pan6467

As for Cleveland, I am by no means a Dolan/Shapiro fan, however, they have been saying that as the team progresses the money will be spent.

My hope and belief is that they have saved the revenue they didn't spend so that they can go out and get players come trading deadline, so they can go out and resign Hafner AND CC.

Above the argument was made "if Cleveland is so hot why don't they have the revenue?"

Well,

-the Dolans upset a lot of fans who refused to buy (but are coming back now),

-They say they are putting the money back into the team by building a strong minor league system, by saving so when they need to they can trade or sign guys they need, etc (it's possible, we'll see come this trade season)

-Cleveland has the poorest base of all the other teams (Median income is lowest here) so you can't raise prices too high, and when gas reaches these heights the disposable income depletes and games are a luxury people don't need and can't afford (and every game is televised), and the fact that there is a mass exodus from the city

-Free agents don't want to come to Cleveland right now, there's no nightlife, the poverty/crime rate is the highest of any other MLB city, the schools are shit, the city is dying. (The 90's we were having a renaissance and Cleveland had it all, but Cleveland is the first to feel a recession and the last to recover... plus they have had the worst city leadership I have ever seen. So much so, they may have destroyed a once beautiful proud city beyond repair)

-the Cavs are in the playoffs and the Browns had a tremendous draft, so the attentiion is not 100% focused on the Tribe (as opposed to the 90's when they dominated it), This means in park advertising revenue, corporate sponsorships (which are all lower than the big market teams get), even season tickets, the all important loge and luxury boxes, etc etc., so that money is drying up and isn't there (and this is what feeds a team more than anything, including fans at the park)

-the Tribe own their own tv network (2nd year in), they show EVERY game, what the Dolans are doing is trying to get the interest and passion back and get people to want to go to the Jake (they are also raising their revenue by the ad money they make, but that will take awhile to show up), unfortunately it also is a bouble edged sword in that, why spend $100 (tix, food, parking, etc) when you can watch the game in the privacy of your home or at the corner bar?

This is a make or break time for the Indians, either they start winning and the Dolans prove to everyone they will put the money in or the team dies and becomes that which they were in the 70's and 80's just a farm team for others.

So there you have it. It's bullshit and laughable to say Cleveland and Boston's suburbs are similar.... or to say Baltimore and Cleveland are similar. Cleveland/Detroit/Pittsburgh those 3 are the most similar in type of people and economics... but even then Cleveland (because of poor leadership and focus) ranks below them.

Let's see the Jake holds 48,000..... the average ticket is roughly $20 (and while it may not seem like much, by the time you add food, parking and driving (because there is no true public transportation here) it is unaffordable for a lot of people..... even if you sellout all 81 games you're making $78 Million gross, then you have to pay the lease, the front office, etc etc.

So this proves the ad revenue is the most important aspect.... but when your city is dying and companies are cutting back on advertising.......

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I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"