Beer Sales at Fenway

Yesterday the Boston Globe ran a hit piece on beer sales at Fenway. I call it a hit piece because it only shows one side of the story and has to be the result of either sloppy journalism or of only wanting to see one side of an issue.

The piece was written by Andrea Estes who says misleading things like:

The volume of beer sold at Fenway last year jumped roughly 20 percent from the year before, according to information provided by the Red Sox.

She does not put that into context. She does not explain to the reader that the increase in beer sold is mostly attributable to expanded capacity at Fenway and also to the fact that last year was the first year that the Red Sox had an outside pavilion on Yawkey Way.

Concerns over alcohol consumption at the ballpark have triggered complaints from some fans and Fenway neighborhood activists who say home games have become marred by rowdy behavior. The recent altercation between a fan and New York Yankees right fielder Gary Sheffield has drawn attention to a problem that some say has grown worse in recent years. Boston's Licensing Board has scheduled a hearing with Red Sox officials May 10 to investigate alcohol-related complaints.

Anyone who has been to Fenway over the years will tell you that fan behavior is excellent compared to the 70's when you would needed both hands to count the number of brawls in the grandstands. "A problem that has grown worse in recent years" could also be applied to steroids and "roid rage". There is just as much circumstantial evidence to suggest that Sheffield was suffering from roid rage as there is to suggest that the fan in question was alcohol impaired. As Far as Fenway neighborhood complaints - that's not a new story. People buy or rent in Fenway and then are shocked that people go to the games in droves and that parking, congestion and littering are a problem. I could go back every year I've been alive and find a similar story from the Globe.

A Boston police officer who regularly works paid details during games at Fenway, who asked not to be identified, said drinking at the park has spiraled ''totally out of control."

Unnamed sources - the mothers milk of hit pieces. I wonder if you compared the police blotters (which are available to the public and to "reporters" like Ms. Estes) from the years prior to the new ownership to the years since the new ownership took over - I wonder if you would find an increase or decrease in alcohol related arrests in the Fenway area on the day of a game. My guess is that there would be a decrease. I went to my last game at Fenway with a cop friend and he was impressed with both the security and the way the owners are both treating and handling the crowds. And he has been going to Fenway for 25 years.

I call "shenanigans" on Ms. Estes unnamed supposed "cop".

Since police started keeping records of the number of fans ejected from games in July last year, 541 have been kicked out. Fifty-four of those were during the eight home games so far in 2005. Five fans have been charged with drinking, trespassing, or being a disorderly person so far this year.

Again lack of context. She does not mention that those 8 home games included 3 against the Yankees and she makes no mention of how many of those fans ejected were from out of state. Even a passing fan knows that tensions run high when the Yankees are in town. People being kicked out is not evidence of increased problems of alcohol soused patrons but evidence of a management that will not tolerate fans ruining the game for the other fans around them. Notice that she was able to cite 5 people charged so far this year. That's less than one per game. How about checking the police blotters from other years or comparing the number of like arrests at say Yankee Stadium for contrast. Shoddy, lazy, sloppy journalism Ms. Estes.

Estes makes no mention of the expanded seating capacity at Fenway in her entire article. More people at the game equals more hot dogs sold as well as beer sold. I guess this fact was inconvenient to her premise.

She also does not interview anyone at any of the surrounding bars in the neighborhood to see if the new pavilion on Yankee Way has effected their pregame beer sales. I can tell you that many people mill around outside Fenway in the new pavilion and drink beer who formerly would have been crowded like sardines into the Cask n Flagon or Copperfields. Again shoddy, lazy, sloppy journalism Ms. Estes.

Fenway Park has added more seats and has added an outside pavilion where fans congregate before, during and after games. Is it surprising that more beer is sold because of these changes? No. Is it news? No - unless that news happens to be a hit piece.