Fans like to drink, fans like a winning team, a winning team almost always increases it’s in-house attendance numbers. Not only good players can make a team good, but so can a superstar player which a team recently acquires. Quite often, that such an acquisition happens through free agency.
Yes, free agency, of course! That’s where the big money not just happens but becomes an ignitor. Take for instance last week when Yu Darvish officially left behind his Los Angeles team and signed with Chicago’s north side team for $126 million over the next 6 six years! OK, so what about this “ignitor” part? Well the ignitor part is where not only this flashy superstar now comes to play for your’ team, that’s what starts the demand for more season ticket sales during the winter months, casual fans making a point to attend a game early in the season in order to see this “new guy” pitch (or play), and hey, if this star free agent comes through with those same big numbers he was known for on his “other team”, then that will likely generate sellouts and possibly playoff games!
In-Seat Beer Vendors (who make money only on how much they sell) love sell out crowds. With the job market currently in good shape, some stadiums are unable to hire enough Beer Vendors to accommodate sell out crowds, plus, fans who choose to purchase their alcohol from a concourse concession stand (a practice we highly discourage) may opt to buy from the In-Seat Vendors when they realize how long those concession stand lines have became.
What happens on the field DOES have a lot to say on how much an In-Seat Beer Vendor will make. Seems like when the home team is winning a key game, or a grand slam occurs, fans may be more willing to pull out more green earmarked for the next passing Beer Vendor for another round. But, if it’s late in the season and playoffs are out of the question, then money is back to being an issue. The same effect can happen for the following season when a superstar player LEAVES a team? Ouch!