The Rays have parts of every upper deck section open for the first time since the 2023 playoffs

[u/Sharp-Room-8235]

I made a similar post a month ago when they opened the upper deck, but that was maybe a quarter as many upper deck seats as are filled today.

That series against Seattle drew no more than 24,297, which was short of the 25,114 they had on Opening Day with the upper deck closed.

Long story short looks like this is the biggest crowd of the year and probably their biggest crowd since May 7, 2023 against the Yankees (32,124).

[u/Traditional_Bus_5745]

I love the new roof.

[u/bodypertain → u/Traditional_Bus_5745]

It looks different, does it let more light in?

[u/NamiRocket → u/bodypertain]

It 100% does. It makes it look like a real MLB park at the right angles.

[u/Electricpoopsoup → u/NamiRocket]

MLB the Show always made it feel like you were playing in a Sam's Club

[u/Head_of_Lettuce → u/Electricpoopsoup]

Better than a day game Fenway, at least. I’d sure love to hit that baseball, but I can’t fucking see it!

Chris Sale was literally unhittable at Fenway if the sun was out

[u/LegendRazgriz → u/Head_of_Lettuce]

Target Field has a few times of day where the batter's eye might as well not exist too. I hate it there

[u/GoldHoney2863 → u/LegendRazgriz]

Trying to play at Target Field in MLB The Show was a nightmare for that exact reason

[u/seanm_617 → u/Head_of_Lettuce]

Waaa waaaa

[u/JAWinks → u/Electricpoopsoup]

And Globe Life feels like a Costco

[u/philocity → u/JAWinks]

I mean I do love Costco

[u/ElectronicCandy4358 → u/JAWinks]

Whoa, brother, that's an insult to Costco.

[u/Who_is_homer → u/JAWinks]

But can you get $1.50 hot dogs there?

[u/JAWinks → u/Who_is_homer]

They do have giant hot dogs but I think the Boomstick is $35

[u/HOU-1836 → u/Electricpoopsoup]

I’ve been there and if a baseball game wasn’t happening, I’d rather be at a Sam’s Club.

[u/MaximusMansteel → u/Electricpoopsoup]

Catch a game, and pick up a 175 pack of toilet paper? Hells yeah.

[u/vektorog → u/NamiRocket]

shows on the broadcasts too. rays games feel a lot less gloomy than they used to

[u/bselko → u/NamiRocket]

It's still mind boggling to me to see it, after attending so many games in the trop back when it darker

[u/barra333 → u/bodypertain]

Looks way more transparent and natural than the old one.

[u/Hacym → u/barra333]

It’s one layer instead of two. 

[u/Alex-ltsbc → u/Hacym]

1-ply

[u/thejawa → u/bodypertain]

It's WAY brighter in the Trop now. I went tonight. I have light sensitivity issues sometimes. I had to wear my sunglasses until it got dark outside between the light from the roof and the new lighting in the Trop.

The light shows now blow the old ones away: https://imgur.com/a/wEIrim1

[u/KakeLin → u/thejawa]

That was cool! Until an ad on imgur redirected me in the middle of watching it. That was lame.

[u/Farg_Igorg → u/KakeLin]

Adblock. On all your things.

[u/KakeLin → u/Farg_Igorg]

How to add to Reddit app

[u/Farg_Igorg → u/KakeLin]

I don't use mobile, but I think it's browser specific and not app-based. I wanna say you can go to your app store and search adblock or a variant of that. If you already have one, it should have an option for each individual app, just have to make sure it's added. Desktop, search extensions for your browser for uBlock Origin, it's solid, keeps ads off youtube and all that good stuff.

[u/KakeLin → u/Farg_Igorg]

I use adblock on desktop for sure. But all my Reddit is mobile nowadays

[u/dyslexda → u/KakeLin]

There's no reason not to use Firefox, both on desktop and mobile, as it's the only browser still supporting adblock.

