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The Chicago White Sox have sold a record number of season tickets for the upcoming season.
The team announced Tuesday fans have purchased nearly 21,000 season passes. That’s up from about 11,000 last year.
Katie Kirby is with the White Sox.
She says winning the World Series is just one of the reasons for the record-breaking sales.
She also credits the team’s charismatic manager, Ozzie Guillen.
""And our marketing campaign really has focused on our individual players because we think they are a nice, likeable bunch of guys,"" Kirby says. ""And it seems to us that the fans really have responded to that. They like the players. They like the team. They like the way the team plays baseball.""
Fans can still buy season tickets, but they will no longer be guaranteed playoff passes because of the high demand.
She says the increased ticket revenue means Sox management can now spend more money on players.
The team’s payroll is expected to hit $95 million this year, up from $73 million last year. “