The Springfield Nor'easters:

Maximizing Revenues in the Minor Leagues

It was barely $8$ a$.$m$.$ on January $19,2008$ and already Larry Buckingham knew this would be a

trying day. Buckingham, marketing director for the Nor'easters, a new Class A minor league baseball

team in Springfield, Massachusetts, had already taken telephone calls from two local reporters

seeking comment on the news that the city's only other professional sports team, the Falcons, a minor

league ice hockey team, might leave the city. Many people in the region had heard a radio interview

the previous day in which the Falcons' general manager announced that unless the team sold $300$

more season tickets for the upcoming season, the Falcons would be leaving Springfield.

The Nor'easters had not played a game$-$yet $-$ and wouldn't for nearly a year and a half. They had

just opened their offices in Springfield. Owner Jimmy Mercante $($a Springfield businessman$)$ and

President and General Manager Bob Cortez eagerly anticipated their first season, which would start

in June $2009.$ But the Falcons' announcement was troubling. The Nor'easters, too, needed to sell

plenty of season tickets for the team to thrive in Springfield. Ironically, Buckingham had just begun

preparing Nor'easters' ticket offers. He would have the Falcons' announcement in mind as he set

prices for the first season$-$a decision that had to be finalized before mid$-$June $2008,$ when tickets

were scheduled to go on sale. Buckingham's situation was especially stressful because, although he

had a successful decade of experience in marketing various entertainment services, especially live

theatre, the sports industry was new to him.