Prior to the year, team officials said that the economic downturn had impacted ticket sales to the point where a Tuesday night game against a last-place team late in the season might have a few empty seats, and it nearly became a reality. But not quite.
When pressed on the topic last May those same officials were confident they would push through, and that confidence was backed up when the streak carried to Oct. 3, the 631st consecutive sellout since the run began May 15, 2003.
However, the economy continues to slump and with the team coming off a non-playoff campaign, it might be time to wonder once again: Will the Fenway Park sellout streak continue for another 81 games?
Red Sox president Larry Lucchino offered some insight into the organization’s stance on things when he announced the final year of a 10-year improvement plan at the 99-year-old ballpark.
With a new set of LED screens prepared to soar over center field, new seats in several sections and an enhanced concourse surrounding the venerable park, Opening Day will be, in the words of Lucchino, “like Christmas morning.”
The enhancements are among the most notable in a decade-long process and should do their part to get the curious ones into the seats. The team will have to do the rest.
Games in late spring, after the buzz of the opening homestand wears off, can sometimes create a slowing of interest. The same phenomenon can occur late in the season if the club is already out of it.
Yet, in 2010, as star players succumbed to injuries over and over and the team struggled to stay afloat while glancing up at two powerhouses in the division standings, every seat was taken. There were several factors that could’ve had a severe impact on ticket sales but it was not nearly enough to end a sellout streak that is now just 113 games shy of the longest in American professional sports history.
If the collection of fill-ins short on name recognition can help pack Fenway in a down year that saw no splashy renovations unveiled, it’s safe to say that a healthy unit playing beneath video screens the size of a small nation will see another season of nothing but sellouts.
Each day of November, NESN.com will explore a different issue facing the Red Sox this offseason.
Nov. 15: Should the Red Sox go after Cliff Lee?
Wednesday, Nov. 17: What will John Lackey’s second season in Boston bring?
