Will the RAD Board Sue the Pirates for Non-Performance?

Recall that back in 1998 and 1999 when the Plan B for the new Pirates ballpark was being assembled and sold to the legislature and the RAD Board, the mantra of the Pirates owners and their supporters was "give us a new ball park and we will put a competitive team on the field." Nine years into PNC Park it is clear the owners have no intention of living up to that promise. The team is well on the way to their 17th consecutive year with more losses than wins. This will set a new record for futility for any major professional sports franchise, surpassing the 16 season mark set by the Phillies decades ago.

Moreover, since the opening season at PNC Park, the team has been unable to draw 2 million fans. And in the last couple of years attendance has been only 1.6 million and 1.7 million, keeping the team among the lowest attended franchises in either league. Currently, the Pirates are on pace to draw less than 1.5 million. They would have to average 24,000 fans per game over the rest of the season (6,000 more than year to date) to match last year’s weak performance.

Given the propensity of the Pirates to trade away any player who is doing well and looking forward to a bigger pay day, the prospects for the team’s miraculous return to winning records seem very dim. Combine that with the weak economy, the imminent return of Steelers to camp and the opening of schools in late August and it does not appear probable the Pirates will enjoy a surge in attendance for the remainder of the season. Sure, promotions and giveaways will help, but if Sanchez goes, all but the most diehard fans will begin to give up on the team. Not a recipe for success in ticket sales or win-loss statistics.

The Pennsylvania Legislature and the RAD Board who voted to provide money for the new ballpark-without which there would have been no new park-should be thoroughly put out with the Pirates by this point for failure to live up to their pledge. Making the whole thing worse for the RAD Board and the Legislature is the fact that the public by overwhelming margins did not want the money spent on the ballpark. Furthermore, the Allegheny Institute warned repeatedly at the time that a new park was not the answer to the Pirates’ problem. But logic and facts were not about to stop the Mayor, the Governor, many civic leaders, and labor unions from getting what they wanted.