Twins Lackluster Attendance and Impacts On the Team’s Sale

[BD57]

Seems really early to be drawing conclusions.

Seems more like attendance being used as a hook for an article the gist of which had already been written.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

4 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Definitely cheaper to get Twins TV and watch the games than try to attend them from AZ.

You can bring bottled water and food into the game. $0. But, lets plan this out for your family of 5 and compare it to the movies, shall we?

Movies: We'll say you and the fam go to the new Snow White show at AMC in Coon Rapids. Tickets = $80. Food 3 large popcorns and 6 drinks. Whatever. I'll estimate. $79. Service fees and taxes $14. Total = $179 for a family of 5 to go to the movies.

Twins: Seatgeek for Sunday (family day). Tickets, left field bleachers section 128, row 11 (lower level) where kids can run down to the first row and get balls tossed to them by the players every half inning. The seats give a good view of the game, are covered from potential rain or sun and have monitors above them. $125. 2 beers, 3 fountain drinks, 5 hot dogs, 2 popcorns, 1 bag peanuts = $42. Street parking on 4th. $9. = $176.

The Twins are cheaper than the movies, even if you're not trying to save money. There are certainly less expensive options for the Twins for a family of 5 as well like bringing in food or choosing less expensive seats (as low as $15/ea with fees). Choose a Wednesday evening game to get $1 hot dogs and save another $15. Cut back on the food a little. Whatever. Attending a Twins game with a family of 5 with some food/drink/parking/seats can be done fairly easily at $100.

you are absolutely correct

Tickets alone, Twins tomorrow night full retail in section 301 19.75 per with fees, 98.75 total

Alamo draft house in Woodbury to see Minecraft tomorrow night is 94.95 for 5 tix

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

you are absolutely correct

Tickets alone, Twins tomorrow night full retail in section 301 19.75 per with fees, 98.75 total

Alamo draft house in Woodbury to see Minecraft tomorrow night is 94.95 for 5 tix

I was trying to give as many benefits of the doubt and advantages to the movies as I could by choosing Coon Rapids as the movie theater. I think you can skip the fees just by purchasing tickets at the box office. 

Don't forget section 324 (family section). For $18.75 with fees, all seats also include a free hot dog and soft drink. It's like, come on. 5 minutes of searching and you're in.

Students can sign up for $5 ballpark entrance (SRO) tickets and just sit in Truly on Deck even with club level seats.

[TheLeviathan]

9 hours ago, The Great Hambino said:

It's a claim made almost universally by people that haven't actually set foot in the downtown area in over five years.

I go to a dozen or so games a year.  Sometimes with small children.  Unless you count the one time there was an old lady smoking a cigarette on the Green Line, never once has there been anything close to anything resembling a safety issue

100% this.  The people who claim this never came anyway.  This explains exactly zero of the decline.

[TheLeviathan]

To put it simply:

Fans are as invested as ownership.

[Sjoski]

7 hours ago, bean5302 said:

The Twins are cheaper than the movies, even if you're not trying to save money.

Q: What does going to a Twins game and watching a movie for the second time have in common?

 

A: You know how it ends even before it begins. 

[Mark G]

17 hours ago, DJL44 said:

I think it's a massive overreaction and the Twin Cities are as safe as St Cloud. I will agree that there are people who say things like that. However, it doesn't explain why the Vikings, Wild and Wolves are still able to draw fans while the Twins are struggling.

These are waters I rarely wade into, but I see elements of truth in each of these posts.  Those who live west of the river and are familiar with the areas feel more comfortable there and downplay the reservations of the folks who are not comfortable there.  Having lived east of the river my whole life I can say without hesitation that east of the river folks do, fairly or not, have a perception of areas of Mpls that are not good.  And I agree that it is entirely about perception and what we have heard, but it may very well play a factor in attendance.  

As for the other teams, the Wild play in a very busy part of St. Paul, not Mpls, the Wolves play in an area of Mpls that even I am familiar with as well as a lot of others, and the Vikings play mostly Sunday day games.  The Twins play most evening games that last until well after dark in a part of town that does not seem as well traveled later in the night, and everyone scatters in different directions, making some feel less than safe.  

Again, just perceptions, but perception can become reality when people believe it.  But, as always, I can be educated.  🙂

[DJL44]

2 hours ago, Mark G said:

As for the other teams, the Wild play in a very busy part of St. Paul, not Mpls, the Wolves play in an area of Mpls that even I am familiar with as well as a lot of others, and the Vikings play mostly Sunday day games.  The Twins play most evening games that last until well after dark in a part of town that does not seem as well traveled later in the night, and everyone scatters in different directions, making some feel less than safe.  

Again, just perceptions, but perception can become reality when people believe it.  But, as always, I can be educated.  🙂

The Wolves play in EXACTLY the same part of town as the Twins. You can see Target Center from home plate at Target Field. The Wolves play in the winter when it's ALWAYS dark out. If people think Minneapolis is safe for a Wolves game but not safe for a Twins game, well, then they're just a little dumb.

[TwinsDr2021]

39 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

The Wolves play in EXACTLY the same part of town as the Twins. You can see Target Center from home plate at Target Field. The Wolves play in the winter when it's ALWAYS dark out. If people think Minneapolis is safe for a Wolves game but not safe for a Twins game, well, then they're just a little dumb.

not disagreeing with you, and haven't been to many Wolves games, but it does feel like you never really have to go outside if you are parking in the ramps.

With the Twins there are the ramps in right field, but other than, it does feel like parking is further or waiting for the train.

To be honest, I think people say they don't feel safe because it safe way to say I don't want be in MPLS without explaining the real reason (probably political) they don't want to be there, because what kind of jerk tries to make somebody feel bad for saying they don't feel safe?