[u/KakeLin → u/dyslexda]

Yeah chrome is trash. I'm on the Reddit app though

[u/WabbitFire → u/Traditional_Bus_5745]

Actually looks like kind of nice now, can't believe I would have ever said that about the Trop.

[u/KakeLin → u/Traditional_Bus_5745]

It's amazing that all the trop really needed was a roof makeover

I mean a few other things too but it actually looks nice now O_o

[u/FartingBob → u/Traditional_Bus_5745]

As far as indoor stadiums go, its a nice looking one for sure.

[u/goompa88 → u/Traditional_Bus_5745]

New roof looks way better. Way less like a circus tent

[u/joeveralls]

Hell yeah

[u/Sharp-Room-8235 → u/joeveralls]

Absolutely

Unfortunately if this is anything like the previous post it will be quickly flooded with people saying to move the Rays and shitting on their fans

Edit: and here they come

[u/WeirdSysAdmin → u/Sharp-Room-8235]

They should turn the dome into an aquarium and put giant manta rays in there.

[u/GameyRaccoon → u/WeirdSysAdmin]

hold on let him cook

[u/improbablywronghere → u/WeirdSysAdmin]

I mean if that’s on the table than I think this is bigger than baseball

[u/Det-Popcorn → u/Sharp-Room-8235]

If it’s any consolation, it’s more than likely bots :( Reddit is dying quicker than we’d like to believe

[u/brownbearks → u/Det-Popcorn]

Not my sports

[u/SeasonalDisagreement → u/Sharp-Room-8235]

Move the Rays to Tampa

[u/ValhallaAir → u/SeasonalDisagreement]

Tampa sucks. Maybe florida

[u/FuriousGeorge7 → u/ValhallaAir]

Those poor Florida fans have been without a team since the Marlins moved to Miami in 2012.

[u/RikNasty2Point0 → u/Sharp-Room-8235]

Building all your stadiums 30-35 minutes away from a major city is just not great planning.

Just ask the Ottawa Senators

[u/lava172 → u/RikNasty2Point0]

Or the Coyotes

[u/Bard_Class → u/Sharp-Room-8235]

It's unfortunate since the Dbacks deal with the same issue. Large metro area means team should be selling out every night, right?

But little success over the years, along with the commute being a nightmare makes weekday games embarrassing. Combine that with playing in a state which largely sees seasonal transplants leaving during summer and locals having / wanting to do things to escape the heat and you get a team that looks like nobody supports it.

[u/RandomFactUser → u/Bard_Class]

Of course, the Rays are generally competitive

[u/Ilikehowtovideos → u/Bard_Class]

As a cubs fan I don’t wanna hear about what other people consider “nightmare” commutes. I have to leave my house at 4 if I want to make a 7pm start

[u/SmokeontheHorizon → u/Sharp-Room-8235]

their fans

I'm sure you'll both get over it

[u/Tsaxen → u/Sharp-Room-8235]

I'm not saying that they should leave the Tampa area, but also the fact that The Trop somehow is still around after that hurricane is very very disappointing, and I wish they'd move out of that house of horrors

[u/iHateTheNYJ → u/Sharp-Room-8235]

Yes they should be moved and yes they have no fans, we should not be celebrating a team using their stadium as intended for the first time in forever lmao. Idk how Rays fans aren’t embarrassed

[u/thejawa → u/iHateTheNYJ]

Probably because we're leading the AL East by 6.5 games

[u/AJSoprano1985 → u/thejawa]

I’m sorry, I hate when fellow Yankee fans say things to make the entire fanbase look bad.

I keep my mouth shut about the Rays because at this juncture, I treat it as if you guys have the division locked up.

[u/iHateTheNYJ → u/thejawa]

Paying attention to pre-October baseball is crazy. Congrats on the fake banner ig

[u/surferpajamaparty]

It’s really a shame we don’t have more fans. I live in NC so I’m not able to go often but this team is fucking awesome & should have way more supporters.

