

I don't think that it is "obvious" that "lots" of people are willing
to pay the price.  I'm sure someone out there in net-land has some
facts about trends in attendance regarding percentage of capacity
sold.  But even if the trends are relatively flat, you have to consider
what is happening on a team-by-team basis.

When the TV money dries up, franchises will be seeking to supplant the
lost revenues from alternative sources.  One of the best sources may
be ticket sales.

Example 1:	The Dodgers

	The Dodgers can count on a strong base of season ticket sales
	and *probably* believe that they have the ability to raise
	prices without hindering revenues.  I certainly think that is
	true.

Example 2:	The Padres

	They will be lucky to average 10,000 fans a game this year.
	If they raise prices, less.  If they want to increase their
	overall revenue base, the best thing they can do is put a
	winning team on the field.  But given that won't happen (it
	won't), they can probably make more money by lowering ticket
	prices and running frequent promotions.  Will they do that?
	I have no idea.  But they won't increase prices, because it
	won't work *for them*.




The only strange powers at work here are the forces of the market place.
Each team's market is somewhat different, and each owner is going to
be faced with a unique set of circumstances about how to deal with those
market forces.  As a buiness manager, I would never *want* to lower my
prices, but sometimes that strategy is necessary, and sometimes it works.
You have to consider everything if you want continued success.




--	The Beastmaster
