Projo Sports Blog

By Danielle Sessa
Bloomberg

Boston Red Sox ticket and sponsorship sales are trailing last year's pace because of the economic slowdown, even after the club set an attendance record last season and froze prices for fans.

The Red Sox have sold 2.2 million tickets for this season, a "couple of percentage points behind'' sales at the same time in 2008, said Sam Kennedy, Boston's chief sales and marketing officer. The club won't be adding the five to 10 new corporate sponsors this year as it has in the past, likely signing up "a few,'' he said. He declined to disclose sponsorship revenue.

"We are not immune to what is going on out there,'' Kennedy said in a telephone interview. "We are feeling it like everybody else.''

Boston, which has won two World Series titles in the past five years, froze ticket prices for this season for the first time in 14 years because of the recession. The Major League Baseball club drew more than 3 million fans for the first time in franchise history in 2008, setting an attendance record for the ninth straight season.

In September, the Red Sox broke the record for consecutive sellouts at home, filling Fenway Park for the 456th straight time. The streak, which began in May 2003, stands at 469.

Kennedy said he's "cautiously optimistic'' that the sellouts will continue. "We are not naive to think that it's a slam dunk,'' he said.

Small Park, Big Price

The Red Sox play at the smallest ballpark in the major leagues, with a maximum capacity of 37,400. The team also has the most expensive tickets, with an average price of $48.80, according to Team Marketing Report.

Boston began an advertising campaign this month featuring new pitcher John Smoltz to help drum up enthusiasm for the 2009 season and remind fans that tickets are still available.

The Red Sox last year lost the decisive seventh game of the American League Championship Series to the Tampa Bay Rays. Boston won the World Series championship in 2004 and 2007.

With spending on sports sponsorship forecast to grow at the slowest pace in seven years, according to IEG Sponsorship Report, the Red Sox are working more on retaining corporate partners than finding new ones.

"It's slower than it has been since I have been here,'' said Kennedy, who joined the Red Sox in 2002. "We are spending a lot of time renewing existing business as opposed to generating new business. From a sales perspective, that is not a good thing.''

 Tags  Boston Red Sox economy Sam Kennedy tickets

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