Column: Other than a Flo Rida concert, how can the Chicago White Sox convince fans to come to the ballpark?
An urgent email notification from the Chicago White Sox appeared on my phone, immediately brightening up a rainy Tuesday morning.
Multiplatinum recording artist Flo Rida was coming to The Rate on June 27 to deliver a postgame concert following the White Sox-San Francisco Giants game. Packages include a ticket to the game and an on-field pass. After passing on Vanilla Ice's postgame concert that was canceled due to a couple stray bullets landing in the bleachers in 2023, who could say no?
For Sox fans unaware of Mr. Rida, the hip-hop artist recorded the popular party anthem, 'My House,' which was once featured in a ubiquitous Comcast Xfinity commercial urging customers to stay home and watch cable TV. The song's catchy chorus — 'Welcome to my house, we don't have to go out …' — made it the perfect tune for Xfinity, which coincidentally is also the cable provider that's been unable to strike a deal to carry the Chicago Sports Network, potentially depriving thousands of White Sox fans from watching the games in their own home.
That, in a nutshell, is the circle of Sox life.
I'm not sure if the lure of Flo Rida's hits will be enough to convince fans to come out to the corner of 35th Street and Shields Avenue on a warm Friday night in June and wait through a baseball game to watch him, but you can't blame the Sox for trying.
Coming off a modern-day record 121-loss season, any and all ideas to generate fan interest are welcome. Well, almost any. Free beer kiosks and opening a dispensary in center field are not valid options.
So what can the Sox do?
Are they doomed to a season of empty seats at most games not involving the Cubs, giveaways or Mark Buehrle's statue ceremony? Or is there hope for a comeback, at least in the stands?
Opening day is just over three weeks away, and the Sox are already playing down to expectations in Cactus League play.
Nevertheless, general manager Chris Getz recently told me the reaction he and players received at SoxFest in January at the Ramova Theatre was greatly appreciated.
'They're passionate, no question about that,' he said. 'And we appreciate that. But at the end of the day, I know they're waiting to see a better baseball club. We're trying to put together the best baseball club we can.'
Getz could've added an asterisk to that last sentence: *-allowing for payroll limitations from ownership.
If winning games is going to be a challenge, at least the manager can make fans feel like there's light at the end of the tunnel. I asked new skipper Will Venable whether he felt any personal responsibility to help sell the Sox to their fans in 2025.
'That's about how we play, for me,' he said. 'Certainly part of this is going out and doing all the things we need to do to compete and play hard. We talk about those things every day in camp.'
I took that as a 'no,' but that's OK. He's new here.
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Venable is obviously no Joe Maddon or Terry Francona when it comes to marketing skills. The Cubs brought in Maddon in 2014 knowing he had the charisma, media savvy and ability to convince Cubs fans that the rebuild was actually turning a corner. The excitement of the 2014-15 offseason built up and led to a playoff season that restored faith in the plan. The Cincinnati Reds are trying to do likewise this season with Francona, who provided instant credibility to their rebuild.
Venable, in his first year in Chicago, remains a complete unknown to most Sox fans. He's as low-key as former Sox managers Robin Ventura, Rick Renteria and Grady Sizemore, the interim guy who remains on Venable's coaching staff. But after four years of a polarizing Tony La Russa and an obstinate Pedro Grifol, Sox fans might welcome a likeable guy to the manager's chair.
So what has Venable learned about Sox fans during his first few months on the job?
'They're extremely passionate, extremely proud of their team, and I think that's something that we all can get behind and are excited about,' he said. 'Hope to give them something to be proud of out on the field.'
Sox fans are definitely passionate and proud, as Getz and Venable pointed out, but they're also discriminating when it comes to attending games. It's going to take more than Venable's leadership skills and Flo Rida's hits to bring fans back to Sox Park.
There is still the Reinsdorf Factor to contend with, and the lack of stars to promote.
The Sox currently have two stars, Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Benintendi. Robert is likely to be traded, and Benintendi broke his right hand last week and will be out for 4-5 weeks. The young pitching prospects being touted for future stardom, Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz, are likely to start the season in Triple A.
Spring training is usually a good time to generate optimism, but the Sox are 2-8 in Cactus League play heading into Wednesday, hitting an anemic .204 and posting a 6.25 ERA. Spring numbers are meaningless, of course, but with so many roster spots open, it's concerning that only Robert, Brandon Drury and Lenyn Sosa are off to decent starts at the plate.
The Sox finished last in the majors in home runs last year and figure to save on fireworks again. With Benintendi out, the only home run threat outside of Robert and Andrew Vaughn is veteran Joey Gallo, a one-time slugger on a minor-league invite.
Gallo should make the roster with so little competition in camp, but his strikeout totals are quite alarming. He has twice as many career strikeouts (1,292) as hits (557), while his 213 strikeouts in 2021 are on par with Nellie Fox's 216 strikeouts over his entire 19-year career. So far Gallo is 1-for-12 with five strikeouts in Cactus League play, so maybe the Sox should hold off on the Joey Gallo billboards for now.
Better to market the 2025 Sox around the Campfire Milkshake, the slump-proof concoction that Sox fans were truly passionate about in 2024.
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