Despite Nearly $300M in Stadium Investments, PawSox's League Sees Falling Attendance Past 10 Years

Despite Nearly $300M in Stadium Investments, PawSox's League Sees Falling Attendance Past 10 Years

Over the past ten years, six of the 14 teams in the International League have rehabbed or built new stadiums. The Pawtucket Red Sox play in the International League. The cost of the construction totals more than $275.3 million in rehab and construction costs since 2008. Despite the massive investment during this decade, one thing has not increased in the International League — attendance.

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While the GoLocal examination of the rehabs and new stadiums found that more than $275.3 million has been invested and according to the executives at the Pawtucket Red Sox and Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien that on average 70-75 percent of the rehabs and new construction costs are assumed by taxpayers.

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“Over the last 10 years at the Triple-A level, the public sector has on average funded 70-75% of public ballpark project costs and the team has invested about 25-30%,” said Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien last week in support of the now derailed PawSox funding requests. The PawSox are asking for $38 million in public subsidies.

Therefore, across the International League taxpayers have invested approximately $192.7 million to build new stadiums and rehabbing old facilities since 2008, but the investment has not paid off in growing the fan attendance. 

International League attendance has decreased by 4.6 over the past ten years. In 2008, the teams in the International League drew just under 7.1 million in total attendance and in 2016 attendance fell to 6.76 million. Even for taxpayers and teams that poured upward of $70 plus million to improve their stadium, the results have been mixed.

Mixed Bag on Attendance After Stadium Spend

In the case of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders the investment did not pay-off. In 2013 an investment of over $48 million was made, but the the team has seen a downward slide --  a significant decrease in attendance.  In 2008, the team drew  7,147 per game, but fell to 6,071 in 2016 despite the nearly $50 million investment.  Teams like Columbus did see a ten percent increase in attendance from 2008 to 2016. More than $78 million was invested in the Clipper’s stadium.

“And importantly, it (the new stadium) will take the franchise from financial uncertainty to stable financial condition, and make the professional baseball business sustainable in Rhode Island for the long-term,” said Larry Lucchino, PawSox Chairman. 

Status of the PawSox Ask

On Monday, Governor Gina Raimondo told GoLocal that she supported the most recent funding structure, but by Tuesday Senate President Dominick Ruggerio announced that the Senate would not take up the proposal this legislative session. On Wednesday, Pawtucket Mayor Grebien led a press conference at the State House warning that a State House delay was putting the team's commitment to Rhode Island at risk. See the video here.