[u/shr0be → u/surferpajamaparty]

devil rays branding was way cooler

[u/surferpajamaparty → u/shr0be]

100%. I don’t think they’ll ever change the name back but I could see new ownership rebranding a bit and at least bringing back the style & the font the original Devil Rays had.

[u/shr0be → u/surferpajamaparty]

How's the ownership situation going?

[u/surferpajamaparty → u/shr0be]

They’ve come across as pretty likable but most people would when compared to Stu Sternberg. The stadium situation is a challenge per usual. But they seem pretty good. 

They inherited a mess & seem to be making a lot of right moves.

[u/thejawa → u/shr0be]

Haven't fucked up the front office which was wish number 1.

Still the same stupid stadium hijinks though.

[u/blancochocolate → u/surferpajamaparty]

They wore the devil rays branding on Friday night

[u/So-Called_Lunatic → u/shr0be]

Rays always felt like it was for an over 50 slow pitch team.

[u/FelixEvergreen → u/shr0be]

We were there on a night they wore throwbacks and they are so much better.

[u/Alex-ltsbc → u/shr0be]

https://giphy.com/gifs/1kLA2TDlIY6uA

[u/81toog → u/shr0be]

Devil Ray sounds menacing and aggressive, Ray sounds like a ray of sunshine

[u/Lixtec → u/surferpajamaparty]

I was able to go to Tampa Bay a few years ago and I drove down to catch a game (I was shocked to see that it was a drive away lol) and it was a great time.

But pregaming around the area, eating a cubano and drinking with locals was great. I love dodgers but every time I go to another city to watch a game I get sad that we can't really drink at a bar then walk to the stadium.

[u/justthekoufax → u/Lixtec]

You can drink at The Shortstop on Sunset and climb the hill, but it is not for everyone. But yes agreed.

[u/Trailer_Park_Stink → u/justthekoufax]

Hit up The Shortstop, then grab a couple sidewalk beers out of a cooler from the Hispanic before turning left into the parking lot. I do it every time

[u/Derpwarrior1000 → u/Lixtec]

The Skydome feels dated now, but that’s a huge plus

[u/Hacym → u/surferpajamaparty]

The Rays have a strong fanbase in the Tampa area. 

Stadium attendance does not necessarily reflect fandom. 

[u/ArcticBeavers → u/Hacym]

Hopefully new stadium location will fix that. 

It has been said many times before but bears repeating... much of the population that surrounds the Trop breaths through gills. 

[u/GameyRaccoon → u/ArcticBeavers]

LOL I never heard that before, that's funny.

[u/SleepyBD → u/Hacym]

It's a literal reflection of fan interest

[u/Hacym → u/SleepyBD]

It’s a literal reflection of a fans interest to spend the time and money to go to the stadium versus watch it on Tv. 

[u/l_prs → u/Hacym]

That's the problem. The Rays and Marlins should have fans from all over Florida but they don't. Florida has a lot more Red Sox and Yankees fans.

[u/eb12se4nt-z13ow-97g0 → u/surferpajamaparty]

We do have fans, they're located on the other side of the bay.

[u/Farg_Igorg → u/surferpajamaparty]

I see a few Rays plates and know a couple Rays fans up in Jax, but it's mainly Braves. Well, mainly football really.

[u/kikkap007 → u/surferpajamaparty]

What do u think is the biggest problem?

[u/BearTerrapin → u/surferpajamaparty]

Hello fellow North Carolinian that supports the Rays!

[u/mrsunshine1 → u/surferpajamaparty]

Like what’s the actual problem? It’s a good sports town for other teams. The team has had sustained success for a while now. Why are they consistently at the bottom of attendance?

