LenexatoKCMO wrote:
Whole league is showing signs of the economy - league average through opening week was 31k a game, which is apparently significantly down.
Mets have a smaller stadium (10k less), but will average capacity crowds all year. Yankees have not even started playing yet. That stadium is also slightly smaller, but they will average over 50k.
So till we get a bit further into the season, I don’t see how you can even know that overall MLB attendance is down.
KCMax wrote:
Why I never understood the renovations vote. If you're going to renovate, why not go the extra mile and build the rolling roof?
I agree. KC seriously dropped the ball by not building the rolling roof.
GRID wrote:
Mets have a smaller stadium (10k less), but will average capacity crowds all year. Yankees have not even started playing yet. That stadium is also slightly smaller, but they will average over 50k.
So till we get a bit further into the season, I don’t see how you can even know that overall MLB attendance is down.
Shocking, the two teams in the biggest market with new stadiums are going to have good crowds.
KCPowercat wrote:
Shocking, the two teams in the biggest market with new stadiums are going to have good crowds.
What the hell is your point? My point is that two of the largest drawing teams will have smaller stadiums this year which will bring the averages down and right now the averages don’t even make sense because the Yankee’s have not even opened at home yet. They will average over 50k when they do start and even though they have a new stadium they will average less this year as will the Mets because of the smaller stadiums.
The Royals could easily finish the season dead last in attendance this year after a 250 million dollar renovation to the stadium. The only thing saving us is Florida and they are building a new stadium.
I guess it doesn’t bother anybody else, but I would really like to see more people show up to the games. I’m not saying that KC couldn’t draw better this year. I know it’s still early, but like I said, with this team and a renovated stadium, if we can finish the year with an average attendance of 23-25k, which would still be the very bottom of the MLB teams, then I will be disappointed.
And people wanted to spend 500 million on a new stadium?
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that KC averages 22-23k this year. Up from 20k last year. Thanks to the Cards, Red Sox and Buck nights.
But man it would be sweet if we could average 25k or even 28k this year (which is still the bottom third of the league).
I think the point is, it is very understandable that people aren't coming out to see the Royals. They have been losers for over a decade - over a lifetime for many kids out there.
I'd love to see more fans out there, but I'm not going to blame the customer. With these prices, in this economy (let's not forget that a large portion of attendance for many teams are season tickets for corporations, a base that has not supported the Royals for some time in KC), the Royals are going to have be in contention a bit longer than the first week of the season to get people to spend their hard earned money on this club.
KCMax wrote:
the Royals are going to have be in contention a bit longer than the first week of the season to get people to spend their hard earned money on this club.
. . . on a near freezing Monday night against what may be the worst team in the league.
Went to Opening Day and the Saturday game against the Yankees. As already pointed out, I noticed a huge line out the guys restroom near the foul poles but the 8 restrooms in between had no lines. I even yelled out to one of the lines that there were others with no wait and they just continued to stand there like a bunch of cattle being led to slaughter.
From what I understand, the batter's eye will have some sort of living greenery covering it at some point. These renovations were 90% complete at best as of Opening Day. They hadn't even finished replacing the seat numbers on all the seats. My seats were 9 through 12 but the row I was in had seats numbered 1 through 8 and then started over again with 1 through 4.
The Royals have already publicly stated numerous times that the fountains will be moderated based on extreme weather conditions. What that means is when it is 45 degrees with a wind out of the east the fountains will be tamed down a bit. When is it 97 degrees the fountains will be on as they normally would be and fans in the standing room only section can pretty much plan on getting wet.
I've been to Camden Yards, Coors Field, Jacobs Field, Minute Maid Park, and Safeco Field and my biased opinion is that the new Kauffman is every bit as nice as all of those parks. I would even say that there are elements of the new Kauffman that are better. I actually found that being able to walk completely around the entire dugout concourse (walkway that goes in front of CrownVision) was a huge plus as I could buy barbeque in right field, run down the stairs and walk to my seats in left field without taking my eyes off the field.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give the new Kauffman a 9.0. The negatives are seeing the old aging concrete, Aramark, and the sewer pipes coming from the view level concourse that can be seen from the parking lot.
Give the new park a year to mature and then lets be a bit more critical.
I went to saturdays game with my son, and he had a blast! We arrived at 3:00pm, and entered through gate E. First thing we did was get our faces drawn, those turned out real well. Second we went over to the batting cage and I watched while he wailed at away at the baseballs! He did that probably 10 times throughout the dissapointing game. We also did the pitching, and the running games twice.
