I'll start by saying that I'm not a huge Red Sox fan. I want them to do well, but I don't think I've watched a full baseball game in about 6 years. But ... I am curious to see the media and fans starting to go after John Henry. I know we can only dream (well, those of us that think Bob Kraft isn't a savvy businessman) of the attention being sent towards Henry, but I think this is going to be a telling next couple of months for the Sox owners. And I'd like to think that maybe at some point, someone will look down here and notice the problems as well (not that it will happen). My curiosity though is based on how the Sox will respond to this for next season, will they realize they have an issue now, and their "boys of summer" routine has worn thin with many fans. I do appreciate that John Henry sent out a letter saying that he does watch Red Sox games even when he's on the road. Poor Bob Kraft can't even do that for the Revs ... it's just asking too much. Doesn't want to bring them bad luck or anything, so he'll watch college football instead.
I know many of you are Sox fans, so I'm interested in your thoughts on this. Again, I'm not implying or expecting the media backlash to affect the Revs, but do you think the media backlash can affect the Sox ownership, or are they just too entrenched? I'm just looking for hope that if the media EVER pays attention to Kraft, maybe something could change. And no, this isn't where you should bitch that Henry doesn't care anymore because he owns Liverpool.
It's an issue of people voting with their dollars. Bitch and moan with Felger and Mazz all you want, but as long as the stands are still full (or, more accurately, as long as the tickets are still sold) there'll be no chance. Damn, I sound like KO now.
I think it all depends on the off season moves. I also think if he let Larry Lucchino go, he would be seen in taking the right direction. I personally think Henry sells the team by the beginning of 2014. He saw the Dodgers sell for $2billion. The Padres just sold for $800 million(only 30% of stadium ownership). He could probably get $2 billion plus(Red Sox deal would most likely include Fenway and 80% of NESN)
At this point I don't think the media will ever pay attention to Kraft unless it is Patriots related. Once Brady and Belichick are gone and the Pats are back to reality in terms of league competitiveness I wouldn't be surprised to see the media begin to attack after a few years of mediocrity. Especially if bad decisions are made by the FO. What Pats fans don't realize is that Kraft is running a crappy sports organization right under their noses. That should scare Pats fans....not everything Kraft touches is gold. The Pats could be the Revs someday in terms of mediocrity in the NFL. Just like the good ole days at Schaefer/Sullivan/Foxboro Stadium. Fans shell out a lot of $$ and time in this region to support their local teams. We have the right to ask what have you done for me lately. By asking this I think the NE fanbase does have some leverage in the long term. I know plenty of Sox fans that won't spend a dime these days at Fenway. Pink hats will fade in the wash.
People say this a lot...as an avid listener to 98.5, I mean a lot, but it seems just wrong. If Pink Hats are defined as "people who go to the stadium who don't care about baseball", then why on Earth would they suddenly stop going after years of the team being not-good? I'm sorry, but it doesn't make an ounce of sense to me. Not one ounce. If Pink Hats are really there to "drink beer, be seen, sing Sweet Caroline, and do the wave", none of those things change when we're at the bottom of the AL East. If you are of the opinion that Pink Hats constitute a problem (and I am, since they are acting as irrational economic actors, which is bad) a serious solution needs to be devised that is better than "Oh, they'll just go away"
I think this fear should be specific to junior krafty, not the old man. bob has too much passion for the nfl to let the pats go to hell while hes alive. Jr krafty has run the revs into the ground so I think thats a legit fear. On henry, many red sox fans are spoiled, entitled brats but some of the criticism is justified. 2 titles in the past 10 years then they bled this fanbase dry. I fear they will do the same at LFC.
I find the Pink Hats as annoying as anybody else does, but this is ridiculous. I think it's safe to say none of us would be posting here if we hadn't put a chunk of our emotional well being in the hands of a group of atheletes who we can only rarely incluence, let alone control. How is that any more rational than going to a game to have fun and maybe preen for the cameras?