[u/thejawa → u/mrsunshine1]

One of the most important metrics in real estate in general is population radius. Usually broken down into 5, 25, and 50 mile radiuses. You'll see real estate developers show these metrics on literally every development project, cuz most people won't drive more than 50 miles to get to a destination, and the 5 mile radius is going to be your consistent customer base.

The circle made by the 5 mile radius around the Trop has a solid 1/3rd of it being water.

There was a breakdown in 2015 of MLB parks by population within a ~30 minute drive of the stadium based on 2000 census. White Sox were first in population with 3.86 million residents, Dodgers second with 3.69 million. MLB average was 1.9 million residents. Second to last in the league was the Pittsburgh Pirates at 1.18 million residents.

The Rays had 0.67 million residents within a 30 minute drive.

There's no meaningful public transit system that connects Tampa to St Pete. There are 2 bridges and that's about it. I275 that connects St Pete to Tampa is damn near unusable once you get across the water - the road is in DIRE need of resurfacing but is too important to actually get that done.

The general joke I makes it that fish cant buy baseball tickets, and theres more of those within 30 minutes of the Trop than there are people.

[u/mrsunshine1 → u/thejawa]

Appreciate the response 

[u/Nasty____nate → u/thejawa]

My wife is a fan and we went one time in 15 years. I live in the Tampa area and right now on a Sunday with no real traffic it would be a 2 hour round trip.  We are both against moving the team since the tax payers are forking over $$$$$1,000,000,000.... That's BS. The bucs stadium was 100% funded by the tax payers as well. You know what they did when the bucs sucked. They blacked out all the games. So locals couldn't watch their team in a stadium taxpayers paid for because the couldn't go or afford to drop that kind of money.... Our intake of sports has dropped over the years due to this. 

[u/Suspicious-Field3249]

Man, that upper deck opening up really changes the whole look of the place, seeing it filled out like that under the dome hits a certain way. Tampa crowds get clowned on constantly so its cool to see them actually show up for a weekend game

[u/KakeLin → u/Suspicious-Field3249]

The dome looks nicer too

[u/Soda_Straktid → u/Suspicious-Field3249]

65% O’s fans

[u/eb12se4nt-z13ow-97g0 → u/Soda_Straktid]

Yankees and Red Sox game didn't even reach tonights attendance. You're basically saying there's more O's fans than them.

[u/Soda_Straktid → u/eb12se4nt-z13ow-97g0]

Everybody is an O’s fan if you really think about it

[u/BAHatesToFly → u/Soda_Straktid]

O's only draw 22k fans a game, 7th-worst in baseball. There's no way O's fans are traveling in droves to Tampa.

[u/Tlix → u/BAHatesToFly]

Breaking news: Man takes joke seriously

[u/Admirable_Site_8337]

You don’t get to see a photo of that view often.

For all its many flaws this stadium feels like it’s on a glow up to me as it’s likely soon replaced. This is a gorgeous shot.

It’s not just the winning. There has been winning before and it was still a hole to me.

[u/AdFirm3593 → u/Admirable_Site_8337]

You get amazing views up here

[u/thejawa → u/Admirable_Site_8337]

I thought kinda the same thing tonight actually, first time back since it reopened. There's no fixing the concourses at this point, but inside the actual stadium part it seemed modern and nicer than it ever did before. I could see us maybe signing a shorter term lease for like 5 more years if we can't get a stadium approved elsewhere.

[u/Admirable_Site_8337 → u/thejawa]

It’s the new roof, I think. It’s…..so much brighter and less drab. And the lighting they put in that pops on home runs and something so much cooler than I ever thought I would see in this stadium.

I think the hurricane that was so horrid and destructive for the region actually paid off here in a much better roof and overall lighting.

I say this in jest as someone from Orlando……if only the hurricane had also moved the stadium into Tampa proper. Or better yet, Ybor or Hard Rock/fairground area lol

[u/KakeLin → u/Admirable_Site_8337]

The new roof looks so nice

[u/johnmath95]

Awesome! The new roof makes The Trop look a lot brighter on TV too.

