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Originally Posted by Ltlabner
Has the malfeasance in the ownership and FO of the Reds over The Lost Decade (and beyond) irreparably harmed relations with the fans in Cincy?
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If any franchise could have irreparably harmed relations with the fans in Cincy, it would have been the post PB and pre-Marvin Bengals years. Yet, as soon as it was apparent that the franchise was headed in the right direction, the fans returned in droves.
Consider these items:
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* With the exception of the BRM years Cincy attendance has always been in the lower ranks of MLB. It's a myth that Cincy is a great "baseball town".
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Ok, so is being a "great baseball town" a requirement for your thesis? Of course not. Cincy has proven itself to be a major league town. They simply have had a period of poor leadership that has created a down cycle. Show improvement and the fans will increase their committment.
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* Baseball as the "national pastime" is no longer true. Entertainment options for kids today are legion. Baseball just isn't a young hip sport (at least not in Cincy). Reds marketing efforts certainly don't encourage the notion that baseball isn't "an old man's sport".
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Nearly every major league game is televised from Opening Day through the World Series. Many stadiums are regularly near capacity. There is enough money to pay average ballplayers $5M a year. Sounds like a "national pastime" to me.
As for kids, the youth leagues in my area are thriving and soccer is running its course as a faddish sport. I sure do not get the impression when I attend a Reds ballgame that they are targeting "old men." I also cannot think of one example, other than maybe fantasy camp ads, where I feel like I'm the target market. I really have no idea what you mean by the comment about Reds marketing. Examples?
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* Any child born in 1985 or after has no idea the Reds are relevant. That's assuming that most 5 years olds don't clearly remember a WS let alone understand it's importance. Sure, there were a couple of interesting years (1999) but for the most part anyone collage-aged or younger haven't a clue that the Reds can play baseball past October 1st.
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Three of my four sons love baseball. Two are Reds fans, one is a big Reds fan, and the other is an Indians fan. The Reds are relevant to them. They are on TV every night, they have adopted their favorite players, they follow the rest of the league, and they believe that the Reds will get to the playoffs someday just like the other teams in the league. I think everyone understands the possibility that the Reds can contend just like anyone else, whatever their age. Sure, winning will bring in more fans, but I see a lot more young folks and their families at games than old codgers. The old codgers are too busy living in the past of the BRM and typing on RZ!
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* Sustained winning will bring back the fans. But can the Reds build a teams that will produce sustained wins in today's economic environment (reduced revenues) and the MLB structure?
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Yes. But they will have to be more innovative than they have shown in the past 15 years.
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Is the reality that the Reds have maneuvered themselves into a position from which it will be very difficult, if not impossible to recover? (fans simply moved on to other interests...)
Is it a death spiral that will be self-perpetuating? (fans stay away, sponsorship goes down, corporate spending decreases....)
The Reds need to build a winner to bring back the fans, but at this point can they build a team that wins enough to bring back disaffected fans?
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I think that would have happened by now if it was going to.