Where Would the Ironpigs Be Without…

Everyone roots for an underdog. Especially when their team isn’t the opposing team and the opponent a great team. Where would expections for future success have been, had the Ironpigs been a winning team? Who would come to the games and cheer on our beloved Pigs?

Imagine if, in 2008, the Ironpigs finished above .500, qualified for the playoffs and/or won the AAA Championship. Success, right? Wrong. That first year would have seen the stadium sellout over and over. Money flying in left and right. Then a theoretical 2009 season would have been a complete disappointment had the new team not matched the success of 2008. The stands would have been lean.

Let’s take a look at the Pork Races held at every Ironpig’s home game. Who’s favorite is Diggity (the hot dog) or Chris P. Bacon (the Bacon)? Not many. Now that Hambone even has a “Fan Club.” Fans root on Hambone to keep trying and trying and never give up. His only win this season came with the assistance of a former pro wrestler. Hambone has exhibited vanity, promiscuity and lack of direction in most of his races and doesn’t win often.. yet the fans love Hambone! We love underdogs.

The USA hockey team beating the powerhouse USSR in the Olympics! (hockey reference for Rolf)

The Marlins beating the Yankees in the World Series!

The Bad News Bears making their championship game!

Almost everybody wants to see that hard work and effort allow anyone to compete and win and in the Ironpigs circumstances there is another factor that contributes to success.

The Phillies. Yes, the Phillies. How many people do you know that have dusted off their Phillies gear and become fans again? I know a few. How many times have you heard that Phillies tickets are hard to come by so they settled for Ironpig games?

The parent team of the Ironpigs has a lot to do with success at Coca Cola Park. Ok, yeah the team isn’t winning and that grates on any true baseball fan but the success I’m talking about it at the gates. The Lehigh Valley Fans currently lead the AAA in average per game attendance.

Not only are fans continuing to pack the stands at CCP.. they have been for 3 straight years! Would these fans still be showing up game after game if the Pigs were big winners or if the Phillies plummeted to the basement for a few season? I doubt it.

Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely want that AAA trophy on display at our home park… I’m just looking at the (forgive the overused phrase) Perfect Storm that has helped our team and community to grow. I truly believe that keeping the attendance high will keep the prices low for us all.

Another factor, and yes this is already due for the conversation, is 2011. What questions could be asked for 2011?

Will Andy Tracy, “Mr. Ironpig”, return for another season? He is getting up in years.. maybe he will stay on as a coach?

Will other new attractions spark interest in the occasional fan and draw them somewhere else? You have to say Dorney Park, and many other businesses, has seen an impact on sales when the Pigs are in town.

Will those folks who signed 3 year season ticket contracts renew?

Good one right? Shelling out that cash was a no brainer in 2007 when most people had security in their jobs and living expenses hadn’t yet gone up as they did in 2008. I think the answer lies in Season Ticket holder benefits. The big draw for purchasing season tickets for more established teams is an extensive discount and great seats.

Look at the cost of a Reading Phillies season ticket.. in the Blue section normal price of $11 a game. Season pass costs $515 for 70 games, a cost of 7.36 a game. A savings of $3.64 a game. How soon will we see this at CCP? Unfortunately, the savings will most likely be subjected to us when normal ticket prices go up and Season tickets will stay the same. Keeping in perspective.. let’s not get ahead of ourselves. 🙂

So my whole point of this post is… can we, the Lehigh Valley, keep this park full for every home game? I hope so.