Madison Pribyl
Mr. Reuter
Economics - B4
May 2nd, 2014
Once again, the Milwaukee Brewers are starting to play their ever-lasting games of the season. Even though they haven’t had a great run the past few years, everyone seems to still support them in high hopes of being able to win. The counties in Wisconsin that benefit from the revenue of what the Brewers bring in would be: Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, Waukesha and Racine counties. These are the five counties which benefit most economically from the Milwaukee Brewers and the counties which paid a sales tax of .1% ($.10 on $100) to finance the construction in 2001 of Miller Park.
Miller Park's fan-shaped retractable roof ensures each game will go on, and it’s helping the Brewers draw an average of 1 million more baseball fans a year than the team attracted in its final years at County Stadium - about 2.56 million a season. It’s efficient that the stadium is able to produce so many products in order to celebrate the team. It takes time, effort, labor and a lot of guts lately to produce as many products for the Brewers team because you are willing to either gain or lose from cost/benefit analysis, even with the high demand. The law of increasing costs on the t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and food is what is able to help the economy in the city. As shown in Table 4 with the various demographics, average annual attendance at Miller Park is 2,023,306 (2001 – 2004). 1,153,284 are from out of the five-county area; 249,029 overnight visitors will spend an average of two nights in motels or hotels in the area; 94,934 overnight visitors will spend an average of 2 nights with friends and family in the area; and 809,322 will spend just the in the area.
Even if the Brewers aren’t doing the best, they are still able to bring in an average of a million more fans a year. The Brewers won an average of 47.7% of their games in the team's final 12 seasons at County Stadium. The winning percentage in the first 12 seasons at Miller Park is nearly identical: an average of 47.6%, according to figures provided by the stadium district. During the Brewers record attendance year of 2011, 1.39 million of the 3.07 million game attendees were from outside the five-county area. Baseball fans from outside southeast Wisconsin who attend Milwaukee Brewers games at Miller Park have an estimated economic impact of $355.7 million annually, according to a study released Tuesday. The Brewers' annual series with the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Minnesota Twins consistently brings many of their respective fans to our region; occupying local hotels, and supporting local restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues that bring in enough inelastic and/or elastic goods to the cause. Even if you are simply just driving past the stadium on your way to work or home, and there’s a game occurring, the parking lot is still packed full of cheering fans for their Wisconsin baseball team.
Throughout each year, the entire experience of getting a new stadium and being able to have our very own baseball team named the Milwaukee Brewers, is always exciting. Nowadays, it is an achievement when our team is able to support the various counties around it such as: Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, Waukesha and Racine counties. Personally, I will be heading off to a game soon to support our team, even if they may lose yet again. This just proves to anyone that even if the team isn’t the best around, anyone, at any point in time, will sustain a time to travel to the stadium.
Works Cited
MBBC. "The Economic Impact of the Milwaukee Brewers." UW Milwaukee, Jan. 2005. Web.
Behm, Don. "Distant Brewers' Fans Have $263 Million Annual Impact."Distant Brewers Fans Have $263 Million Annual Economic Impact, Study Says. Journal Sentinal, 12 Mar. 2013. Web. 02 May 2015.
Kirchen, Rich. "Miller Park Adds $300M to Local Economy." Milwaukee Business Journal. Milwaukee Business Journal, 12 Mar. 2013. Web. 2 May 2015.
This is an interesting topic to bring up because of the recent news that we have heard with the Brewers. If you haven't heard the Brewers recently got a new manager. With that being said there is also a lot of Economic related things with the Managers of there team. Every person on the team has to get paid a certain amount of money. In which ultimately leads to economic related things. But the things that you have wrote about are also important to. I also do agree that the retractable roof is a way to grab people into there games. Know with the Brewers winning more games, they could see more people come to there ballpark. Overall, I thought this was a good topic to talk about.
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy to think that almost 60% of the fans that go to the games are only from those 5 counties, and how much money they put into the team. I would be curious as to how to GDP Per ca pita went up in Milwaukee after building the new stadium. Because you would think it would not only draw people from other places to the stadium, but to the city of Milwaukee itself.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to know how durable baseball stadiums are. How long was the old County Stadium in use? How long until Miller park will need to be replaced? While I’m sure there’s still a lot of time before that happens, I just wonder because, typically, sports complexes that are constantly in use need frequent repairs and restoration. Running tracks, for example, have a lifespan of 6-8 years, after which replacement is suggested. Surely Miller Park can be kept in good condition without total demolition and reconstruction, I just wonder how long a particular stadium can suit the needs of its team and spectators. Good piece!
