be less), and they sell for an average of $50 each (could be more, could be less, but I'm averaging), that should bring Boston $3.44MM in revenue each year.

And once you include standing seat and concession sales, maybe you get over $4MM (and an average of $50 per seat/game may be on the low side).

Now $4MM ain't going to allow the BoSox to catch the Yanks in home park revenue, but it's not chopped liver.....

11. standuptriple Posted: November 16, 2007 at 09:58 PM (#2617910)

So close to a per inning charge in Boston. I can't wait for them to make people bust out their wallets when games go into extra innings.

12. The Yankee Clapper Posted: November 16, 2007 at 10:00 PM (#2617915)

Anybody have an idea how much these seats will sell for?

$75 - $90, with the standing room "seats" going for $25, according to other reports.

13. Loren F.'s well-anchored glenoid Posted: November 16, 2007 at 10:02 PM (#2617919)

Is this all so they can afford that big, five-year Lowell contract?

14. Frisco Cali Posted: November 16, 2007 at 10:04 PM (#2617923)

Now $4MM ain't going to allow the BoSox to catch the Yanks in home park revenue, but it's not chopped liver.....

It is a LOOGY

How about if a ballpark names the sections of the seating areas after the players that the seats theoretically pay for?
The section behing home plate could be the Papi section, on either side would be the Beckett and Manny sections, and so on.
Just don't name a section after the owner or the manager.

15. Loren F.'s well-anchored glenoid Posted: November 16, 2007 at 10:25 PM (#2617946)

How about if a ballpark names the sections of the seating areas after the players that the seats theoretically pay for?

This would cause some marketing problems when no one buys tickets for the Lugo Loge.

16. Best Dressed Chicken in Town Posted: November 16, 2007 at 10:30 PM (#2617947)

Just don't name a section after the manager.

Why, you don't want to sit in the CONTINUALLY SPITTING TOBACCO ON NATIONAL TELEVISION LIKE HE WAS RAISED BY CAVE-DWELLING INBREDS boxes? I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to sit in the CONTINUALLY SPITTING TOBACCO ON NATIONAL TELEVISION LIKE HE WAS RAISED BY CAVE-DWELLING INBREDS boxes.

17. Frisco Cali Posted: November 16, 2007 at 10:45 PM (#2617961)

It's just Terry being Terry

18. JRVJ (formerly Delta Socrates) Posted: November 16, 2007 at 10:46 PM (#2617962)

$75 - $90, with the standing room "seats" going for $25, according to other reports.

So maybe it's more along the lines of $6MM a year in extra revenue. Not too bad....

19. robinred

Posted: November 16, 2007 at 10:48 PM (#2617963)

protect it,

From whom?

20. Bob Dernier Cri

Posted: November 16, 2007 at 10:51 PM (#2617966)

How about if a ballpark names the sections of the seating areas after the players that the seats theoretically pay for?

That would depress their center fielder and second baseman when they look out at the Ellsbury/Pedroia League Minimum Bleacher Seat.

21. Will Young finally tied the knot Posted: November 16, 2007 at 11:01 PM (#2617974)

My back of the envelope calculation is that if they build 850 seats (could be more, could be less), and they sell for an average of $50 each (could be more, could be less, but I'm averaging), that should bring Boston $3.44MM in revenue each year.

And once you include standing seat and concession sales, maybe you get over $4MM (and an average of $50 per seat/game may be on the low side).

The average team makes more revenue by merchandise and concessions than actual tickets. Of course, the Red Sox might not work that way because of the limited supply of tickets and high demand, but it's true for most teams.

22. Stratman01 Posted: November 17, 2007 at 12:19 AM (#2618031)

Of course, you are forgetting to subtract for whatever revenue the Sox derived from the "luxury box" (or whatever it was) to build these extra seats. My guess is that when all is said and done the result is, at best, a couple million extra year.

23. Golfing Great Mitch Cumstein Posted: November 17, 2007 at 01:00 AM (#2618066)

Of course, you are forgetting to subtract for whatever revenue the Sox derived from the "luxury box" (or whatever it was) to build these extra seats. My guess is that when all is said and done the result is, at best, a couple million extra year.

Those All-Star Game suites on both the right-field and left-field lines are being taken down so that new and improved suites can be added.

In addition, more than 800 new State Street Pavilion seats will be added, the majority of which will be on the third-base line.

They are two different issues. The boxes are being replaced and 800 seats are being added.

I hope that fans are smart enough to realize that this statement is ridiculous:

“If we had a sign up here, a caption, it would be, ‘Your fan dollars at work,’” Lucchino said.

24. Sean Forman Posted: November 17, 2007 at 01:21 AM (#2618072)

The average team makes more revenue by merchandise and concessions than actual tickets. Of course, the Red Sox might not work that way because of the limited supply of tickets and high demand, but it's true for most teams.

That's a big overstatement of the amount of money they bring in on those things. The per cap for events like the NBA Finals or the Super Bowl rarely tops $20-$25 (from my recollection of what I've read in the SBJ). I would guess the Sox get a per cap of concession revenue around $10-$15/night. For every person drinking five beers there are more bringing in their own food or having just a hot dog.

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MLB: More than 800 seats to be added at Fenway for ‘08 season

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