West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx purchased (Jackson)

[Rural King]

Well the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (Jackson) franchise has been sold to Overtime Sports pending approval from the city, the Southen League, and Major-Minor League baseball. The buyer has ties to Jackson (MS), Orlando, and Atlanta, but as of now have stated they will honor the remaining two years of the team's contract with Jackson.

I think it is now safe to assume that the team will leave Jackson barring some major turn-around. The current owners did promote the team better this year than previous years it seemed to me, yet the team still set a new record low in attendance. This follows the team also setting a record low last year, despite being Division Champs and playing Jacksonville for the League Championship. If you can't sell seats with a winning team, cheap seats, exciting games, and all sorts of freebie promotions, then how are you ever going to do so? This is economics, so the team can't continue to not make money. The city fought hard to keep the team in town and I am sure will continue to do so, but without local support there is no way for this team to remain in Jackson.

Time to start going to Memphis for baseball I suppose.

[AlabamaGuy2007]

Well the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (Jackson) franchise has been sold to Overtime Sports pending approval from the city, the Southen League, and Major-Minor League baseball. The buyer has ties to Jackson (MS), Orlando, and Atlanta, but as of now have stated they will honor the remaining two years of the team's contract with Jackson.

I think it is now safe to assume that the team will leave Jackson barring some major turn-around. The current owners did promote the team better this year than previous years it seemed to me, yet the team still set a new record low in attendance. This follows the team also setting a record low last year, despite being Division Champs and playing Jacksonville for the League Championship. If you can't sell seats with a winning team, cheap seats, exciting games, and all sorts of freebie promotions, then how are you ever going to do so? This is economics, so the team can't continue to not make money. The city fought hard to keep the team in town and I am sure will continue to do so, but without local support there is no way for this team to remain in Jackson.

Time to start going to Memphis for baseball I suppose.

That's too bad, the first game "major" baseball game I went to was between the Huntsville Stars and the Jaxx.

[frankliner]

Wow, this depresses me, I always pass Pringles Park and think about the progress it means to Jackson. I guess one of the local colleges would use it if the Jaxx end up leaving?

[jmduke]

Hey RK, I had heard the Jaxx weren't doing so well lately, but weren't they drawing good crowds a few years back after the Chicks moved from Memphis? Is this a case where fans were drawn to the new Pringles Park and now the novelty has worn off, or has the team been poorly run and the on-field product unattractive?

[Rural King]

Hey RK, I had heard the Jaxx weren't doing so well lately, but weren't they drawing good crowds a few years back after the Chicks moved from Memphis? Is this a case where fans were drawn to the new Pringles Park and now the novelty has worn off, or has the team been poorly run and the on-field product unattractive?

The team drew very well for the first few years, then after 2000 the numbers trailed off until they bottomed out in the attendence basement for the past few years. The Jaxx usually have fielded decent teams to superb teams, with two Division Titles being won by the team since coming to Jackson.

I think their were a myriad of reasons the team lost the interest and support of the region. A few of those being Pringles Park remote and isolated location from other activities and neighborhoods in Jackson, the wearing off of the novelty of having a minor league franchise, ownership that perhaps did not promote the team adequately enough until it was too late to reverse the decline, and high gas prices that for these past few years that certianly would keep many folks in the region from making dedicated 50-100 round trips to watch games.

I think the main weaknesses though were the lack of successful team promotion to the residents of Jackson and WTN that would foster the creation of a dedicated fan base who would support the team avidly, and the location of the team's facility away from other recreational and commercial activities in the city. by the time better promotions came online and attempts were made to add new attractions near the Stadium (ie the new travel league facilities) it was late in the game.

Now with that said, it may just be that Jackson and WTN (outside of Memphis) cannot support a baseball team no matter how much promotional activity was done or where the stadium was located.

[HABANERO7]

Man I really hate to hear this news. I really enjoy baseball and having to go to Memphis or Nashville after it was in your back yard really has to stink. It's a shame the community doesn't support the team better. I know there are prob some loyal Jaxx fans there, but a few doesn't fill all those empty seats around the loyals.