Omaha daily bee., 1918-05-12
TWILIGHT BALL
IS PROSPECT IN
OMAHA THIS YEAR
Pa Rourke Considering Feast.
biIity of Starting Games at
$50 Instead of the
Regular Hour.

Twilight bns~ ball is a prospect for
Omaha fans.
w. A, Rourke, owner of the Omaha
base bah club, is giving this proposal
consideration and it is believed he is
INCLINED to favor it.
In the l8 years it has held fran.
chise in the Western league Omaha
has been what in base ball parlanct
is known as Sunday town." Thi.
means that an Omaha club owner
must depend largely upon his Sunday
attendance to break even on the year:
business. Saturday is a fair day in
Omaha. But the other five days are
almost total losses. 1t is rare in.
deed that Omaha pays expenses on a
week day.
Fortunately for the man who owns
the club, the average Sabbath at
tendance in Omaha is greater than in
any other town in the league. 1t is
this alone which enables an Omaha
magnate to pay dividends.
Rain is Ruinious.
But depending entirely upon Sun
day is risky, to say the least. The
Rourkes play 10 Sunday games at
home this year. Figures show that
for these 10 games the Rourkes must
attract an average of 5000 a game to
break even. If the team is up and
fighting and weather good, Omaha
probably will reach this mark and
possibly beat it. But few rainy Sum-
days plays havoc with this average
and also the Rourke bank roll.
For several years Rourke has been
trying to devise scheme to boost
the weekday attendance. Weekday
attendance in Omaha generally runs
from 800 to 600 Only occasionally
is this latter figure surpassed except
on Saturday, when 300 to 200 is an
average.
Just what a few rainy days means
to minor league base ball magnate
can be seen by figuring out these aver
age attendances.
Supposing Omaha plays every
game. Ten Sundays at 5000 a Sun
day is 10000. Ten Saturdays at 1000
a Saturday is 10000. Fifty week
days at 400 day is 10000. The total
is 10000. Rourke must beat this fig
ure to make money, so it can be seen
that only under the most favorable
circumstances will the Omaha club
pay dividends.
Boost Week Days. ~
That is why Rourke is trying to de-
al, @1 nk
tendances. Twilight base ball offers
a possibility. The plan is to start the
games at $50, at least during the
three summer months, June, July and
August. The games could be played
by 8:30-many OF them before this
time. Now that the clocks have been
turned ahead an hour $50 is in realty
only 7:30, sundown. Several times
long ball games in Omaha have been
played until nearly 7:30. 49,
By calling the games at $50 Rourke
believes many fans who might other!
wise be kept away would attend.
Especially in these times of war
many fans cannot get away from their
work in the afternoon. The $50
game would give them an opportunity.
They could even get their supper be-
fore going to the game.
The only problem is whether the
fans would take this opportunity.
Would they go to ball games after
the days work is done? Or would
they go to the movies? Or TO the
parks? Or automobile riding?
It's problem. Some take one side
of the argument, others take the
other. The best way to tef is to try
it out. Rourke probably will do so
on the theory that there is everything
to gain and nothing to lose. If the
plan is a failure-or no improvement
-Rourke will go back to the Sis
starting time.