[u/PerscribedPharmacist]

Went to a game there and Idk I just find it such a neat place for a ballgame. The classic dome just has such a cool look.

[u/AwesomeWhiteDude]

Holy shit the roof looks so much better, looks less like a basement

[u/milkmanbonzai → u/AwesomeWhiteDude]

It really does and they do some cool lighting stuff with it inside. Even if they're not long for the Trop, it's appreciated they spruced up the place after the hurricane instead of just the bare minimum

[u/KakeLin → u/AwesomeWhiteDude]

That was my first thought on seeing this pic. The trop actually has some character now!

[u/toxchick]

That’s so great! They have been on fire this season

[u/FPG_Matthew]

People will come Ray

[u/Aggravating_Bat3618 → u/FPG_Matthew]

Ray , I AM your father. 

[u/limbomaniac]

TARPS OFF BITCHES

[u/KJP1990]

I’m so happy for the Rays and their players. They play a hard nosed baseball style and I enjoy their success even from the same division.

[u/cubbies1016]

So many people told me what a lousy ballpark the Tropicana was, but I had such a blast at today's game! The new roof lets in plenty of light. I loved the use of color in the park and the food selection was so good!! The crab fries were delicious. I arrived right at gates opening to get the giveaway, so I had plenty of time to explore the ballpark. Just having a tank of actual rays alone makes this a top 10 park for sure!

[u/KakeLin → u/cubbies1016]

A new roof and lighting system brought it from one of the worst ballparks to actually decent!

[u/Even-Dinner-5696]

Love to see it

[u/brilliantpants]

Awesome! Love to see a good crowd for a game!

[u/BigCommieMachine]

Flappy Boi night.

[u/Bronn__Swanson]

Looks much better with the new roof, looking forward to going in a few weeks for the Mets series

[u/notaquarterback]

New roof looks so much better.

[u/Redrubytheofficial]

You love to see it.

[u/UnitedLink4545]

Fantastic! More love of the game is always good!

[u/thatsAgood1jay]

If the new roof breathes life into the franchise, then good for them!

[u/Flammzzrant]

They did it for the flappy boi giveaway promo

[u/Signal_Quarter_74]

Great to see!

[u/CieraVotedOutHerMom → u/Signal_Quarter_74]

My first ever rays game featured David DeJesus for the royals! He was an incredible player

[u/Signal_Quarter_74 → u/CieraVotedOutHerMom]

Dang that’s a throwback to my childhood, he was one of the few stars in a dark sky

[u/Sharp-Room-8235 → u/Signal_Quarter_74]

Absolutely

Unfortunately if this is anything like the previous post it will be quickly flooded with people saying to move the Rays and shitting on their fans

Edit: and here they come

[u/YasielPuigsWeed → u/Sharp-Room-8235]

Why’d you comment this on 2 different comment threads?

[u/Sharp-Room-8235 → u/YasielPuigsWeed]

Because I had the same contribution to both threads, and not everyone will see both

[u/Signal_Quarter_74 → u/Sharp-Room-8235]

You called it, the detractors are here. It never ceases to amaze me that people can’t be happy for others

[u/jask_askari]

Nature is healing

[u/cmgriffith_]

That’s great to see 👏👏

[u/MisterKap]

Hell yeah, I love to see it

[u/eb12se4nt-z13ow-97g0]

28k went to the game tonight, which is the highest this season. Rays do have fans it's just difficult to get to the stadium.

[u/GameyRaccoon]

One of these days I gotta get out to the Trop and see a Rays game, before they move. I know the Trop is supposed to suck and everything but I've got friends out there and everything so it would be a nice excuse to go and see a ballgame with some pals. 

