A's refuse to remove tarp off seats for postseason

[{Ron!n}]

Six years ago, not long after the Oakland Athletics last made the playoffs, the upper level at the O.co Coliseum was tarped off -- because no one was buying the seats. It reduced the seating capacity for baseball there to about 34,000, which, on most days, was more than enough for A's games.

Now, with the A's back in the playoffs, demand, as you might imagine, is higher. There are over 20,000 additional seats they could sell for postseason games, but the team refuses to do so:

A smaller crowd, A's managers said, would create a closer, more intimate environment for the American League Division Series.

"The fan experience is better without spreading fans out over more seats," A's executives wrote in an e-mail. "The energy in the park and the fan experience over the last week (when the seats were tarped) was incredible."
Smaller? Sure. More intimate? Yup. But it would seem that having up to 20,000 more fans in the park would provide even more energy for the home team. As one fan put it:

"Here's a team that says they need to leave Oakland because there's no support. Yet here you have thousands of people who are begging to put money in the A's pockets, and they tell fans, 'Sorry, you have to watch it on TV,' " said Doug Boxer, a former Oakland planning commissioner and organizer of an A's fan group called Let's Go Oakland. "It doesn't make any sense."
The SFGate.com article says the A's will consider removing the tarp if they reach the World Series.

http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2012/...liseum-oakland

[MetsFanatic19]

From a baseball view, I guess it's a good move. From a business perspective, are you serious?

[StayOnBoard]

This is very interesting.. I don't even know what to make of it

[Raidaz4Life]

Can't say I've ever heard anything like it. Does making a smaller/more intimate fan experience really help the team in anyway? Because it is certainly a questionable move from a business perspective.

[ciaban]

from a business perspective this makes total sense, if they sell those seats they make more money, doing that will cause fans to expect them to spend a little more to improve the team and stay competitive, if they don't do that they can't make a case and whine about how poor and under attended they are.

[ciaban]

sorry double post

[TrueYankee]

Well a lower supply of seats will increase demand which will likely increase price per seat. Those 30,000 something seats that are available are probably expensive as hell.

[giants73756]

In 2006 they said they would remove the tarp if they made the World Series. I expect that to happen this year.

[Yankee Clipper]

Well a lower supply of seats will increase demand which will likely increase price per seat. Those 30,000 something seats that are available are probably expensive as hell.

[DJYankee]

How the hell can you not want more fans in a BIG stadium for a team that had nothing to play for beginning this year. I think everybody in Oakland would pack that thing up just to see this Cinderella team.

[cubfan23]

good **** the fans who are bandwagoning now since they are in the playoffs

[{Ron!n}]

good **** the fans who are bandwagoning now since they are in the playoffs

That honestly sounds like what Billy Beane is telling them. Screw you for not coming to root for us when we needed you.

Its puzzling business wise, but like one of the commentators said, how can you want to go to a new city due to no fan interest but then you stop 20k from entering your stadium.

[J4KOP99]

Can't say I've ever heard anything like it. Does making a smaller/more intimate fan experience really help the team in anyway? Because it is certainly a questionable move from a business perspective.

yeah man. Are they actually turning down a lot more money? This goes against just about everything in the business world.

[bosox3431]

from a business perspective this makes total sense, if they sell those seats they make more money, doing that will cause fans to expect them to spend a little more to improve the team and stay competitive, if they don't do that they can't make a case and whine about how poor and under attended they are.

Exactly what I was thinking.

[agureghian]

lew wolff's doing.