Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | April 18, 2022 | wbjournal.com Change-up BY ANTHONY BUSCARINO WBJ Editorial Intern T he Worcester Bravehearts have been placed in a precarious position. e Worcester Red Sox, their chief competitor, have dominated Worcester's cultural, economic, and political actions and discussions since the Boston Red Sox affiliate announced in 2018 their intention to move to Worcester. e $160-million public ballpark the City of Worcester built for the team can attest to that. Concurrently, the Bravehearts, Worcester's only summer collegiate baseball team since their first season in 2014, suffered through the coronavirus pandemic. No game tickets could be sold in 2020, and their attendance averages dropped dramatically in 2021; the same year the WooSox opened doors for their inaugural season. "It's wildly unfortunate for the [Bravehearts] that the government decided to invest $160 million into their competitor," said Victor Matheson, a sports economist and professor at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester. "In a lot of places, the way you make it, is that you're the only game in town." But in the midst of all this fanfare, the Bravehearts remain hopeful for their upcoming season, and they have envisioned a new business model to persist along their Triple-A competitor. Attendance woes "If you took a look at our trajectory, over the first nine years, you would see steady growth from 2014, all the way to 2019," said Dave Peterson, general manager of Bravehearts. "Just like every other small business, we took it on the chin in 2020." e Bravehearts averaged 2,574 fans per game by the end of the 2019 season, making them the sixth-most attended futures collegiate baseball team in the country. While they did have a 2020 season, no fans could attend games, and Victor Matheson, sports economist, College of the Holy Cross sponsorships were limited. is le the Bravehearts' main revenue option being summer youth baseball camps, said Peterson. In 2021, the Bravehearts averaged 1,229 fans per game, less than half of that of 2019. A major contributor to this slough was the inability to sell group tickets to businesses and schools, due to remote work and learning. Moreover, the WooSox played their first season in Worcester. e WooSox averaged 6,145 fans per game in their inaugural season, ranking sixth among the 120 minor league baseball teams. WooSox General Manager Dan Rea told WBJ in October while the team was pleased with the attendance, the team felt the numbers were depressed by COVID restrictions, and the WooSox anticipate increasing attendance in 2022. Dave Peterson, general manager of Worcester Bravehearts Aer their average attendance fell 52% in the WooSox inaugural season, the Worcester Bravehearts are introducing a new business model Bravehearts average attendance per game *Due to government COVID restrictions, the Bravehearts couldn't officially host fans in the 2020 season. They held their games at Doyle Field in Leominster. Source: Pointstreak 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 1,804 2,574 0* 1,229 2,107 2,230 2,356 2,502 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 Per game attendance The Bravehearts playing a game at their home stadium, Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field. Built in 1905 and renovated 100 years later, the stadium has a capacity of 3,000, compared to the 9,508 capacity of Polar Park. PHOTO | CAROL MOROCCO

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