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| Monongalia County Ballpark |
Attendance at New York-Penn League (NYPL) games has been declining for the past several years, so what's happening in Granville is not a surprise. The numbers tell the story. Total attendance at New York-Penn League games have declined from 1,890,053 in 2002 to 1,403,575 in 2017 (source: numbertamer.com). Here's what has happened in Granville since the Black Bears arrived:
Year Total Attendance Number of home games Average per game
2015 83,796 37 2,265
2016 78,774 36 2,188
2017 75,064 37 2,029
(Source: NYPL website)
Hopefully, attendance improves during the 2018 season. The Black Bears home opener is set for June 21 at Monongalia County Ballpark. Get ticket information at this link.
On March 23, the Black Bears announced their 2018 promotion schedule (see complete schedule below). Not much new from previous seasons, but I recommend you mark your calendars for the West Virginia Moonshiners series on July 17,18 & 19, and the Kevin Newman Bobblehead Night on July 26.
June 21 Cap giveaway to first 1,000 fans
June 22 Fireworks
June 23 Fireworks
June 29 Fireworks
June 30 Jersey Auction
July 4 Fireworks
July 5 Pirate and Princess Night
July 6 Fireworks
July 7 Jersey Auction
July 8 Family Sunday Funday
July 9 Faith and Family Night
July 17 West Virginia Moonshiners Series
July 18 West Virginia Moonshiners Series
July 19 West Virginia Moonshiners Series
July 25 Christmas in July
July 26 Kevin Newman Bobblehead Night to first 1,000 fans
July 27 Fireworks
July 28 Star Wars Jersey Auction
July 29 Family Sunday Funday
August 5 Family Sunday Funday
August 6 Teacher Appreciation Night
August 7 XPOGO Night
August 11 Military Appreciation/Jersey Auction Night
August 12 Family Sunday Funday - Post Game Meet the Team
August 17 Fireworks
August 18 Superhero Jersey Auction
August 19 Family Sunday Funday with Pride of West Virginia (WVU Band)
August 20 Team Photo Giveaway to first 1,000 fans
August 22 Bark in Park
August 26 Family Sunday Funday
September 2 Family Sunday Funday
You can follow the NYPL all season at NY-Penn League News and keep track of former West Virginia Black Bears at Black Bears Tracker. You can also follow us on Twitter @NYPennNews
See you at the ballpark.
Photo Credits: NY-Penn League News
Black Bears Tracker is not affiliated in any way with Minor League Baseball, the New York-Penn League, or the West Virginia Black Bears
I'm not sure what the answer is. It probably does no good to try and promote individual players because they come and go so fast. I don't think team affiliation matters that much either. Hudson Valley has good attendance and they are affiliated with the Rays.
ReplyDeleteLike most things it probably just rides on ownership. It looks like the Black Bears were 9th out of 14 teams in attendance. With stadium capacity being around 2500 (without looking I'm guessing that is one of the smallest) they are probably ok with that position. Even if we maxed out on attendance, 90k is about as good as they can do. The key is if they can stop the decline. They look to be going all in on promotions this year so we will see if that helps. The weather didn't do them any favors either last year.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Gear (t-shirts, hats, mugs, and decals for the Moonshiners series are on sale for season ticket holders. Looking forward to this season and will be following the MLB draft closely.
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