Will the White Sox bring back SoxFest ahead of the 2024 season? Your guess is as good as ours and theirs.
In a statement released on Wednesday evening, the team said the following:
“No official plans for SoxFest to announce at the moment, but we are working on plans to celebrate fans this winter.”
– Chicago White Sox
The quote comes as tickets go on sale Thursday for the Cubs’ annual fan convention, set to take place at the Sheraton Grand Chicago from January 12-14, 2024. As you may recall, the White Sox waited until late October last year to announce any sort of update, and it turned out to be the cancellation of the 2023 fan convention due to “several factors.”
“We recognize our fans may be disappointed the event will not take place,” the team said in a statement last October. “Please check back throughout the 2023 baseball season for updates regarding future plans.”
The cancellation marked the third-straight year that SoxFest has not been held. The team never provided any sort of update on what exactly the “factors” were, and there was no attempt to offer any sort of alternative prior to the season.
McCormick Place served as the host for the once-annual fan convention when it was last held in 2020 after a number of years at the Chicago Hilton. The last gathering saw an increased number of fans as the team’s window of contention opened up. SoxFest eventually did not take place in either 2021 or 2022 due to concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s hard to say if the positive trend would’ve continued had it continued to be held, though a solid managerial hire and notable offseason acquisitions could’ve certainly helped in recreating some hype. With the contention window now slammed shut and the organization in turmoil after troubling accusations related to their culture, it’s hard to say what the future may hold.
The bottom line is this, all fans deserve better and the organization should at least provide better transparency related to the process this time around. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that some sort of positive update related to the event is shared.
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Featured Photo: Chicago White Sox
They are so disconnected from baseball, the city and their fans. Bill Veeck was baseball poor, but baseball fan rich. Reinsdorf is baseball rich but is fan poor.
Under Bill Veeck, do you remember the 1977 Southside Hit Men? That team faded down the stretch due to lack of pitching, but it was a fun team to watch! I was 19 that year, and our family went to FIVE White Sox games that year! Bill Veeck was also an innovator! He came up with the exploding scoreboard and putting names on players’ jerseys! Do you see Reinsdorf as an innovator? Reinsdorf makes money no matter how poorly the White Sox do! A friend accused me of being a fair weather fan when I said that I will root against the White Sox for the rest of the year! I told him that at this point in time rooting for the White Sox is an endorsement of Reinsdorf, Hahn and Williams! As much of a jerk as he could be, could you imagine George Steinbrenner putting up with a mess like this?
2022 White Sox revenue $276 million, which was 19th highest among all MLB teams. Player payroll of $213 million, which was the 8th highest in the league. Additionally, they had an operating income of -$53 million, which means they spent more than they earned. Therefore, their net revenue for 2022 was -$240 million. Reference: Bing A1, What is the net revenue for the Chicago White Major League Baseball team?
Should the White Sox be running in the red? They are a major market team! I read where baseball is literally printing money with all the revenue streams! The team has suffered the worst attendance drop of any team! Is that maybe a factor?
The team says that they recognize that fans may be disappointed that the event won’t take place! Reinsdorf, Hahn and Williams, cut the crap! You couldn’t care less about the fans!
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Reindorf is to cheap and afraid to face the fans! Sell the White Sox Jerry, Sox fans deserve better than you owning the team!
Don’t hold your breath on Jerry selling the team! I read where his family would pay $200 million less in taxes by selling the team after he dies. When you say fans deserve better, I won’t disagree! However, as of when does Jerry give a rip about the fans?
So… they are going to chicken out again and not face the backlash they rightfully deserve.
Does that surprise you? They have always taken a condescending attitude toward the fans! If Reinsdorf, Hahn and Williams were Pinocchio, how many times would their noses stretch around the earth?
Not surprising one bit….
A true owner would make SOXfest a priority. If you say you support Grifol and Getz, you now have the opportunity to turn around your investment. A SOXfest after three years of excuses would be an important step in the right direction.
Soxfest implies a celebration! What is there to celebrate where this pitiful organization is concerned?