After economic year to forget, rejuvenated Reno Aces ready to get back to business
Construction crews work to replace the original infield dirt and outfield grass at Greater Neva-da Field in February as part of the Reno Aces’ first field renovation in franchise history heading into the 2021 season.
Photo: John Rodgers
It was Oct. 10, 2020 inside Greater Nevada Field and Edelstein, president of the Reno Aces and Reno 1868 FC, was watching the latter club compete against the LA Galaxy II in a home playoff soccer game.
It wasn’t the high caliber of play on the field that moved Edelstein. His emotions stemmed from seeing a smattering of spectators sitting in the stands of Greater Nevada Field for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic sidelined the sports world in March. “Even with 250 people, it was emotional,” Edelstein said. “I had never been almost moved to tears about this thing (live sporting events) that we’ve done for years. When it’s been taken from you, you just realize how special it is what we get to do.” A month later, after four seasons as a franchise, Reno 1868 FC folded, a decision Edelstein previously described as “gut-wrenching” but unavoidable to keep the company at large afloat. After all, the pandemic was a gut check to the business of sports, and stadiums and arenas that sat empty for most of 2020 are still dealing with the financial fallout. Greater Nevada Field in downtown Reno is no exception. The ballpark, which was tracking for a record year pre-COVID, had more than 100 sports, entertainment and special events wiped off its 2020 calendar, Edelstein said — and that of course included the Reno Aces, the minor league baseball team that has played in the Biggest Little City since 2009, seeing their entire 2020 season canceled. As a result, the ballpark saw its revenue decline 94% across all businesses last year, according to the 2020 Greater Nevada Field Report, which was presented by SK Baseball Holdings (doing business as Reno Aces) to the Reno City Council last month. “Words haven’t been invented to describe just how difficult it was to essentially have everything that you do overnight be deemed unsafe and ineligible for participation,” Edelstein told the NNBW. “And that you needed to sit still and just wait.” The report also showed that more than 700 full- and part-time employees associated with Greater Nevada Field operations were trimmed down to 349 due to the pandemic. Moreover, most of the remaining employees put in hours that were less than 10% compared to 2019. All told, the economic instability led to Greater Nevada Field needing a $3.85 million cash infusion to “maintain stadium and fan engagement,” the report said. “We were completely closed outside of two soccer events, one with 250 people and another with 700 people,” Edelstein said. “Those are the only two events that we’ve been able to operate at the stadium in the last calendar year.” ACES ON DECK
That’s slated to change this year. The Reno Aces are scheduled to play their first ballgame at Greater Nevada Field in nearly two years when it hosts the Las Vegas Aviators on May 13. In all, the Aces have 120 games (60 at home) on their regular season schedule, ending on Sept. 21 at Greater Nevada Field. Those aren’t the only changes on deck. The Aces have a new 10-year partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks, their Major League Baseball affiliate, which Edelstein called “extremely important” for the ball club’s long-term stability. After all, MLB in February restructured the minor leagues, which led to 40 of the 160 affiliated teams being dropped. “We knew that we’re playing in a world-class facility in a great market, and we had a great partnership with the Diamondbacks,” Edelstein said. “So, we weren’t really concerned (that we’d be dropped by the MLB).” What’s more, Edelstein said Aces owner Herb Simon (who also owns the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and WNBA’s Indiana Fever) has continuously showed his commitment to the franchise. This, he noted, was recently epitomized in the form of funding a $600,000-plus renovation of the field, the first in franchise history. In February, construction crews replaced the original infield dirt and outfield grass with a field that the Aces say will “bring Major League quality and standards” to the Biggest Little City. “The Simon family has continued to essentially give me what’s necessary and allow us the latitude to do what’s necessary to make sure that the stadium is in the best place that it can be,” Edelstein said. “I only talked to Herb more, not less, during the initial phase of the pandemic. Every day the questions were, ‘How can we support you? What do you need? Are you OK?’ It’s a true caring for me personally, for our staff, for our people, for our community.” All the while, Edelstein said the team’s support from the city of Reno has not wavered. When Edelstein took over as the Aces’ president in 2013, he worked to make amends with the city after previous management disputed whether to pay property taxes. Starting in 2013, the Aces entered a 30-year agreement with the city, which subsidizes about $1 million a year to support the team. “I know there were some challenges, pre-2013, between the ballpark and the city,” he said. “But, in my time here, that relationship has been terrific. I think we both have held up our end of the bargain just perfectly fine.” READY FOR FANS