ReplyDeleteThe Milwaukee Brewers--and the sport in general--undoubtedly bring in a lot of revenue. Not only do people spend money to simply attend the game, but they also contribute while they are at the game as well, spending money on overpriced food and drinks all in the name of the game. While these factors do have an impact, I would argue that the trades and drafting that go along with it. If a player from another team like the Dodgers were traded to the Brewers, that might entice fans of that player to attend games to watch him play, thereby drawing more people to the games. The Brewers may not be the best team around, but it still has a loyal fanbase that will continue to affect the economy
ReplyDeleteI agree that more money these days is being spend on the brewers, because everyone would love to see a great game. Every one believe that it will be a great game if more people go and more money spend, but people don't realize how much money they spend between the tickets and the food, because it isn't cheap.
ReplyDeleteThe effects of Miller Park on the surrounding five counties are very interesting. As of lately the media has been focused on the new Milwaukee Bucks arena and the impact it will have so I find it interesting that you chose to write about Miller Park because people were probably going through the same frenzy when building the baseball stadium too. I agree that the retractable roof to the stadium is extremely efficient but it also makes me wonder how much more money Miller Park is able to take in than other baseball stadiums that do not have this type of roof.
ReplyDeleteThe fans for this sport not only pay to attend, but they also spend money on food, drinks, and other items as well. Looking at how much people spend at these games and how much revenue is brought in is a lot, but also there are a lot of people that enjoy watching this sport and participating in the events.
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe that five counties bring in the most money for the Brewers. With the team doing pretty bad lately, it really shows the support Wisconsin citizens have for the team, considering how full the stadium is. I haven't been to very many Brewers games, but I feel like the amount of people who attend the stadium annually would be a lot higher. Whenever I go, the stadium is packed, and if it's like that every single game, I feel like more than 3 million, even though that still is a giant number. But, I guess I'm proud to be apart of a state that cheers teams on, even when they disappoint us from time to time, and in the Brewers' case, more often than not.
ReplyDeleteMilwaukee has always taken a good amount of pride in the Brewers as a team and the effect they have on the community. I didn't know about the 5 counties and how they receive extra revenue from baseball. Regardless of their performance as a team, I'm glad to see they can still pack a stadium, just because of how much fun the games can be. Hopefully they can improve their record and start increasing the fan population along with the economic well-being of the surrounding areas.
ReplyDeleteBaseball, America’s top favorite sport, always bringing in money through tickets and overpriced food and merch. Way over priced tickets, may I add, as my previous research showed that a baseball ticket in the 1950s was about $1.60, and with inflation, should only be at about $15. But the price of a Brewers ticket today can cost up to $110, which is quite a bit more than a subtle price change! It’s crazy to think people will actually spend that much money on baseball, but hey, people like what they like.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting post. I did not realize that the so many people from 5 main counties attend Brewer games. Similar to others, I would be interested to know more about just how much the food and merchandise costs have gone up? The last time I went to a Brewer game was maybe three of four years ago and I can only imagine how much the prices have gone up since. Great job incorporating economic content into this post, and of course a very relevant topic.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting post, especially with baseball season at its' peak. I know you touched on this a little bit, but I wonder whether or not the Brewers' current record impacts their economics right now. Their depressing number of losses makes me not want to pay money to go to the games, I wonder if others feel the same way. Nice job on this post!
ReplyDeleteThis was an awesome post! I was really surprised that that many counties have benefits from the Milwaukee Brewers. This makes wonder how much of merchandise and other goods are bought at the games to make it go up. When I was little my grandpa got me a Brewers jersey and hat, even though I didn't even know who they were. This could also be the case for more merchandise sales.
ReplyDeleteI thought that it was interesting how even with the Brewers losing they still bring in more than a million fans each year. No matter how the Brewers are doing the fans are still there which I think is really cool. Even though the Brewers are not doing great have the prices of the tickets gone up? It is really interesting how the sales of the Brewer tickets help all of the neighboring counties, which is great. I really enjoyed reading this post with the economic influence of the Brewers.
ReplyDeleteI really like how your article is so relevant to today since it is baseball season. I never thought about the fact that the roof draws in more fans, but it does! I know I wouldn’t want to go to a game if it was raining. I found it interesting that about a third of the fans are from outside the county area which shows that people from all over Wisconsin will support the Brewers and are eager to see a live game. Even if the Brewers don’t win, fans will have a great time and they usually come back to see another game. Great article!
ReplyDeleteI have been one of the many fans to visit the Brewer's Stadium and I love that you picked this topic to write about. I wonder if the increased number of fans has significantly helped pay off the debt of the new field. Miller Park is a beautiful stadium to see when driving on the high way. If the Brewers were doing better(more wins) would more people come and watch? Also, because there is alcohol served and so much tailgating, is that a turn off for parents with young children? Just a thought! I liked your post, I think you could have used a little more vocab and explained how it related. Overall, nice job!
