Time for a New Stadium ? (Tampa, St. Petersburg: best neighborhoods, neighborhoods, to buy)

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by MeInDenudinFL

Even at home watching on TV I like packed places. Otherwise, it looks like a minor league.

Now this is a first, someone complaining about the size of the crowd because it doesn't look good on TV. Wow - we really don't have baseball fans here. Maybe this city doesn't deserve the franchise and all the jobs, tourism, and notoriety that comes w/ having a major league team.

[Kevin from Tampa]

Everyone here is missing the most fundamental point...LOCATION.

That study done last year by the ABC group looked at 5 potential spots for a new stadium, including the current location of the Trop. The goal was to find the location that had the most people within a 30 minute drive.

The current location of the Trop had the least, and it wasn't even close. And a fair number of those were from south St Pete, one of the poorest areas in the region.

I can tell you this...I live in Wesley Chapel, right near the county line in New Tampa. Those mid-week games that cost $9? I can't make it to those with my kids. I have to get up for work the next day. Those games start at 7pm and don't finish til 10. That means I have to rush home from work, get my kids rush to the stadium, and then by the time I get back home when game is over, after walking out of the stadium, making my way thru traffic, and driving back home, it's dang near 11:30. In fact, I don't know that I've EVER made a mid-week game. You ever notice how attendace spikes on the weekend? It's because all the Tampa people can MAKE THOSE GAMES and not have to get up early the next day. Making a mid-week game after work is 6 hour commitment.

Put that stadium in a central location, where more people can get there within 30 minutes, and any idiot can tell you that attendance will go up.

Quality of stadium? Minor issue.
Sightlines? Trop has great ones.
Old? Yeah, but that's not why people don't come.

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION.

[IAm_FloridaBorn]

AS A RAYS FAN (YEA I WATCH ALL THE GAMES OVER HERE LOL) I think it's time for a new stadium. The trop is unique and great. But this is 2011 MLB baseball with a pretty damn good team. If the stadium were built in HILLSBOROUGH somewhere There would be more attendance. I know this for a fact living in Orlando and following the Florida panthers. The panthers stadium is in Broward county, yes a lot of people but not the right location. I've been following that team for years as well as the lightning and I see the difference.

In orlando Amway arena was going to be built on International. But studies showed people would not drive from Longwood or Daytona like they do now to go to International for a game. Downtown was a convient location for everybody all around.

[IAm_FloridaBorn]

Originally Posted by Kevin from Tampa

Everyone here is missing the most fundamental point...LOCATION.

That study done last year by the ABC group looked at 5 potential spots for a new stadium, including the current location of the Trop. The goal was to find the location that had the most people within a 30 minute drive.

The current location of the Trop had the least, and it wasn't even close. And a fair number of those were from south St Pete, one of the poorest areas in the region.

I can tell you this...I live in Wesley Chapel, right near the county line in New Tampa. Those mid-week games that cost $9? I can't make it to those with my kids. I have to get up for work the next day. Those games start at 7pm and don't finish til 10. That means I have to rush home from work, get my kids rush to the stadium, and then by the time I get back home when game is over, after walking out of the stadium, making my way thru traffic, and driving back home, it's dang near 11:30. In fact, I don't know that I've EVER made a mid-week game. You ever notice how attendace spikes on the weekend? It's because all the Tampa people can MAKE THOSE GAMES and not have to get up early the next day. Making a mid-week game after work is 6 hour commitment.

Put that stadium in a central location, where more people can get there within 30 minutes, and any idiot can tell you that attendance will go up.

Quality of stadium? Minor issue.
Sightlines? Trop has great ones.
Old? Yeah, but that's not why people don't come.

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION.

I didn't even see your post but you are correct. Location is the key.

[crazynip]

You people need to **** about a new stadium. It's not needed. These greedy bastard owners of the Rays need to shut up and just field a competitive team.

Wrigley Field and Fenway Park are old, you dont see their owners crying like a bunch of ******* in the media for a new stadium

[jp01358]

Originally Posted by crazynip

You people need to **** about a new stadium. It's not needed. These greedy bastard owners of the Rays need to shut up and just field a competitive team.

Wrigley Field and Fenway Park are old, you dont see their owners crying like a bunch of ******* in the media for a new stadium

Yes, the Trop is roughly analogous to Fenway and Wrigley.

[crazynip]

Originally Posted by jp01358

Yes, the Trop is roughly analogous to Fenway and Wrigley.

If the trop was located way outside Boston in an inconvenient place, fans would still pack it

Or in the south side of chicago

[Pragmaticus]

Originally Posted by BucFan

Now this is a first, someone complaining about the size of the crowd because it doesn't look good on TV. Wow - we really don't have baseball fans here. Maybe this city doesn't deserve the franchise and all the jobs, tourism, and notoriety that comes w/ having a major league team.

I think you are mis-quoting me. What I was replying to the other poster was when I see "10" people watching, first thing it comes to my mind is that it is a minor league and of course when I see the jersey I realized that it is rays that are playing, lol.

BTW, I am not a fan of baseball at all, if that clears things for you. Baseball is too slow for me. I just tune in or show up when I see lots of you cheering. Just saying.

[planedition]

I am new to the area but here are my impressions:

The Trop is a crappy stadium, but worse, it's in a bad neighborhood and most of the people who can afford to pay for tickets, food, gas to get there, parking, etc., wouldn't be caught dead there, day or night. I work near this stadium and it is SCARY day or night.

This region (Tampa Bay) is full of people who are either transient, root for other teams, or can't really afford to go to games, pay a lot for stadium food, etc.

The economy in this area is REALLY BAD (much worse than talked about or written about) and most people are jobless or struggling to hang onto jobs and going to a ballgame is the LAST thing on their minds. [Of course, none of this applies to LA, DC, NYC mlb markets, where there is no recession and business/sports is relatively booming. But the Tampa Bay econ is very different.]

More people are staying home. Period. This is the same reason why the movie theaters are empty, bookstores are closing, all entertainment/retail is hurting. You can shop and/or be entertained very comfortablyand cheaply AT HOME without leaving your couch. (Thank you Verizon FIOS!)

I truly don't think that moving the team to downtown Tampa will all of a sudden fill the stadium. Just like I don't believe the Miami ballpark, all new and shiny, will be sold out every night.

Florida is not Boston, Chicago, New York, etc. I don't wanna see Tampa Bay lose its cred by not having a baseball team, but these are the facts.

[ferret111]

Tropicana Field is close to a bad neighborhood, but it's pretty cut-off from it. 175 serves as a barrier of sorts and the sea of parking lots surrounding the place kind of isolates it from everything else. Regardless, it's a block away from the police headquarters and there's a large police presence on game days. The areas to the north, east, and west of Tropicana aren't dangerous at all and I don't think South St. Pete is what causes the low attendance rates at all.