Bricktown Ballpark

[Pete]

[Pete]

[mugofbeer]

I’m failing to see the controversy?

I'm guessing he thinks the Dodgers should pay for their own turf replacement. I guess he didn't see the situation where the KC Chiefs and the Rams were to play in Mexico City this Sunday. The turf was so bad they moved the game back to LA. The teams don't do turf, the stadium owners do.

[Dob Hooligan]

That reminds me, I think we are a Triple A city. By that I mean that Major League Baseball has contracted with Oklahoma City to guarantee that Triple A ball will be played here. For as long as the contract term a team will be here. Even if the Dodgers move, MLB has to place a team in OKC. OKC has to maintain the stadium in a Triple A fashion.

[shawnw]

Unlike the past, where there were local owners, the Dodgers bought our AAA franchise.

[Dob Hooligan]

Heh....more like the Warriors. In 2010 OKC baseball was bought by a Peter Guber chaired group under one of his Mandalay xxx company names, of which he has many. By 2015 he is a big partner in the Golden State Warriors, as well as the LA Dodgers. (I don’t know which team he is a larger percentage owner of). After the Houston Astros affiliate deal with OKC expires in 2015, the Dodgers buy into OKC and make them their AAA affiliate. I have to admit the Dodger relationship with OKC has very good for our city IMO.
I have been told the only reason OKC doesn’t currently belong to the Texas Rangers is Nolan Ryan: when he became Rangers president in 2008 he moved their AAA affiliate from OKC (since 1983) to his family owned Round Rock Texas team in 2010. OKC became a Houston Astros affiliate in 2011. Around 2013 Ryan left the Rangers and went to work for the Astros. He then again insisted the Astros drop OKC for Round Rock, which happened in 2015. The Rangers were aggressive in their desire to return to OKC in 2015, and hoped to buy the team outright as soon as the Astros agreement expired. However, Guber really liked the OKC market and joined them with his Dodgers network instead of selling outright.

[Pete]

[PaddyShack]

I really wish there was enough people to keep those upper decks open and full all season...

[aDark]

I really wish there was enough people to keep those upper decks open and full all season...

Baseball is dying.
(covers head for onslaught of angry responses)

[dankrutka]

Baseball is dying.
(covers head for onslaught of angry responses)

I don't know if baseball support is declining or not, but minor league sports are going to suffer when there is major league team in town. That probably would explain why attendance is down in OKC (I'm assuming it's down, I don't actually know).

[aDark]

I don't know if baseball support is declining or not, but minor league sports are going to suffer when there is major league team in town. That probably would explain why attendance is down in OKC (I'm assuming it's down, I don't actually know).

I have no idea about attendance in OKC. I do believe baseball support is declining at all levels, based on what I've read. I'm certainly no expert in the area. I root for our city to do well and that includes Bricktown and Bricktown Ballpark. So, yay for renovations. I do wonder if we'll have a baseball park in that location in 20 years.

[rte66man]

I have no idea about attendance in OKC. I do believe baseball support is declining at all levels, based on what I've read. I'm certainly no expert in the area. I root for our city to do well and that includes Bricktown and Bricktown Ballpark. So, yay for renovations. I do wonder if we'll have a baseball park in that location in 20 years.

According to Baseball America, the Dodgers had an overall 2018 attendance of 463,195, which was about 18,000 more than 2017. You can get into quibbles as to actual butts inthe seats as opposed to paid admissions, but at least its not declining

[aDark]

According to Baseball America, the Dodgers had an overall 2018 attendance of 463,195, which was about 18,000 more than 2017. You can get into quibbles as to actual butts inthe seats as opposed to paid admissions, but at least its not declining

I don't know about the Dodgers, specifically, but I think to look at one franchise is a bit of cherry picking. The league saw big declines on average. Like, 6% or 7% decline in overall attendance through the season. Don't recall the article but the number is everywhere.

Setting aside attendance, Baseball's average viewer is 53 years old according to Nielsen ratings. NFL is 47. NBA is 37. Baseball is not being welcomed by the sub-40 crowd at near the same levels it has in the past 30 years.