[Mark G]

47 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

The Wolves play in EXACTLY the same part of town as the Twins. You can see Target Center from home plate at Target Field. The Wolves play in the winter when it's ALWAYS dark out. If people think Minneapolis is safe for a Wolves game but not safe for a Twins game, well, then they're just a little dumb.

Call it perception, then, because I have been to both venues more than enough times to feel one way or the other.  I and the original poster also addressed the other two teams.  Maybe I am dumb, but if I am, there are a crap ton of dumb people on the east side of the river.  😉

[Sjoski]

If the Twins want to fix their attendance problem, they’ll have to do more than just offer discount nights—they’ll need to rebuild trust and energy around the team. And with the club being up for sale, that uncertainty could be making fans even more hesitant to reinvest emotionally or financially.

[twinfan]

Can we all chip in to cover the 0.2 million Pohlad wants? Or can we convince him to go ahead and sell the team for the 1.5 mil? Winning games (and warmer weather and/or the Yankees) will put more fans in the stands. But maybe the fans are also concerned that new owners might try to move the team (to Nashville?). I think the Twins will do ok as far as attendance. I'm more concerned about their continued lack of offense, injuries to players like Lopez and Lewis and the possibility that maybe they just aren't as good as we think they are. But it's still very early and I remain optimistic.

[old nurse]

Three games against one of the teams that was one of the worst drawing road teams last year really means nothing. Agenda over reality strikes again 

[Guest]

15 hours ago, Woof Bronzer said:

It hasn't been called the warehouse district in maybe 20 years?  And nobody anywhere has ever called it the "downtown warehouse district."  Again, thanks for telling us you've never been to Minneapolis.  

https://www.mlb.com/twins/ballpark/transportation

You and I have never met.  But if we did, I'd produce my ticket stub from the first series against the RedSox in 2010.  You're right to the extent I still avoid Minneapolis.  Long ago to make ends meet, I waited and tended bar at Neumann's in N. St. Paul....  Be sure to bring your ID when you come. 

[Guest]

17 hours ago, Craig Arko said:

Perhaps after the lockout in 2027 contraction will be an option, probably for several teams.

Bingo.  New money won't pay up for this franchise.  They might take a discount at some point to wait out the lease and move.  But clearly the end is on the horizon for this franchise.  The team and the city no longer like each other.

[tony&rodney]

18 hours ago, bean5302 said:

The Twins are cheaper than the movies, even if you're not trying to save money. There are certainly less expensive options for the Twins for a family of 5 as well like bringing in food or choosing less expensive seats (as low as $15/ea with fees). Choose a Wednesday evening game to get $1 hot dogs and save another $15. Cut back on the food a little. Whatever. Attending a Twins game with a family of 5 with some food/drink/parking/seats can be done fairly easily at $100.

I'm an old man. When I go to a Twins game these days it is either people wanting to go with me because they know I have been an insane fan since 1961 or I go alone. The games with other people are free. When I go myself I buy a standing room only ticket. I don't usually drink or eat anything. When I go to the movie i buy a ticket, Dots, popcorn, and coke. So Twins games cost me less than the movies. Oh, parking. I almost always find somewhere free but have paid $10-12 to park. Safety? I feel as safe walking around the North Loop as i do walking around Lake Harriet or walking around St. Cloud or Rochester. Des Moines, Iowa is scarier to me than Minneapolis. I live in the sticks where I might see my neighbors once a week. Safety is pretty much an internal thought. Warehouse district? I remember when I delivered steel trusses to the galvanizer shop in the 1970s. Target Field isn't surrounded by warehouses or I am totally oblivious, which is possible. 

The Twins compete for entertainment dollars. Weather, an exciting team, and creative marketing will bring in crowds. My youngest son and many of his friends go to a number of games every year with friends. They have a good time. My son played high school baseball but has never listened to a game on the radio or watched a game on TV that I have seen or heard. If you asked him who Gasper was, he wouldn't know. Marketing, good weather, and an exciting team will bring in the fans.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, Mark G said:

there are a crap ton of dumb people on the east side of the river.  😉

As someone who also lives on the east side of the metro, I would not argue with that.

[Woof Bronzer]

1 hour ago, Minderbinder said:

https://www.mlb.com/twins/ballpark/transportation

You and I have never met.  But if we did, I'd produce my ticket stub from the first series against the RedSox in 2010.  You're right to the extent I still avoid Minneapolis.  Long ago to make ends meet, I waited and tended bar at Neumann's in N. St. Paul....  Be sure to bring your ID when you come. 

Well if AI slop says it's true it must be lol!  I don't think mlb.com has ever been to Minneapolis either.

Finally, you admit you haven't been to Minneapolis for 15 years.  It's bizarre that you keep commenting on the current state of affairs in a place you avoid, but hey, you do you.  Enjoy the outrage!

[Guest]

On 4/11/2025 at 8:54 AM, Woof Bronzer said:

Well if AI slop says it's true it must be lol!  I don't think mlb.com has ever been to Minneapolis either.

Finally, you admit you haven't been to Minneapolis for 15 years.  It's bizarre that you keep commenting on the current state of affairs in a place you avoid, but hey, you do you.  Enjoy the outrage!

You know better.  You asserted only those in-the-know referred to the warehouse district when the league refers to the warehouse district.  C'mon.

And no, I admitted no such thing.  I attend games at TF regularly, most recent being last July, but I don't arrive early and I leave promptly.  I freely admit to avoiding downtown Minneapolis.  It's become a dump.

[jkcarew]

I avoid spending any of my money in Minneapolis or Hennepin county if I at all can. I personally will make an exception for Twins games. I don’t think I’m that unique in either regard.

That doesn’t explain the Twins declining attendance, though (beyond marginally)…it goes way beyond that.