Santa Claus (Peter Seidler) delivers for Padres fans
Credit: AP Photo
If you have any grey in your hair and root for the San Diego Padres, you know how frustrating it has been to cheer for this franchise.
Years and years of abuse to the fan base resulted in 50-plus years of irrelevant baseball. Sure, there have been moments of greatness for the Padres, but in reality, those moments have been few and far between.
Heading into the second decade of the 21st century, there was no real reason to be excited, either. The 2010 squad was in first place for 148 days that year but fell short to the Giants as the team faded drastically down the stretch. Even if that team made the playoffs, were they going to compete with a rotation led by Clayton Richard, Jon Garland, and Mat Latos? Or an offense led by Adrian Gonzalez and Chase Headley? Nope.
Fast forward to 2023, and the Padres have arguably the two best young players in the game in Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. They also employ Manny Machado in the prime of his career and just inked Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year deal. The pitching staff is led by Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, and Joe Musgrove. There is no better time to be a Padres fan than right now.
But how did this happen?
San Diego is rated as the 27th largest sports market in the country despite being 8th as far as the largest cities in the nation. Geographic limitations are present in San Diego, and sports have a smaller following in America’s Finest City. You cannot deny these facts. Most fans of other professional sports teams circle when their organization plays in San Diego. They do this as it is a perfect opportunity to enjoy a vacation and watch your favorite team play in another stadium.
The Padres embraced this concept and made Petco Park a travel destination in itself. The glorified food court with a baseball diamond in the middle generates tons of revenue for the San Diego Padres, as the team has no issues selling out. Themed nights and beer fests feed the appetite of the locals, and the Padres just keep raking in the money.
But making money isn’t what turned things around for the Padres, though it did help. The bottom line is this current ownership group, led by Peter Seidler, has invested back into the product. They have taken millions and millions of dollars in profits and provided the city of San Diego with a relevant baseball team.
Outside the city of San Diego, MLB fans are astonished by the Padres’ spending.
How can a small market team throw money around like that? Every Major League Baseball ownership group is made up of billionaires. Some just choose to spend their money, while others’ only goal is to add to their remarkable wealth.
Peter Seidler is comfortable in life. The San Diego Padres are turning a profit, and that is all that really matters.
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There is no better time to be a fan of the San Diego Padres, and we all have Peter Seidler to thank for that.
Thank you, Mr. Seidler. None of this ever seemed possible until you made it a reality.
Go Padres, and Happy Holidays.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.