The Mariners are at their obstructionist tactics again. They have sent another letter to the City council opposing the Arena. You can read the SeattlePIs article here or the deadspin article here. Both give a good overview of the situation. I don’t totally buy the deadspin theory but I know how lucrative RSNs can be so there is probably some cred to it, I just don’t think the Mariners could pull it off with the dwindling fan base and poor product they are putting on the field the last 5+ years. As you may or may not know, the Mariners first came out against the SoDo Arena in April because of the congestion. In their terms, “the SoDo site simply doesn’t work” which is interesting because the Mariners average ~22K a game and 10 years ago averaged 43,000 per game and those games are played off season from Basketball and Hockey but you knew that already. I’ve been a little jaded on the Mariners since the April letter. See my graph on my projected spend at Mariners games that I sent to fancare@mariners.com in April:
$ numbers were based on the number of guests that I would drag to the game with me. (Spouse, Sister+Fam visiting from out of town and any friends that might enjoy a game). You see I used to be a big baseball fan and still like going to games from time to time but in the last 15 years I have shifted to hockey. I have been true to my word and have turned down 4 sets of tickets and have no desire to visit safeco anytime soon. For the most part, I really support all sports teams but more importantly, I support the fans options of seeing them. If you are a Sonics, Storm, Mariners or Seahawks fan I support you. I have no desire to prove to you which team or sport is better than the other. You are a fan and you have your reasons…as do I.
Coincidentally, I’ve been in Chicago since Tuesday morning and last night I took in my first White Sox game. I was walking through the stadium and I couldn’t help to notice the support for other sports teams in the Chicago area. So back to Chicago. I snapped these photos right about 15 minutes before the game. This was completely coincidental to the letter because at the time I snapped the photos, I wasn’t even aware of the letter at the time.
Mariners, take note! This is how other cities sports teams work together and collaborate. It is supportive and complementary and their attendance figures don’t look like this:
I am not a sports executive but it seems to me that the Mariners should be doing everything they can to keep their dwindling fan base. It should be noted that the Mariners almost the exact same clause that the Hansen MOU has in it but keep in mind that the public paid for about 72% of the arena…vs. 0% of the SoDo Arena MOU.
Please let the Mariners know how you feel about their tactics and complete lack of support for the arena, Sonics, NHL and therefore us the fans. fancare@mariners.com
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