Baseball still makes money now, as Cable TV props it up. Cable TV is dying. Baseball is not positioned to make the jump from Cable at the success rates that NFL, NBA, NHL, and Soccer are. Likewise, youth baseball is dying. Less participants means less future fans.

MLB recognizes all of this. Evidenced by their open efforts to speed the game up and attract a younger audience.

[Jersey Boss]

I really wish there was enough people to keep those upper decks open and full all season...

Unlike football, basketball, hockey, or soccer, the baseball season is well over 150 games with games played in afternnon as well as at night. Outside of the Yankees, Red Sox, and Cubs not even MLB fills up the park every game.

[Jersey Boss]

I don't know about the Dodgers, specifically, but I think to look at one franchise is a bit of cherry picking. The league saw big declines on average. Like, 6% or 7% decline in overall attendance through the season. Don't recall the article but the number is everywhere.

Setting aside attendance, Baseball's average viewer is 53 years old according to Nielsen ratings. NFL is 47. NBA is 37. Baseball is not being welcomed by the sub-40 crowd at near the same levels it has in the past 30 years.

Baseball still makes money now, as Cable TV props it up. Cable TV is dying. Baseball is not positioned to make the jump from Cable at the success rates that NFL, NBA, NHL, and Soccer are. Likewise, youth baseball is dying. Less participants means less future fans.

MLB recognizes all of this. Evidenced by their open efforts to speed the game up and attract a younger audience.

From Ball Park Digest. OKC Dodgers are 17th in all of minor league attendance. In 2018 avg. attendace was 6713. In 2017 it was 6533. Contrast this with the Energy and a shorter schedule and games played outside of office hours whose average was 4298 in 2018 and 4293 in 2017. Those soccer numbers hardly warrant a taxpayer subsidized soccer stadium.

[PaddyShack]

From Ball Park Digest. OKC Dodgers are 17th in all of minor league attendance. In 2018 avg. attendace was 6713. In 2017 it was 6533. Contrast this with the Energy and a shorter schedule and games played outside of office hours whose average was 4298 in 2018 and 4293 in 2017. Those soccer numbers hardly warrant a taxpayer subsidized soccer stadium.

I think it is sad when people don't support non-major league teams. I am a huge supporter of the Energy FC and the USL as a league mainly because of the things they are doing right and different from MLS. The product is good and there are lots of clubs around the country. It really has come down to people not wanting minor league sports in my opinion.

[shawnw]

I've been to almost as many minor league parks (16) as I have major league parks (17) and I've had some of the most fun at minor league games. Whenever I travel I look for a game, regardless of level. I'd go to a rookie league game. And I guess I probably have to an extent as I've been to spring training in Phoenix.

[rte66man]

I don't know about the Dodgers, specifically, but I think to look at one franchise is a bit of cherry picking. The league saw big declines on average. Like, 6% or 7% decline in overall attendance through the season. Don't recall the article but the number is everywhere.

While true on its face, there is a large discussion as to why that is. There are many who believe the atrocious weather last summer was the chief culprit. If you look at the number of games lost due to weather, it makes sense.

[Jersey Boss]

I think it is sad when people don't support non-major league teams. I am a huge supporter of the Energy FC and the USL as a league mainly because of the things they are doing right and different from MLS. The product is good and there are lots of clubs around the country. It really has come down to people not wanting minor league sports in my opinion.

I agree with that. In fact I would rather watch NCAAM over the NBA and NCAA fb over the NFL. I enjoyed minor league hockey when it was here as well. The prior administration in OKC certainly did no favors for the AHL or even the CBA when they were looking to return minor league basketball here and instead they went to Lawton.

[Pete]

[Pete]

Turf almost full installed as of this morning.

[Teo9969]

This got me thinking - do any baseball stadiums use the artificial turf that most Football stadiums use these days?

[HOT ROD]

running a bit late? Isn't baseball season next month?

[Pete]

First Dodger home game is April 4th.

[Irishman23]

This got me thinking - do any baseball stadiums use the artificial turf that most Football stadiums use these days?

The only MLB stadiums with artificial turf are Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Rays. A number of university stadiums including OU have gone to artificial turf that covers the "entire field". Even the areas that look like dirt is artificial turf. They even slide on this stuff, uniforms stay clean.