ReplyDeleteYou effectively used terms from class, and they benefited my understanding of your post. Before reading this, I had never really put much thought into the economic effects of the Milwaukee Brewers. About a month ago, someone posted about the new Bucks stadium that they are trying to build, and it would be interesting to hear your opinion of this topic, or even your opinion of when they wanted to build the current stadium.
ReplyDeleteThis topic definitely ties back to our recent tax lesson in class. We talked about how we should have a slight increase in taxes to help the national deficit for the year. When raising money for the Brewer's stadium it was smart to raise the taxes so that everyone contributed to the stadium, instead of a couple rich people giving money and everyone still using the stadium. This way it's the people's stadium and it did not cost that much for everyone only 10 cents per $100. There is no doubt that Brewer's tickets are in high demand. They attract adults, their children, teenagers, college students, even the grandma and grandpa you might see there. The apparel sales, special items bought for tailgating, or the alcohol and food people buy before the game boost Milwaukee's economy as well as the ticket sales. Overall, this was a very fitting topic especially because the juniors are going to the game tonight: good work.
ReplyDeleteMadison, I think this brings up a lot of good points. Even though they're not winning all the games they still have a lot of people at the games and they're making a good amount of profits off the tickets because, fans believe that they will win the game that they go to so they keep going and buying tickets even though they aren't on a winning most of their games people are still spending money to see them try and win.
ReplyDeleteI think that living so close has made Miller Park almost common to us. For people who live a few hours away from the stadium, it probably feels like a vacation. I didn't realize that, for those people who are out-of-towners, would bring so much income through hotels. Since these people have the choice of either not using a hotel or going home right away (which might be a few hours away), hotels can charge whatever they would want. Of course, their only competition is other hotels but if everyone has high prices, there isn't much of a difference between hotels.
ReplyDeleteI know we talked about it in class and that people hate when taxes get raised, but a 0.1% tax increase really isn’t that much. As you said it’s $0.10 for every $100, and it managed to finance the park, which cost a lot of money. You make good points about the different kinds of revenue that the park takes in: tickets, food, parking, etc. I think it’s interesting that counties outside of the one where Miller Park is located benefit from the park, how does that work?
ReplyDeleteI agree that the controllable roof does help bring in more fans. As long as the Brewers don't completely suck, people will still pay to see them play. Going to a baseball game has been a traditional pastime for decades and people go irregardless of standings, as it is not all about the team winning. Which is good because otherwise the team would be suffering greatly right about now. The tax increase was a good idea as well, but it seems to foster the growth of greed on the people spending the money. Since it is guaranteed, it can, in some circumstances, be seen as a gateway to build extravagant things at the expense of the taxpayers.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good topic because so many people, including myself spend money at the brewer game--and it defiantly isn't cheap. And if people aren't spending money in the stadium on food and clothes they support many other businesses that sell the clothes and stores that sell food for tailgating. The Brewers have had yet another rough start but whether the Brewers win or lose doesn't really effect the attendance at the games. The experience is so much fun and allows you to bond with your family and friends that people still want to go. I'm heading to the game tonight and can't wait to spend my money on expensive goods to contribute to this economy. Go Brewers!
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that there are mainly only five counties that benefit from Miller Park. There is definitely a high demand for the games because as you mentioned, the parking lots are always full whenever there is a game. I never thought about how much money they make from tickets, shirts, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe Brewers have a huge effect on the community and I never knew that they had such an economic impact as well. That’s crazy that the five counties get extra money from the baseball team. I think it really shows how much the team has had an impact on the community because of the fact that people still go to the games even when they lose! It shows the pride and also sort of commitment that the community has towards the Brewers.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how the Brewers are doing, people will always want to buy tickets and watch them play. Fans are very faithful! Even if the Brewers lost every game this season, there would still be people buying tickets to go see them, so it's a pretty inelastic source of revenue unless the prices for tickets suddenly severely spike, or something external happens.However, it is still a very good idea to slightly raise taxes to help pay for the stadium, so that the economy can get some help from the money, the stadium is maintained well, and the people feel apart of the team they love so much.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I also find unique about the brewers, and Wisconsin sports in general, is that we have some of the highest attendance at games. Whether a team is doing well or poorly, many teams still have a good showing from their fans compared to other states (except the Bucks). Also it would be interesting to see the economic effects of the firing of Ron Roenicke and the hiring of Counsel. It would be interesting to see if more people or less people are attending games because of the change of leadership.
ReplyDeleteEven if the Brewers are on a losing streak, people still want to go to the games and cheer them on. This creates a lot of revenue for Milwaukee, but I didn't realize the wide-reaching impact it has on other counties and even other states. I'd love to know exactly how much profit the Brewers make off of the gear sold at the stadium and the food they offer at the games. This was a very well written article; great job!
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