Many baseball fans treat Opening Day as a holiday. Even if the state or federal governments don't grant the day off, it's worth taking PTO or a vacation day to experience the buzz of another baseball season. Visiting whitesox.com to check on the availability of Opening Day tickets, however, it's safe to say that White Sox fans do not share the same excitement for 2025 Opening Day as other teams. Ticketmaster has a color-coded map in shades of blue. The Rate Field map shows a lot of blue for Opening Day, meaning great seats are still available.
While Chris Getz and his new baseball operations team try to figure out how to be more competitive on the field, it’s up to Brooks Boyer and his marketing team to figure out how to draw fans. Former White Sox owner Bill Veeck would relish this opportunity to be outlandish or goofy with gameday events. Instead, the White Sox marketing efforts are focused on celebrating 125 years of baseball on the South Side. A new bobblehead series, more theme nights, lots of fan giveaways, and the introduction of new ballpark concessions are attempts to put butts in seats.
During White Sox Media Preview Day last week, Boyer was kind enough to grant a one-on-one interview to address the upcoming season. One that will see struggles selling tickets and dealing with a new TV network that’s still not available on Comcast, the largest cable distributor in Chicagoland.
JOSH NELSON: How are Opening Day ticket sales going?
BROOKS BOYER: It's tough. It's what we expected.
I mean, we are not blind to the fact that we had some real struggles on the field, and you know, many of our fans believe what happens on the field is the most important thing. We can't control what happens in the Major League Baseball game when grown men have a round ball and a round bat between those lines. We can't control that. We have to control everything on the outside.
That's why days like Media Preview Day are essential for people to see what we will do. But attendance is beaten up, and the season ticket base is beaten up, as people would expect.
We are pretty realistic about what's happening, but we're going to open those gates anyway. People will come in, and we're going to try to wow every single person, even if we can't do it on the field.
NELSON: With the ticket sales struggles, is that why you brought back the Ballpark Pass?
BOYER: Yeah. Even when we were excellent on the field, early in the season in Chicago is always challenging. We have been more of a summer and weekend team. It's a way to get people into the ballpark early and get them used to coming out. Hopefully, that'll continue into the summer.
NELSON: Lots of fan giveaways this season. What's with the giveaway strategy?
BOYER: Because we are realistic, we know that we're going to need help selling tickets.
When you have a unique opportunity like the 125th anniversary, I went to Mike Downey (Senior Director of Marketing and Promotions) and Gareth Breunlin (Vice President of Marketing and Advertising). I said, "The giveaways will help drive ticket sales." I'm super proud of all the giveaways and that we're going to introduce the Bobblehead series.
Our sponsors are always excited about it, and they drive people to the ballpark.
NELSON: How's the new network going (CHSN)? How are things going with Comcast?
BOYER: Well, we're not on Comcast. We are fully engaged with Comcast and trying to get something done. There's Opening Day on March 27, and then Bulls vs. Lakers that night.
Meanwhile, the direct-to-consumer option is available. We're on DIRECTV, DIRECTV Stream, and Fubo.
Because I'm a Comcast subscriber, I have one antenna in my house. You can't pause live TV and miss those types of things, but if people want the games, there's a way to get them.
NELSON: New personalities are being introduced with Brooke Fletcher and Connor McKnight. Are we going to see more of them at the stadium for CHSN productions?
BOYER: One of the things that will be unique to the new production is that we have the studio on the 400 level. So, Ozzie Guillen and Chuck Garfien will be there instead of being in a basement at the Merchandise Mart.
The studio is an indoor/outdoor studio. When we open the windows, you can see Ozzie and Chuck on a perch, watching or commenting on the game, which will be unique.
The way Chris Getz has put together this team is the foundation, and now we're just starting to pop out of the ground in this house. For us to tell that story, a lot of it starts in the minor leagues. That's where Connor and Brooke bring a unique perspective. They've covered much of the minor league stuff in our spring training games, and we will continue doing that.
NELSON: John Schriffen entering Year 2. How do you like the TV pairing of Schriffen and Steve Stone? What are you hoping to see in 2025?
BOYER: Obviously, you want to see growth. Last year was a terrific learning experience for John.
Chicago's a unique market, and he's learned from that. After watching some of the broadcasts we've had so far in spring training, it's early, but he's taking a step forward.
I am so very excited for John and Steve, but I am also excited for Brooke and Connor because they are going to be additive to the broadcast. We built a large coverage team because we need to cover not only what's going on in the field right now but also a lot more in the coming years.
NELSON: How did you like SoxFest at the Ramova Theater?
BOYER: I liked it, and it was much more intimate. I think the fans who went enjoyed it. I also think the days of big fan conventions lasting three days where everyone is worn out are over. I don't think we'll go back in that direction.
My feedback from people was that fans really enjoyed being in the neighborhood and enjoyed the fact that we had enough guys there to make it interesting and compelling.
NELSON: So, Flo Rida in June. Are we going to see more postgame concerts in the future or more non-game day events at the stadium?
BOYER: I don't think we'll see any more postgame concerts this year, and the Savannah Bananas is an outside event. Many of those events are outside of the White Sox and are up to ISFA to host. We work really well with them and are always open to more events as long as they fit into our baseball schedule.
NELSON: New City Connect uniforms coming in April. Why the change?
BOYER: It'll be up to your audience to see if we did it right. One of the hardest things we did was going through the redesign because that "Southside" look became iconic. It's always one of the top two or three in any sales rankings, so it defines us. But like food and beverages, we can't go backwards, and with the new look, we are not going backwards.
