Why I didn't renew my Pittsburgh Pirates Season Tix

Year after year, fans, and Pittsburgh’ers in general bemoan our child-star-gone-bad, the Pirates. Yet, the team puts enough butts in seats (mine included) that they don't feel compelled to do anything about it. This year, I'm showing tough love. I'm sad to do it, but I haven't renewed my season tickets. Sure, I'm just one person, but I'm hoping that there's enough people out there feeling the same way and send a message to the ownership that has sent so many mixed messages to us.

We’ve been assured by the ownership that they’re turning the ship, they’re building the team, they want to make us proud, but every move they make seems to indicate the opposite. Each year, the Pirates pick up a bunch of young, fresh faces. When you roll the dice this much, sure, sometimes some talent will come up. But, there’s a problem–at least as far as the Pirates’ business model is concerned. Talent requires money to keep around. Investing in the team is not a part of the ownership’s model. What is this model, well, at a glance it would seem like this:

• Bottom line: Don’t spend money on the team, leverage other available funds to put butts in seats.
• Leverage city/taxpayer funds into building a state-of-the art attraction for a field. This way, when the team doesn’t attract fans, the venue will.
• Promotions: Leverage promoter money to give away bobbles and sponsor fireworks, which Pittsburgh’ers can not resist
• Visiting Teams: Chicago fans travel well, other fans travel to see the venue, and the attraction of interleague and other strong contenders also put butts in seats
• Merchandising: build buzz around a mid-level player who is not hot enough to want a big contract elsewhere, but will be around for a while.
• Team: Keep bringing in fresh (inexpensive) faces that give a token impression that we’re building a team.

In short, the Pirate business model seems to be built around hoping that the combination of tradition, promotions, venue and blind faith will keep putting butts in seats while they keep costs down on the team–turning a profit on leveraging promotional dollars.

In a way it’s brilliant. They spend a little bit of cash to barely keep a team on the field and reap the profits from traffic resulting from the tails in seats for every reason but their team.

Why would they put a single other dollar into the team when they don’t have to? Well, I’ve got a question for the team. Why would I put a single more dollar into your team if you’re going to trade away any talent we have and reap the success of putting a sub-par team on the field?

It is for this very reason that I did not be renew my season tickets this year. Despite the three ring circus that the Pirates put on around the field, at heart, this is supposed to be a competitive sports team. If the Pirates ownership is not making an effort, neither am I.