Take 5
Because Red Sox games don’t already go late enough:
The Boston Red Sox today announced that start times for 2009 regular season games played at Fenway Park previously scheduled for 7:05 p.m. will be moved to 7:10 p.m. This time change will not affect games scheduled for other start times, including Sunday match-ups as well as weekday and Saturday matinees.
“During the week approximately 60 percent of our fans enter the ballpark after 6:30 p.m. Moving the starts by even a few minutes will give them a little more time to make it to Fenway Park from work or home, take advantage of pregame festivities and ballpark amenities, and reach their seats before the first pitch.
Oh, and to buy beer and foam fingers and stuff. Can’t forget that.
Dodger games should start at 8:00 then
From what I’ve seen/observed in attending Boston area sporting events is that people always show up late. The Celtics, Bruins, Boston College basketball and football, and the Red Sox all have late arriving fans. All I can see the extra 5 minutes as doing is giving them 3 more commercial breaks on NESN and their radio stations before the game starts at 710pm. But maybe the economy is bad enough that the Red Sox and their partners need the dough from more commercial breaks.
So, when 2009 season research shows that 60% of fans arrive after 6:35 pm, what’s the next move?
Very interesting. I wonder if this will actually affect the time the people show up, or if they really get there earlier. Either way it’s a pretty good idea, with very little risk. Perhaps they sell more stuff. The problem is it’ll be tough to really compare concession sales to last season considering the currents state of the economy.
Ahh – the kinder, gentler side of Red Sox Nation.
Chipmaker,
Darn you, I was going to say that.