There is no doubt that the Sacramento River Cats have brought an exciting and competitive brand of baseball to this city since they moved to Raley Field from Vancouver, Wash., in 2000. From the moment of arrival, the team performed and continues to perform well, winning four PCL championships and seven PCL southern division titles, as well as the Triple-A championship last season.

Another area in which this team has never struggled is putting fans in the seats. For the past nine seasons, the River Cats have led all minor league baseball in attendance, carrying about 10,000 fans a game during that span. However, attendance has dropped during the current season due to the economic situation, holding a mark of close to 9,000 a game compared to last year’s clip of 9,700. Because of this, Sacramento's beloved team is facing unprecedented challenges this season.

Yet despite the diminished turnout at games, Vice President of Media Relations and Assistant General manager Gabe Ross said he feels the company is well prepared to handle the down economy.

“Just like any business, we’re not immune to the recession,” Ross said. “But we like the position we’re in. We have tickets that are affordable and a great community reputation, and we’ve had a lot of success. So we’ve been prepared to withstand this climate as well as anybody.”

Affordability, Ross said, has been a central theme the front office is trying to operate by this year. Cheap tickets and more promotional deals have been two ways River Cats management has tried to counteract the effects of the recession on attendance.

Tickets start at $7 for lawn seats and the highest regular seating sections, with the nicest spot in the ballpark topping out at $40. There are also added promotions like Kids Eat Free on Tuesday nights, where children 12 and under get a free dinner.

It's promotions like that, Ross said, that have encouraged more parents to bring their kids out to the ballpark.

“People don’t stop doing things with their family when times are tough,” Ross said. “They just look at getting more value and more bang for their buck. The River Cats can provide that. Another good family deal is on Friday night with our Family Fun Fridays, where you can get four tickets, four hot dogs and four ice creams for 36 bucks.

"People come out to our games for the experience and affordability, and that’s what we try and provide,” Ross added.

There are a number of other weekly promotions offered by the River Cats as well. Sundays are U.S. Bank Kids Days, which provide various activities, including face painting, for children to partake in free of charge. On Tuesdays, single folks can bring a date to the game for free with the buy-one-get-one-free ticket deal for select seating and lawn seats. Tecate beers are also discounted at $3.50 between 6 and 7:30 p.m.

One of the more popular promotions is the Miller Light ‘Que and Brew on Thursday nights. Implemented last year, the event target towards the 21 to 35 age demographic, where there's various barbecued foods, and Miller beers are only $2 from 6-8:30 p.m. A more in-depth look at the 'Que and Brew can be read on a previous article here.

Even though most promotional offers are planned out before the season gets under way, Ross said his staff members have really had to think on their feet this year. He also said they’ve had to be more willing to make adjustments mid-season, while continually keeping an ear open for suggestions from anyone, anywhere.

“We’ve had to be creative,” Ross said. “We’ve done more promotions to focus on the value aspect that highlights the affordability of our product. We did Kid’s Eat Free for the first time on July 28, so that was added well into the season.

“We don’t have a monopoly on good ideas. So if we get an idea, be it from a fan or another corporation, that might resonate with the people of Sacramento, we definitely will try and implement it.”

Another reason attendance has stayed relatively high this season is due to the River Cats' repeated competitiveness, currently holding the best record in the Pacific Coast League at 73-45.

Although River Cats management has no direct control over the personnel assembled on the field, Ross said he has no doubt that a winning team does help the situation. He also added that he wouldn’t be surprised if the turnout remained fairly high even if the team had a poor record, given that many people come out for the experience rather than the product on the field.

As affiliates of the Oakland Athletics organization, the River Cats' fan base tends to be composed of mostly A’s fans. And while many people from Sacramento would make the trip to the Bay Area to catch an A’s or San Francisco Giants game, Media Relations Coordinator Nick Lozito said he suspects more folks are staying local and heading to Raley Field for the sake of saving money.

“The good thing for us is that a lot of people in the Sacramento area, instead of driving to see an A's (or) Giants game, are saving on gas money and buying a cheaper ticket here,” Lozito said. “We offer a good product and are much more affordable, so it just makes a lot of sense for many people out there.”

Despite all the challenges the River Cats have faced this season, things have gone relatively well for the Triple-A powerhouse. And while struggles will continue into the unforeseen future, Ross said that one thing will remain constant: the fans.

“We’re very fortunate to have such a loyal fan base that Sacramento has provided us since the start,” he said. “This city has been, and I’m sure will continue to be, supportive of this team, and we’re lucky to have such great fans.”

More ticket and promotional information, as well as the team’s schedule and other River Cat inquiries can be found on the team’s website at rivercats.com.