I'll say the same thing about the Pats. The atmosphere at that place is shit. Part of it is the piece of crap stadium, the other half is the lobster roll crowd. If/when they have a dip in performance, it will be the same thing with the Red Sox: A lot of see-n-b-seen fans sitting in their seats, cheering too loud while the offense is on the field and buying beers when the defense takes the field, and no complaining. Sports fans in Boston have been pacified by winning, flashy marketing and a stupid amount of sycophantic media coverage.
I go to Fenway Park to consume the product they are selling. Since the product has been poor over the last few years, I have not gone as much. If your desire to consume is not in proportion to the quality of the product provided, you're an irrational actor. And yes, when it comes to the Revs, I am an irrational actor, myself
The product they're selling is live baseball. Although the play on the field hasn't been good, their product has grown to be something far greater than just the game on the field. That's why people attend Sox games and that's why people don't attend Revs games.
Either way, the idea that "Oh, the Pink Hats will go away" seems foolish to me. Even if they are there to consume a product, they are, by definition, not consuming one related to the quality of play.
If they did go away, it would be a disaster for a team that relies heavily on ticket revenue and still a black eye for one that doesn't. No sports team can thrive on only the people who live for the game or the team; there simply aren't enough.
No, but true alienation of the people who live for the game will eventually hurt you in the long run. The pink hats are fickle.
People keep saying this, without ever backing it up. If the Pink Hats were Fickle, they'd have gone by now. I think we just say it because we want to believe it's true. "Oh, one day those girls will leave and I'll have the Ballpark all to myself, like back in '98". But we've got to start seriously doubting whether or not that's true
Gone by now? They have been bad for less than a season. Until last September there was still hope among fans that the team could win a WS. The brought in some high profile players, like they had in other years prior. It's going to take far longer than 11 months to get the pinkhats to leave. There is an element of perceived cool that is slowly eroding with the Red Sox. You keep saying that they won't go away just because, yet attendance is definitely dropping. Sure, the ticket sales were still there because at the time of ticket purchases, the team was literally bad for bookended months of last season. I would be willing to bet you a case of beer that ticket sales drop significantly this off season. I'm not saying that fans shouldn't do anything, or care. I think they should. I just also think that the trendy Red Sox aren't so trendy anymore. Look at the ballpark on gamedays, it is nowhere near being full. Sure, it's more like 2001 than 1998, but a little more losing will go a long way to fixing the pinkhat problem.
Oh, I dunno, standing up and cheering and singing Sweet Caroline in the middle of a game that is being tanked. I could go on for hours. It's more than just having casual fans at games. It's the way they have been pacified to the point where the game literally doesn't matter. If the game doesn't matter, and you are using those fans just to make money to support your team, then you are being disingenuous when you say you need them to keep competitive within the league.
While I think the flack John Henry gets is overblown (I think we'd all be overjoyed if he bought the Revs and worked to turn them into the moneymaking juggernaut the Sox are now) - one thing that's interested me about his marketing strategy for the Sox is that by presenting them as a "piece of American history"/"the living museum" - he's created a way for the team to make money AND partially insulate them from the need to be competitive. "Come see the Monster! Check out our huge variety of concessions! Admire the century-old brickwork and the team history pieces scattered throughout the stadium!" If the Revs are the "babysitter" team in NE sports, the Sox are on their way to becoming the "tourist attraction."
I'm game. What counts as a "significant" drop? Because they're at 100% sales now, so even one game of X-1, where X is the capacity of Fenway, is a "significant dropoff". If we can come up with a reasonable number to "prove" a dropoff, I'd gladly put a case of beer on the line.
ok, I'm willing to negotiate here. Since I suggested the significant drop, I'll let you suggest what the value would be. We can build this playing field together, as friends
I once heard a Pats fan call 98.5 and label the people who boo'ed Adam Vinatieri "pinkhats". This after he said he didn't go to the Colts game because it wasn't an important matchup. Felger & Mazz agreed. That term gets misoverused so much it has no meaning anymore beyond "everyone except real fans like me".