Tiger Stadium: A visit to the corner of Michigan & Trumbull

by Brian Ubell, MBA2

Twenty members of UMBS' Entertainment, Sports & Media Club had the opportunity to visit Tiger Stadium for the first game of the Tigers' last home series at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. The outing included a question and answer session with Tigers' executives, including the team's President and CEO, John McHale. Although there was a sense of sadness on parting with an old friend, team executives are clearly optimistic and enthusiastic about the team's move into Comerica Park for next season.

"The fact that the Tigers made the time to host us especially during an incredibly hectic final weekend of the stadium is a true testament to how much Mr. McHale and the Tigers organization appreciates their relationship with UMBS. We look forward to fostering this tie for many years to come." said Thomas Oh, MBA2, after the hour-long session in the centerfield picnic area with the clear goal of taking Mr. McHale up on his offer to arrange a similar outing at the new park, which will include all of the state of the art amenities and even a ferris wheel.

Much of the talk centered around the history of Tiger Stadium and the new revenue dynamics in the sports world that have teams so excited about new stadiums. Tiger Stadium, a registered Michigan Historic Site, was built on the location of an early haymarket and has been the home of the Tigers from their start as a charter member of the American League in 1901. It was initially named Bennett Park and had wooden stands with a capacity of 10,000. By 1912, the name had changed to Navin Field, and capacity had risen to 23,000. During this conversion, home plate was moved to its current position from what is now right field. Today's Tiger Stadium was completed in 1938, as major renovations allowed seating for 54,000. The stadium, then called Briggs Stadium, was finally changed to Tiger Stadium in 1961.

But Tiger Stadium was built without luxury boxes or premium seating, so vital to today's sports franchises' revenue streams. The dugouts are small, the bullpens nearly underground, and several hundred seats are inhibited by the large steel support beams that are the skeleton of the stadium. Incorporating these changes, Comerica Park, will help in putting the best product out on the field and create one of Detroit's real total entertainment experiences.

Comerica Park will have over 100 luxury boxes and 3,500 premium club-level seats. With Detroit's good corporate base, the Tigers have had success in leasing the boxes and selling the premium seats. Comerica Park will provide better opportunity for more and better positioned corporate signage, signage that will not inhibit fan's sight lines but will add to the value of corporate sponsorship and partnership with the club. Comerica has signed a 30-year stadium naming rights agreement with the Tigers, guaranteeing over $2 million a year. The move to Comerica Park will be accompanied by an aggressive season ticket push. The Tigers are looking to establish a 20,000 season ticket base in 2000 with creative packages conducive to individuals' varying schedules. Season ticket holders pay up front, and the club receives revenue regardless of whether the individual attends the game or not. Finally, a more attractive product will yield enhanced local TV / radio contracts.

Comerica Park is also aiming to enhance the baseball experience. Incorporated into the design are suggestions of Tigers current season ticket holders, who responded to a market survey conducted by the team to determine what the consumer was looking for in a new stadium. Although a winning team was most often mentioned, wider seats, better (unobstructed) sight lines, and more varied concessions and amusement offerings will be a part of the Comerica Park experience.

All of these revenue enhancements will allow the Tigers to attract free agents with the lure of additional dollars, but Comerica Park's improvements will be more attractive to players as well. Batting cages behind the dugouts and a larger and more amenable clubhouse are keys in attracting talent to Detroit versus other teams. In this way, the Tigers should have the revenue to compete with the larger payrolls of several major league teams. General Manager Randy Smith described a four-year plan that culminates next season.

The dimensions of Comerica will be similar to Tiger Stadium with a deep center field and power alleys, so the Tigers are building a team around pitching, defense and athletes. Smith, who described his role as similar to "producer of a Broadway play responsible for casting and with no opportunity for re-writes," uses a farm system of 6 minor league teams to develop and nurture talent. He is also looking at athletes in new, emerging talent bases in Venezuela, Japan and Australia, and his eyes lit up when the mention of having access to Cuban ball-players came up.

He described the difficulty in projecting the course for young talent, citing the aluminum bat as a major hindrance. He described baseball with aluminum bats like "football with a Nerf ball or basketball on a 9-foot goal." Current Tiger center fielder Gabe Kepler was a 57th round draft choice, so you get a sense of the volume of players coming into the Tiger system. With more revenue, the Tigers can gamble on more proven talent via the free agent market and will have the stadium amenities necessary to attract free agents.

As the Tigers close the history books on Tiger Stadium, there is real optimism that the dynamics of Comerica Park will allow the team to put a winner on the field, provide an affordable entertainment experience, and reach the club's ultimate goal. That is returning to the glory of year's past in Tiger Stadium, which was home to six Tiger championships, and bringing a championship back to Detroit.