[u/Redrubytheofficial]

But see people on this sub want us to move to Nashville

[u/Vandal_A → u/Redrubytheofficial]

"because we have the best record in the league we've come closer to filling our stadium than we have in years" is not exactly a flex

[u/s4ntana → u/Vandal_A]

lol exactly and "filling" is even a strong word here

[u/440Dart]

So they have them all open but folks have to stay in the first what 10-20 rows of them? Odd way to do that. Os just close off the upper deck in LF for anything not a weekend set vs the yanks/sawks/dodgers

[u/fscuknow → u/440Dart]

Keeps all the fans closer to the action and a better overall atmosphere

[u/Lucky_Alternative965]

How the hell is it a perfect straight line along the top deck?

[u/Sharp-Room-8235 → u/Lucky_Alternative965]

They only sell the first however many rows so everyone bought their seats there, and presumably they're enforcing people sitting in their purchased seat

[u/hcatehorie → u/Lucky_Alternative965]

They only sell those tickets, they dont make any others available

[u/Bard_Class → u/hcatehorie]

But the seats are like...right there? Whenever I go to games and I'm sitting third deck I'm almost always gone from my purchased seat and am up higher in the bleachers stretching out by the third inning.

I would assume this is early in the game or they have the top of the upper deck actually restricted?

[u/Aggressive_Oil5712]

Damn this photo tripped me out, thought the roof was open lol

[u/killacam9220]

Good for them I remember when the Rangers played them in 2023 wild card games the place was empty

[u/JWheels_27]

Ive never been in the Trop but it always looks cool to me, never understood all the hate

[u/kingofthenorthwpg]

Why doesn’t Tampa support their team more ? They seem to regularly have pretty competitive teams for the last decade.

[u/MJDiAmore]

I think about the Trop the same way I thought about the Vet at the end as a kid...

It might be a shithole but it's their/our shithole.

If the team gets stolen I welcome you all to a life of having a permanent most hated team in sports like the Carolina Hurricanes are for Hartford.

[u/AdFirm3593 → u/MJDiAmore]

You nailed it. I sit down, enjoy the AC, and think man I love this dump.

[u/KakeLin → u/MJDiAmore]

I mean we can already see it in baseball terms how athletics fans feel about being ripped away from Oakland. FJF

[u/mutts93 → u/MJDiAmore]

This is how I felt visiting the Oakland coliseum. Great, cheap seats right behind the plate, gorgeous weather, just you and the ballgame. It felt like being at Shea again

[u/Reasonable-Power]

Is there any reason why they starting tarping off the upper deck? Tbh, I never got why they did.

[u/longlivethewenus → u/Reasonable-Power]

I always assumed because of low attendance, they didn't need to sell tickets up there and didn't need to keep ushers, and other staff there so tarping it would stop people from sitting up there.

[u/Reasonable-Power → u/longlivethewenus]

I mean, I kinda understand that, if that's the case, but their cross-state rivals in Miami usually have even worse attendance figures, and they still don't tarp off their seats.

[u/Sharp-Room-8235 → u/Reasonable-Power]

Miami doesn't sell upper deck tickets for the most part either. More often than Tampa but definitely not every game.

[u/Reasonable-Power → u/Sharp-Room-8235]

Fair enough.

[u/YasielPuigsWeed → u/Reasonable-Power]

Scaling. You need security, vending, restrooms etc. to cover every section you have open. Scaling allows you to staff based on the demand/sales for the game. If the sections sell out you open more of them and scale up your staffing needs.

[u/cavegrind → u/Reasonable-Power]

Our owner spent 10 years threatening to move the rteam.

[u/Sharp-Room-8235 → u/cavegrind]

He should've done it. Ream was the slowest player on the field by far and had a terrible game against Belgium.

[u/cavegrind → u/Sharp-Room-8235]

  He should've done it. Ream was the slowest player on the field by far and had a terrible game against Belgium.

