The Issue with Where the Chicago White Sox Play

Over the years we have seen the White Sox struggle with attendance as compared to their north side counterparts. Some of it has to do with the low quality of the team in past years, but the main problem to me is the location of their stadium. I do think this problem can be solved.

I think the main way to solve this problem would be to move to a new stadium that is easier for the fans to get to. The Sox play on the south side of the city which is viewed by many as not the best part of the city. Also it is very hard to get to Guaranteed Rate Field for those who want to go to games but live in the suburbs. People from the suburbs account for a large portion of Sox fans, and I think they can do a better job at accommodating these people. 

Unlike Wrigley Field, Guaranteed Rate is hard to get to by train or bus. This is a problem because I know that many adults like to consume beer at these games and without a train or bus to get them home they can’t do this and therefore may view it as a worse experience. I think if the Sox set up some kind of bussing system that takes fans from the suburbs to the stadium and then back they could sell a lot more tickets. Also people would be willing to pay for this service, so the team could gain more revenue and put it back into the stadium.

While I wouldn't consider Guaranteed Rate to be close to one of the worst stadiums in the league, I think they could make some upgrades to make it more enjoyable for their fans. I also do think a difference in the attendance numbers you see at Wrigley and the Sox stadium is because Wrigley is viewed as a great atmosphere to hang out with friends/family and have a good time. I’m not sure how the Sox could create an atmosphere like that, but lets hope with this up and coming young team getting better it can happen organically.

In the end that's some ways I think the Sox could fix the problem with getting people into their stadium.