Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno believes there are several experiences that fans of his team prioritize over on-field results when attending baseball games.
"The number one thing fans want is affordability," Moreno said Friday, citing information the Angels accumulated through surveys, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. "They want affordability. They want safety, and they want a good experience when they come to the ballpark.
"Believe it or not, winning is not in their top five," Moreno added.
Moreno claimed that he's discovered families are more concerned about ballpark costs than winning.
"The moms want to be able to afford to bring the kids," Moreno said. "Moms make about 80% of the decisions. They want to be able to bring their kids and be affordable and they want safety and they want to have a good experience, so they get all the entertainment stuff or whatever. The purists, you know, it's just straight winning."
The 79-year-old said he's "always wanted to win" but openly questioned "what's the cost of winning right now." The Angels have not made the playoffs since 2014 and have not won a playoff series since 2009.
Angels players are aware of Moreno's remarks, according to Sam Blum of The Athletic.
"Let's just say players took notice of it," new MLBPA head Bruce Meyer said Sunday after meeting with the club's players. "And we took notice of it, too. The bottom line is players are competitors. They grew up competing every day. They go out, and they try their hardest to win every game. And players want to see owners doing the same thing."
The Angels declined to comment on the details of the surveys, per Blum.
