Toronto Blue Jays only have themselves to blame for low ticket sales

Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro admits there has been a big drop in season ticket sales compared to last year. However, they put themselves in this position.

There was a time when the Toronto Blue Jays were the hottest ticket in town, and arguably all of baseball. Spurred on by moving to the SkyDome, the team saw attendances steadily increase to an all-time average high of 50,098 in 1993, when they won the second of their two World Series championships.

Considering the Blue Jays started a 21-year postseason drought the following season, attendances were still pretty decent, averaging over 27,000 fans over this period. This tells you everything you need to know about how loyal and passionate the Toronto fan base is.

However, it seems the organization took this for granted and they now appear to have finally pushed their luck too far. Consider a recent article from the Toronto Sun‘s Rob Longley.

Longley writes that Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro is on record as saying season ticket sales have dropped, from 20,000 to 13,000. That’s a significant decrease of 35 percent.

The Jays didn’t help themselves by increasing ticket prices by as much as 17 percent. This is the third consecutive year the organization has done this.

It’s one thing to do it when the team is winning, as they did with two consecutive postseason appearances. But to do it after finishing with a record of 76-86 is a slap in the face, especially for a fan base which led the American League in attendance for two straight years.

In an interview with Sportsnet, as per Longley, Shapiro attempted to justify the ticket increase: “The only reason to do it is to compete with the Yankees and the Red Sox. The only reason.”

In theory, this makes sense. New York and Boston have vast resources, while Toronto is attempting to bounce back from a losing season, where they finished 17 games off the pace in the AL East.

However, there is one significant problem with Shapiro’s claim, taking into account the Blue Jays also raised ticket prices the two previous seasons. Between 2016 and 2017, the roster’s estimated payroll dropped from $182.7 million to $158.9 million.

So essentially, despite leading the AL in attendance last season — with a losing record — the Jays spent $23.8 million less on the team. And that’s before factoring in the extra money made from raising ticket prices.

Of course, the prime example of the Jays’ attempts to save money was the $17.2 million qualifying offer they made to Edwin Encarnacion. The Jays’ offer amounted to another slap in the face, to a player who led the team in homers and the AL in RBI in 2016.

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Whether true or not, the perception is the Jays thought they could continue to push the boundaries with their fan base. And that same fan base has rebelled emphatically.

As a result, the Jays’ gamble has failed. Even taking into account the price increases, the loss of 7,000 season ticket holders means less money heading into this season.

However, there is some good news – potentially at least. This is still the same loyal, passionate fan base it always has been.

As such, if the team can get off to a winning start and make a legitimate challenge for the postseason, the fans will come back. You only have to go back through the years, for proof of this.

Now, we wait to see how things play out in the coming months. Regardless, we have one piece of friendly advice for Shapiro – whether the Jays make the postseason or not this year, we would strongly recommend you don’t increase ticket prices again in 2019.

Next: Jays' season preview - the rotation

What’s your take on the Toronto Blue Jays’ position re: ticket sales? Do you put the blame squarely on their shoulders, or do you have any sympathy for their situation? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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