Seattle Mariners Finish With Net Profit For First Time Since 1992

The Seattle Mariners organization managed to finish their 2014 fiscal year in the black to the tune of $11.6 million. That figure is rather impressive when you consider they had finished in the red every year since 1992.

The major reason for the uptick is simple. They put a better product on the field and more people began to buy tickets to see said product. In fact, the Mariners drew 2,064,334 fans in 2014. That is more than 313,300 more fans than the year before.

It’s not like the Mariners are popping bottles or buying expensive cars with their net profits, either. They have already spent the income – and more – on third basemen Kyle Seager as well as Nelson Cruz, Seth Smith and Justin Ruggiano.

The team is now a mere $31 million away from zeroing out its balance of the $200.2 million it contributed to the privately/publicly funded Safeco Field that opened in 1999. With new acquisitions and talent like Robinson Cano and King Felix Hernandez to attract fans, there is no reason to think their fan attendance will continue rise and that balance will be zeroed before the expiration of their lease in 2018. If that happens, then the team would start sharing profits like the $11.6 million with the Public Facilities District in King County.

When the Mariners win, Seattle wins.

[Seattle PI]

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