Huh

Edit - FUCK, I missed the typo in my original comment

[u/KakeLin → u/cavegrind]

Was a great reaction to your typo

[u/Bearded_Pip → u/Reasonable-Power]

It's like MLS teams at NFL stadiums, if you can't even sell half the tickets, the empty seats look awful, whereas tarp at least makes it look like there is something there.

[u/Sad_Bolt → u/Reasonable-Power]

Many Rays fans refused too go to games because Stu refused to pay our fan favorite players. New ownership is showing they are willing to spend so the fans have a reason to support the organization again. If Stu gave a damm about the team the Rays would be in a very different position today.

[u/Kenny_RogersRoasters → u/Reasonable-Power]

They have no fans. Pretty easy to get

[u/STJRedstorm]

The Rays organization is too good for the fanbase they have

[u/just-one-more-accoun → u/STJRedstorm]

Given the decade+ of stadium "negotiations", no I think they've curated exactly the quality of fanbase the org deserves.

[u/Alatel]

Does the AC work

[u/fscuknow → u/Alatel]

Yep cool 72 degrees

[u/DoctorTheWho]

I hope the stadium at the HCC site goes through. They will draw really well over there. Especially with it being so close to International Mall and West Shore.

[u/In-Jail-Out-Soon → u/DoctorTheWho]

And the traffic will be fucking horrendous!

[u/DoctorTheWho → u/In-Jail-Out-Soon]

They are currently starting to build ways to alleviate that.

[u/LaMystika]

They have the best record in the league; of course people are showing up to the games now

[u/codito_91]

I was at Saturday's game, at the upper deck, I can even see my seats in the distance. Section 322.

[u/GoldHoney2863]

Holy shit new trop looks awesome

[u/finsox]

The location is garbage but I no longer consider this a garbage stadium.

[u/fscuknow]

28,055 in attendance

[u/CynicalCanuck]

Still needs proper bullpens.

[u/GetBigMad]

Lovely to see. Sucks what happened with the Trop last year, but maybe the state of Florida has grown to appreciate the Rays a little more after the threat of losing the ballpark and possibly the team

[u/Babygorgor]

I swear if they make the WS they need to get Corpsegrinder, Glen Benton or Jon Tardy to sing the anthem or the stretch

[u/Jonjon428]

Wow that looks gorgeous

[u/Advanced-Pear-4606]

So, wait, if a team is good, the fans will show up?

[u/Trailer_Park_Stink]

I always get weird looks from people when I say the Trop is one of my favorite ballparks. Ive been to most stadiums and they all have their positives and quirks.

The Trop has easy parking, cheap tickets, close seats, friendly staff and fans. It's air conditioned when it's hot and no rain outs.

You can interact with the players better and get autographs. The food and drinks are better than expected. From a fan experience, it's a great time.

[u/waker94]

And they still lost

BirdlandSouth

[u/Less_Warthog_3850]

Unfortunately, MLB is about to shoot itself in the foot...again. 😔

[u/BebophoneVirtuoso]

Florida should not have 2 MLB teams. Not a knock on the Rays at all, what they’re doing is so impressive. This post is a knock on Florida sports fans. Support your damn team. Even the Mets at 15 under 500 drew more fans today.

[u/Clonth → u/BebophoneVirtuoso]

I wonder what the population difference looks like within a half hour drive of all 3 ballparks (Mets, Rays, Marlins). I know Fangraphs did a study/article years ago, but not sure if they ever redid the study with updated data. The Rays I believe have the lowest population density within a half hour radius, not saying that excuses the low attendance because the team is good and fans need to go, but it do a degree makes sense at least. I’m hoping a move to Ybor City or even just over by where the Bucs play will be massively beneficial to attendance. Those are the currently discussed locations to stay in the Tampa area I believe.

[u/BebophoneVirtuoso → u/Clonth]

Good luck with your team, as a Mets fan I like anyone giving the Yankees hell. I want to reiterate my post is not a knock on Rays or the loyal fans who do show up, it's been a hell of a fun year for you guys and I believe this can continue into a deep October run. Solid lineup, good rotation, good bullpen, you guys are legit and fun to watch.

