Jason Putorti
Aug 24, 2017 · 2 min read

Hi Brian, I don’t have access to all the data you have, so I know this is just one opinion, but I saw your appearance on press:here and I have some thoughts.

We live in the same building. Getting to Kezar Stadium takes at least 25 minutes by car with average city traffic, and then there’s parking. Public transit is 40 minutes or more on the light rail. Getting to San Jose, while farther, isn’t that far in comparison. The baby bullet is an hour, weekends you can drive there in 45 minutes.

Avaya Stadium is one of the best soccer venues in the United States, and MLS is our top flight domestic league. The experience offered doesn’t compare, and the Bay Area sports fan has high expectations given AT&T Park, SAP Center, and Levi’s Stadium—the upcoming Chase Center will further raise the bar.

I took a look at your ticket prices and the gate prices seem comparable to the Earthquakes. I paid, with fees, $65.22 for a pair of third row midfield seats for the game against the Union on Saturday, they were after-market but those are plentiful. It’s funny you mentioned the weather, and moved up the game times. Good call! It’s freezing in Golden Gate Park, which also isn’t a problem in San Jose.

So while you don’t think MLS is your competition, you’ve priced it about the same, so I think you’ve made it your competition, perhaps at least for some.

I think a minor league experience in a nearly 100-year old building needs to be priced like one, at minimum. But my hunch is, the Bay Area is not a good minor league sports market, and certainly not San Francisco. I lived in Pittsburgh for 7 years and saw a fair number of teams come and go. To make lower division soccer work there, the ownership of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds built a stadium on the riverfront that is beautiful, an experience that feels top-flight, and they charge $13–22 for every ticket. They knew they were competing with PNC Park, Consol Energy Center, Petersen Events Center at Pitt, and Heinz Field, and Pittsburgh sports fans were used to that type of pro experience. Here in San Francisco, the Bulls were able to draw a few people during the NHL lockout, but when the season started again, they couldn’t last—despite being much closer. A great model is the San Jose Sharks and Barracuda—the Sharks top farm club that plays in the same building and offers the same fan experience for a fraction of the cost of the big club. Similarly the San Jose Giants offer a price appropriate local alternative to the San Francisco Giants.

Hopefully you can find that local partner and figure things out. Good luck.

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    Jason Putorti

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    Executive Director of Resistbot