Nationals Front Office Latest to See Pink Slips
7th November 2009
The job market is tough these days. Reuters just reported that the national jobless rate is at 10.2 percent, a 16 and 1/2 year high.
And while MLB attendance was down less than expected (the 2009 regular season ended with 73,418,529 in total attendance a decline of 6.58 percent. See Inside The Numbers: Final 2009 MLB Regular Season Attendance for details), some clubs were hit harder than others.
And, if you stunk it up in the standings, which the Washington Nationals did in near record fashion you see attendance even worse .
As I reported in the “Inside the Numbers” piece:
The Nationals finished in the standings with a 59-103 record (.364), the worst record in the majors. The Nats drew 1,817,280 over 80 games, for an average of 22,716, a 21.68 decline over 2008, the first year in Nationals Park. It is the lowest attendance the Nationals have had since the Expos relocated to Washington, D.C. Another sobering stat is that Nationals Park was just barely filled half full over the course of the season. Based on paid attendance, not turnstile clicks at the gate that are normally lower, Nationals Park finished the year being filled to 54.2 percent of capacity.
So, how do you think that influenced the front office? Try layoffs.
While the Nats aren’t the first club to have front office layoffs, they do show a trend in the industry. As the Washington Business Journal reports:
Two former employees, who asked not to be identified, admitted to being laid off by the team.
One former employee, who worked as an account executive in the sales department, said he was let go last month. “There wasn’t much to it,” he said in a phone interview on Friday. “If you lose that many games there’s going to be changes to any organization, on and off the field. I think I was just part of that downsizing.”
He said he was “definitely one of several” laid off in his department, which he said was made up of about 15 people. “We were told they were just downsizing and they basically left it at that.”
I guess the logic is, if fans aren’t coming to games, well… the added sales staff may not be needed.
The sales staff isn’t the only one that’s now searching for work. The Nationals have declined their $10 million option on outfielder Austin Kearns. The Nationals will have to pay a $1 million buyout to end Kearns term with the team. No word if the savings on the laid-off sales staff was going to be used for that.
OTHER RECENT COLUMNS BY MAURY BROWN ON THE BIZ OF BASEBALL:
Reasons for Not Having a Salary Cap in MLB Are Numerous
Ranking Who in MLB Got the Biggest Bang For the Buck in 2009
World Series Averages 19.4 Million Viewers, Up 42% From 2008
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown’s full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.