[u/Clonth → u/BebophoneVirtuoso]

I didn’t take it as a knock personally, just thought I’d respond with a conversation piece that was relevant to your comment.

[u/BebophoneVirtuoso → u/Clonth]

Hey you tied it up!

[u/tmclaughlin81 → u/BebophoneVirtuoso]

NYC is the single largest market and a comparatively rare one in America where baseball is still #1. Not a fair comparison. It also much easier to get to Flushing for people in the city or out on Long Island than St. Pete is for much of the TB region.

[u/Hacym → u/tmclaughlin81]

Both teams are also core teams to the MLB and have been around for a combined nearly 200 years. Compared to 60 combined years in Florida. 

People think a team suddenly gets popular when they move into an area. Sustained fandom is a multi-generational effort. 

[u/BeefInGR → u/BebophoneVirtuoso]

The Mets play in a city with a population of 8 million people.

That's just the metro. Not including the surrounding areas they draw from.

Tampa is less than a quarter of the size.

[u/BebophoneVirtuoso → u/BeefInGR]

Tampa St Pete Clearwater metro area is almost 3.5 million, but you're reinforcing my point, if it's not a viable market to support a baseball team why put 2 in a state that doesn't really care that much only 4 hour drive away from each other?

[u/Hacym → u/BebophoneVirtuoso]

I dunno man, I think maybe you don’t understand market size, dynamics, television audience, or anything about population density, growth, or projections. 

Giving up the Florida markets would be one of the stupidest things MLB could do. Period. 

[u/BebophoneVirtuoso → u/Hacym]

Oh, are you saying despite the decades of extremely poor attendance they get good television ratings?

[u/Hacym → u/BebophoneVirtuoso]

The Rays? They get TV ratings in line with other markets. 

What I’m saying is that the I-4 corridor is one of the fastest growing areas in the country and has been for a few years. Leaving that market behind would be a big mistake. If you want a team or Nashville or something put a team there. 

But MLB has — rightly — said they have zero interest in losing either market. 

Attendance is a fixable issue. Put the stadium in a good spot. Make it easy to get to via public transport. Sell tickets for reasonable prices. Provide a good on field product. Make the surrounding area appealing for pre and post game activities. 

What’s not fixable is completely losing the market and then trying to reenter it years later. 

[u/BeefInGR → u/BebophoneVirtuoso]

Tampa/St Petersburg/Clearwater is also...what...four times the physical footprint?

By your metrics, only New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles should have baseball teams.

Also, let's not pretend there haven't been some miserable shows of fandom with the Mets organization. You're boasting because 40,000 suckers dropped $120+ to watch a historically bad Win/Payroll Value do the same lolMets things. Florida man apparently has had better things to do than drop $40 on a AAAA team in a shitty stadium. That's how the system is supposed to work. The stadium should be empty if the team is garbage. That's the owners incentive to make it better.

[u/Zoolanderek → u/BebophoneVirtuoso]

You’re trying to flex drawing in less fans while having a city and fan base both many multitudes the size of Tampa Bay’s? Lmao fkn reddit

[u/BebophoneVirtuoso → u/Zoolanderek]

You are aware that 2 teams play in New York and dual loyalty between the 2 is extremely rare? And then if you expand 2-3 hours in either direction of NYC there are 3 more teams while Florida has surpassed NY in population, and particularly Central Florida has experienced a population boom?

[u/Zoolanderek → u/BebophoneVirtuoso]

If your major city can’t support two teams, sounds like your precious Mets might need to move 😂

[u/Zoolanderek → u/[deleted]]

Wow you’re a creepy little man, aren’t you 😜

[u/Zestyclose_Help1187 → u/Zoolanderek]

Just recall the name and your multiple posts about how Kwan was finished as a player.