No Minor Accomplishment: The Revival of New Jersey Professional Baseball

Chapter 9: The Atlantic City Surf: Searching for a Niche

T he days are still hot, the surf is warm, and the boardwalk is alive with vacationers on any given day in late August. However, Labor Day is approaching, and everyone knows the beach season is about to end, lending a sense of urgency to all activities, including Atlantic League baseball all across the state. Division pennants and league championships are being won and lost. The laziness of warm afternoons and evenings at the ballpark is replaced by the anticipation of the wild 137 9 The Atlantic City Surf Searching for a Niche The twin spires of Bernie Robbins Stadium, which was built to resemble a sandcastle, Atlantic City. Photograph by Bob Golon, 2005. pitch, the overthrown ball from the outfield to home plate, or the strikeout that could mean the difference between winning a championship or packing up for the season. But Atlantic City seems immune to the climactic energy felt by summer vacationers and baseball fans alike. In this city of 41,000 people, the festive mood inside the casinos does not lessen. Gambling, drinking, and hard partying are not affected by early sunsets and cooler weather. Perhaps this is why the Atlantic City Surf have struggled to be financially successful in this city, despite having proved themselves time and time again on the baseball field. Most city visitors don’t seem interested in the fact that their hometown team is in a desperate race to make the playoffs. On August 22, 2005, the Surf are playing against the Nashua Pride, the first-place club in the Atlantic League’s Northern Division. Even though both clubs are number one in their respective divisions, fan attendance tonight barely reaches 1,200. While looking at the impressive casino skyline in the distance and the sea of empty seats in front of me, the contrasts of the baseball situations in Newark, Camden, and Atlantic City comes into sharp focus. As mentioned in the previous chapters, Newark attempted to reconnect with its storied baseball past with a population that not only does not remember it but, in some cases, cares little about it. Camden’s desire to rebuild its waterfront into a major tourist destination led to an overaggressive funding arrangement for the ballpark that forced the late Steve Shilling to dip into his own pocket in an attempt to repay the debt, almost causing the bankruptcy of the ball club in the process. Despite this, Camden and the surrounding areas have accepted the Riversharks and support them far better than Newark did in the Bears’ case. In Atlantic City, the tourist industry has been well established. There are the boardwalk and marina areas that lure customers from miles away. Fortunes are spent daily in the Atlantic City casinos among the bright lights and the continuous entertainment. A bombardment of sensory glitz is aimed at casino patrons, with each casino trying to out do the other. Nearby are the Atlantic Ocean and the beaches of the New Jersey shore, which attract their own legion of tourists during the summer months. The shore scene provides a serenity that is perhaps as powerful to the senses as is the excitement of the boardwalk. Yet, the ballpark is, for the most part, sparsely attended. Perhaps it is a case of sensory overload for those who visit and live in Atlantic City, and the Surf struggle to find their place in the midst of it. 138 No Minor Accomplishment On this late-August day, the Atlantic City boardwalk is occupied by the usual crowds of excitement seekers trying to change their luck by moving from casino to casino. Some look happy, some sad, and some even look desperate. The afternoon boardwalk casino crowd is dominated by senior citizens, who came in great numbers when legalized gaming in Atlantic City arrived in the 1970s. They arrive by the busload or in their automobiles , carrying their complimentary ten-dollar slot machine coupons given out by the casinos and bus companies as an incentive to draw them in. They wear their casino promotional club cards around their necks like jewelry, to have easy access to them when a tempting slot machine comes a calling. They spend money, but given their limited incomes, they don’t spend much. They come for a few hours, have their fun, maybe enjoy an inexpensive lunch, then board the buses or get into their cars and head home...