Hahn: No big moves on horizon to aid attendance

Share

If you have Josh Hamilton or Zack Greinke on your White Sox holiday wish list this year, think again.

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said the club isnt in the market at Major League Baseballs winter meetings, which begin Monday, to make a big move just to put butts in the seats. Though Hamilton or Greinke would clearly help any club they join, the White Sox say they wont make a big splash just to try and solve attendance problems.

Last season, the White Sox fell shy of the two-million mark at the turnstiles even though they won 85 games and were in first place for 117 days. It was the first time the White Sox hadnt drawn at least two million fans to U.S. Cellular Field since 2004 and marked a sixth straight season in which attendance declined.

But the club is confident the product isnt the problem after they had a consultant conduct a fan survey last season. Getting to the park and the cost of parking were the big issues for fans. The team has tried to combat their attendance issues with prices decreases for certain tickets and a reduction in the cost of parking.

I firmly believe that if we win, if we put a product on the field that merits the fans patronage, that theyre going to come, Hahn said last week. If its a splashy move it will only be made if its going to help us win more ballgames, which is ultimately the goal. As Ive said before, we have more than enough resources around here to win and its our job to allocate them to gives us the best chance to win, not to allocate them in a way that potentially increases attendance because its something splashy.

Contact Us