Syracuse Chiefs Secure 10-Year Lease on Stadium

Story and Photos by Jake Lapin

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- As the sun set over the western corner of NBT Bank Stadium in the fifth inning Wednesday night, it was the perfect setting for baseball. Luckily for Syracuse Chiefs fans, this type of moment will be recaptured as baseball appears to be staying in Syracuse for the extended future.

The Onondaga County Legislature approved a new 10-year lease on Tuesday with the hopes of keeping the Chiefs in Syracuse. While it does increase the rent, the new deal will give the county the responsibility of covering the utility and field maintenance costs. It also gives the Chiefs incentive to stay, with a looming fine if the franchise decides to relocate.

"It's simple math," said Jason Smorol, the Chiefs' general manager. "The team doesn't make any money. The goal is to keep the team here for all the good it does in the community."

Smorol patrols the ballpark throughout the game, able to point out and name a number of different people and where they come from in each section. In his third year as GM, Smorol is dealing with an all-time low attendance record at NBT Bank Stadium. While the new lease is a brief reprieve, fewer than 3,200 seats are filled and nearly 8,000 are empty. There is still work to be done.

Memories, Not Money

As an organization, the Chiefs are not profitable, according to Smorol. Back in 2013, the team lost over $1 million and has not returned a profit since the 2006 season.

The Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bisons Wednesday 6-1, but none of that mattered much to Smorol. Attendance and win percentage do not go hand in hand, according to Smorol, as they often do in the majors.

The sense of community is what gets people to the stadium. Promotions, giveaways, and other wacky antics such as Western night or bring your dog to the ballpark are what fill the seats, regardless of who is in uniform on the field.

"Make it affordable," Smorol said. "Make it easy, make it friendly, make it fun."

Smorol has four white boards on the wall just outside his office dedicated to promotion ideas. Next to every game on the schedule, there are a few ideas scribbled in, some Smorol is more proud of than others. No game is left blank, regardless of the opposition or day of the week.

Diverse History and Community Footprint

As the Chiefs took on the Bisons, there was a good mix of local Chiefs fans, some out-of-town Washington Nationals fans, and even some Toronto Blue Jays fans, of whom the Bisons are the current affiliate, and the Chiefs were the previous affiliate until 2008.

Syracuse is the smallest market of all AAA affiliates in minor league baseball. Yet Smorol says the Chiefs are the second most popular sports team in the city behind the Syracuse University basketball team. Baseball has been in Syracuse on and off since the late 1800s, and the Chiefs have been there since 1961.

"It's just part of the community," Smorol said. "When you lose something like this, it just says something about your community."

"Obviously it's great for Syracuse," said Chiefs manager Billy Gardner. "The fans have been great, the front office and Jason's staff have done a great job here."

The new lease may not have made the most financial sense for the county, but it keeps a sense of community alive. Syracuse has a rich baseball history featuring hall-of-famers, war veterans, color-barrier breakers and more. More than 300,000 tickets are sold every summer at NBT Bank Stadium since its inaugural season in 1997. Now, it appears baseball will be in Syracuse at least for the next decade.