TEBOW EFFECT: Columbia, St. Lucie Set Attendance Records

Thanks to Tim Tebow, Mets affiliates in Columbia, S.C., and St. Lucie, Fla., have set new attendance records.

The Columbia Fireflies had Tebow from Opening Day until June 28, and his presence was felt both at Spirit Communications Park and at stadiums around the South Atlantic League.

When Tebow was playing in the SAL, he was worth roughly an additional 2,600 fans per game when the Fireflies were on the road. With Tebow on board, the Fireflies brought in three of the five largest crowds in the team’s two-year history.

On Opening Day, the team drew 8,412 fans, the third-largest crowd in SCP history. On June 25, the total was 8,304 (fourth-largest) and on June 10 they brought in 7,861 fans (fifth-largest). Tebow’s presence provided a nice follow-up from the traditional first-season boom. The second-year franchise broke last year’s attendance mark through just 53 home dates. 

“The atmosphere at Spirit Communications Park this season has been absolutely electric,” Fireflies president John Katz said in a release. “We have seen some of the best crowds in this ballpark’s history, and it’s a testament to the passionate Fireflies fans across the Midlands. We have the greatest fans in the South Atlantic League, and we’re truly privileged to share this park with everyone who attends a ballgame.”

Now that he’s been promoted to the Florida State League, the Tebow Effect has only grown. Tebow hails from Jacksonville (which plays in the Double-A Southern League, not the FSL) and played college football at Florida.

Playing in the state where he first became famous, the St. Lucie Mets are playing to large crowds on the road in a league where fans are generally hard to find. Tebow began playing for St. Lucie on June 28. Since then, teams hosting St. Lucie have averaged an additional 2,788 fans per night over their normal attendance.

On a percentage basis, that’s a much more dramatic jump because the average Florida State League game this year is drawing 1,514 fans per game, while the average Sally League game draws 3,369 fans.

Tebow’s 2,600 fan boost was a 77 percent bump over the average attendance for a South Atlantic League game, his 2,788 fan per game boost in the FSL is a 181 percent jump over a normal night’s attendance.

Though he’s played just 19 home games with St. Lucie, he’s already helped boost the club to its own franchise attendance record. The team has played for 30 seasons, and its previous attendance mark was 105,379, set in 2011. This year, with 13 home games remaining, the team has drawn 108,057 fans through the turnstiles.

 

BREAKING: With tonight’s attendance of 3,399 we have set a new single season home attendance record of 108,057!!! #STLMets pic.twitter.com/yEklpdLqJA

— St. Lucie Mets (@stluciemets) August 5, 2017

“It has certainly been an exciting year for the St. Lucie Mets at First Data Field,” St. Lucie general manager Traer Van Allen said. “We want to thank all of our great fans for coming to the ballpark to support our team. We still have a month left in the season so we encourage the community to visit us and enjoy all First Data Field has to offer.”

The Tebow Effect was most dramatic for the Mets’ four-game road trip to the Florida Fire Frogs, a franchise in its first season at Osceola County Stadium. In the Fire Frogs’ other 40 home games this year, the team has averaged 881 fans per game. With Tebow in town, the team averaged 4,507 fans per night. Those four Tebow games have brought in 36 percent of the Fire Frogs’ total attendance.

Fort Myers averaged 5,076 fans per game when Tebow came to town. The Miracle averaged 1,689 in Tebow-less games. The Charlotte Stone Crabs went from averaging 1,704 without Tebow to 4,074 fans per game for its four games with Tebow in town. Jupiter went from 948 fans per game without Tebow to 2,340 per game when Tebow played.

As was shown in the South Atlantic League, the per-game boost for the home team isn’t as dramatic because there are so many more chances to see Tebow play. But St. Lucie is averaging 44 percent more fans per game since Tebow arrived, which went a long way toward the team setting its attendance record.

Using a $21 per capita estimate for fan spending (for tickets, concessions, souvenirs and parking)–an estimate that numerous minor league operators use–Tebow has been worth an estimated additional $1.36 million in revenue for Florida State League road teams. He’s also boosted St. Lucie’s revenue by more than $300,000 in just 19 home games since he arrived.

Tebow’s first home with Columbia has also set an attendance record, topping its mark from its inaugural season last year. Since Tebow left, the team has averaged 1,404 fewer fans per game.