As for food, I pigged out, I went over to the BBQ place that was behind Rivals. My son was not yet hungry, but I ordered the chop sandwich, fries, and two sodas for the price of $22.50! Later on we he ordered a hotdog, nachos, pretzel, and I got some peanuts, and another soda for the price of $23.00!
As for fan fare we went to Sluggerrrs team store I bought him two wrist bands for $8.00 dollars. I looked at a travelers coffee mug while I was in there, and they wanted $25.00 dollars for one of those! I didn't get one.
As for the architecture of the stadium, I love the stainless steel look it's perfect to upgrade the "K" with since the "K" was considered 70's futurism with it's slopping architechture. Now, in the same breath when looking at the front of the stadium, I agree with some on here there is def. something missing! I have looked back through the concepts that then HOK had released, and come to find out there are some diffrences. The entrances at gates B, and D have been watered down! The two most notable examples are first the only exposed concrete in those areas were to be only the circular ramps. The concrete on the facade at the entrances were suppose to be covered by steel slats that ran horizontally, and larger posters. Second, the roof over the view level concourse was designed to overhang the entrances as well.
The circular ramps, as I have said before, they should have all been torn down, and replaced with modern ones especially after I seen that huge crack that ran vertically the entire length in one of the support columns. It looks as though some one hit the ramp very hard with a piece of steel, or heavy machinery! Hell, the concrete railing in that area was buckled also! The concourses were def. wider, and it was fairly easy to navigate around people early on, but as the lines at the concession stands grew it became more challenging to get through the concourse. As for the floors, they are really nice, but keep in mind that is not a terrazo floor it's paint so the Royals will have to be on their game to make sure the floors are kept up. The flat panel tvs were nice and are bigger, and nicer than the ones are in the sprint center. We sat in section 419, row NN, seats 6, and 7. I was dissapointed that there was no cup holders, and a lot of the logos that were on the seats are now so scratched up that they need to be replaced. So, I look for the Royals to do a full seat replacement in a couple of years. David Glass has said just because the renovations are near complete dosen't mean the smaller transformations will stop. My opinion is the Royals should consider dropping the seatting capacity down to 36,000, and add another wide vomitory, and 24" wide seats all with cup holders, and with all of them cushioned.
We had no trouble with getting in and out of the bathroom, although I overheard a couple say she didn't have any trouble getting in, but warned her husband that the line were long.
After we got tired of sitting in the nose bleeds we proceded to walk around until we found a great standing area right above the rightfield camera crew next to the stairs that lead down to the Pepsi Party Porch. I loved that view!
In All we had a good time everyone I talked to at the stadium loved the renovations. Hopefully the so called pro stadium reviewers will have the same impression, and rate this one in atleast the top 5 with all stadiums.
LenexatoKCMO wrote:
I don't think they added any upstairs - its the same old bathrooms in the same old shells but with urinals instead of troughs - thus a net decrease in pissing capacity. Fail. Downstairs they looked plentiful, perhaps more than enough, everywhere but the outfield where folks will do the most drinking - Fail. Over/under on how many games until someone gets arrested for trying to take a leak behind the carousel?
I thought HOK was practiced at this - seems like it would be painfully obvious that you don't over build bathrooms near the pricey seats and way under build them near the cheap/beer drinker seats and party areas.
I agree with you, and Populous is very well practiced, but obviously there were some budget issues. I was dissapointed that the only thing they did cosmetic to that side of the concourse on the view level was paint it. So, the stadium will be within 25 million of it's orginal budget, but it took some cutting corners to stay there. I have seen two estimates of total cost one at 250 million, and the other at 275 million. Neither of which are official
trailerkid wrote:
I saw a few different people in the crowd on TV wearing big ass, puke yellow Missouri garbage bag-looking hoodies during the Royals game yesterday.
What a bunch of classless, small town hicks. Get some Royals gear, you Missooourah hillbillies!
That's impossible! I've been assured by the experts on this board that only KU fans are classless, retarded or hick enough to wear their college gear to a Royals game.
If it doesn't have street-level retail, it's an abortion.
WSPanic wrote:
That's impossible! I've been assured by the experts on this board that only KU fans are classless, retarded or hick enough to wear their college gear to a Royals game.
In all fairness to the experts WSP...there were probably "hundreds" more KU garbage bag looking hoodies.
"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first."
- Mark Twain
NDTeve wrote:
In all fairness to the experts WSP...there were probably "hundreds" more KU garbage bag looking hoodies.
At least they're wearing something in the right color spectrum.
"Let me get out my puke-mustard, MU hoodie (that looks like a 19 year-old should be wearing it) and sit behind home plate even though I'm a grown man in my forties with a beer belly."
Leave it to those hick, college sports fans from Missouri.