Looking to the upcoming season, Edelstein said the Aces have applied to the state for 20% capacity at the 9,534-seat Greater Nevada Field, with hopes for an increase later in the spring when safely allowed as vaccinations across the state continue. He added that they have not received formal approval for the 20% capacity as of March 18, but the franchise is continuing to work with state and local authorities and health officials to determine the best plan to safely welcome fans back. No matter how many fans are filling Greater Nevada Field for the Aces’ home opener, Edelstein expects to be hit with plenty of goosebumps from the opening pitch to the final out. “I have no doubt that the first baseball game is going to be an emotional experience,” he said. “I’ve sorely missed my nights and weekends at the stadium. And I love it, and I can’t wait to get back to those events again.” Neither can the fans. Edelstein said 95% of the team’s season ticket holders rolled over their payments from 2020 into 2021 instead of asking for a refund. “It’s really humbling to see the trust that we’ve built in the community that they know we’re going to be here and they know that we’re going to take good care of them,” Edelstein said. “I can’t wait to make good on all that trust when we’re back playing this year.” Still, he knows that not all fans may feel ready to attend a ballgame due to the lingering threat of COVID-19. But that could quickly change over the coming months. “I wouldn’t say that 100% of our fans are ready to come if we played today,” he said. “But when you look at the fact that it’s about two months until we play, and the amount of vaccines that are going into arms every single day, I think we’re going to be back to about 80%-plus that are ready to come by the time we play in May.” ‘VITAL’ AND ‘INVALUABLE’ SPONSORSHIPS
As of mid-March, Edelstein said the vast majority of the team’s corporate sponsors have also either rolled over or renewed their payments for the 2021 season. “We’re maybe down 25% of where I would expect us to be at this time,” he said. “But, all things considered, that’s 75% up from where we were a year ago when everything went to zero.” And like ticket sales, he expects sponsorship sales to grow as the team gets closer to opening day, and especially after fans start filling the park. “We’re down from where we were historically, but we have a really nice base and we have a lot of interest out there,” he said. To that end, Edelstein said corporate sponsorships are “vital” and “invaluable” to the Aces, accounting for “more than one-third” of the team’s revenue. This, Edelstein said, enables the team to offer tickets at affordable, family-friendly rates. Which is one of the reasons Greater Nevada Credit Union (GNCU), the title sponsor of Greater Nevada Field, signed a 15-year partnership and naming rights agreement with the Aces in 2016, said Michael Thomas, vice president of marketing at GNCU. “We support what Greater Nevada Field does for the community as a gathering place,” Thomas said. “I think it’s important for any organization to strategically look and say, hey, can we achieve our marketing objectives and at the same time allow a greater good in the community? “And I think that’s why the partnership side makes sense,” he continued. “You get to have the experience of, yes, it’s achieving my marketing goals, but also by giving funds that are necessary for the Reno Aces to operate so they can put an affordable product on the field, and more families can afford to see a game. And from an economic standpoint, it just makes the community more attractive overall. Baseball and entertainment are another mix to not only recruit people that want to come work here or choose Reno to invest as a business owner or corporate entity, but also keep them in the community.” Peterbilt Truck Parts and Equipment and Silver State International have also been a longtime partner of the Reno Aces, sponsoring the team’s Military Appreciation Night for about a decade, said Shawn Gallagher with Peterbilt Truck Parts and Equipment and Silver State International. Along with the company’s staff being avid baseball fans and military supporters, Gallagher said being a corporate sponsor for the Aces brings in plenty of new business. “We’ve got an awful lot of billboards and a lot of digital advertising out there that we take advantage of that I really appreciate,” Gallagher said. “Many of the fans, through some six-degree of separation, are a customer of ours or a customer’s customer of ours, so I like being in front of those folks. “Not to mention, this is a really beautiful stadium in a community that needs an outlet. I mean, there’s a lot of fun things to do in this town, but what a nice place to go.”
