Albuquerque keeps its eye on the ball
When it comes to having family fun – without breaking the bank – Albuquerque turns to sports. Not the table-tennis-in-the-garage variety, but professional basketball and baseball, both of which are flourishing here even in the face of a cranky economy.
“We’re about fun, the family and affordability,” says John Traub, general manager of the Isotopes, the city’s AAA minor league baseball team. “On most nights, you can still bring a family of four to a game here for less than $20.” Which is saying something, given the cost of movies, soda and popcorn these days.
Both the Isotopes, affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Thunderbirds, the minor league basketball team affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Hornets, are enjoying enthusiastic crowds and growing reputations.
The Thunderbirds draw nearly 3,000 fans per game to their 24 home games at Tingley Coliseum. On top of a winning streak early this year, the team was particularly buoyed by new, local owners Sam and Jackie Bregman and a new front office staff.
“Our fans are very appreciative of being able to see the owners at games and talk to them,” says spokesman Tyler Ortiz. “We’ve all been growing together, working hard to get the word out and getting folks to come out and support the T-birds.”
Like the Isotopes, the Thunderbirds make a point of keeping prices affordable for families, with tickets as low as $5. And that helps build crowds, many of whom see their first live basketball game at Tingley.
“Fans who come to their first game say it’s amazing,” says Ortiz. “They never knew it would be so much fun.”
At Isotopes Park, nicknamed “The Lab,” a record-breaking 600,000 fans cheered the team on to the playoffs during the 2009 season. The award-winning Isotopes Park is a favorite with fans, says Traub.
“Our venue is known as one of the most comfortable places to watch baseball in the whole country,” he says. “If you’re a baseball fan, there’s no better place to watch a game than here. If you like to watch people, if you like good food, if you’re a kid – we like to say we have something for everybody, and it has proven to be true.”
Now about that name. Just as the team was locating to Albuquerque, a 2001 TV episode of The Simpsons followed the possible relocation of Homer’s favorite Springfield Isotopes to Albuquerque. Fans voted en masse for the name in real life, and it has become a longstanding favorite and the impetus for huge sales of team merchandise. In 2010, fans will even meet two larger-than-life statues of Marge and Homer Simpson that have been installed on the concourse.
“It’s an unconventional baseball name, but it has really hit a home run in this community,” says Traub.
