by David Chapman
Staff Writer
When two big-time college rivals come to town, almost everyone profits.
That should be the case again this year when the Florida and Florida State baseball teams meet March 31 at the Baseball Grounds to renew their instate rivalry, much to the delight of area fans and City officials who see the game as a way to earn revenue while showcasing the City and facilities.
“We’re looking for another great crowd,” said Mike Bouda, Jacksonville Economic Development Commission sports coordinator. “Both have good young teams and anytime you get these two playing each other in anything, you can throw out the records.”
While Bouda said he doesn’t expect to see the crowds top the 2007 attendance of 12,280, he does expect it to top last year’s crowd of 7,215.
“We’re expecting 8,000 (people) or more,” said Bouda, “but attendance a lot of times is dictated by other things.”
Good weather will always bring larger crowds. However, last year’s game was played at the same time as Florida’s men’s basketball team was playing an NIT basketball game — which Bouda believed hampered attendance figures.
On average, Bouda estimated the games bring in around $15,000 after rental fees and other expenses. Additionally, in order to keep the revenue around the same, prices for most tickets remained the same, with most less than $20.
“Realistically, any event we (City) produce, we want to be a revenue producer,” he said.
Besides the money used to attract them to Jacksonville, team officials look to the game as a chance to play a distinct venue and increase exposure to fans who might not make the trips to Gainesville or Tallahassee.
Though FSU will play the University of North Florida at the Baseball Grounds a little more than a week later, the scene for the March 31 rivalry game is one that stands out to one longtime FSU official.
“It really is great, great exposure for the team and players,” said Chip Baker, director of baseball operations at FSU. “The crowd a couple years ago (2007) is one of the largest I’ve ever seen for a (college baseball) game.”
Baker said he and the team enjoy the games in Jacksonville (“I always tell the people in Tallahassee we need a river,” he said) and it’s a venture officials of both the schools and City are pursuing for the future.
“It really has become a special game for fans in the area,” said Bouda. “We’re definitely looking into bringing it back.”
Baker agreed.
“We’re working on it,” he said. “It’s something we’d like to do.”
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