The main reason that the C’s have signed on with Sportsnet was tucked away seven paragraphs into the press release that announced the deal. As part of the agreement, the C’s will have six games broadcast on Sportsnet Pacific television this coming season.

The Vancouver Canadians jumping to Sportsnet 650 makes sense on several levels.

Sportsnet 650 announced Tuesday morning that they had struck a radio deal for the C’s 2019 campaign after the ball club had spent the past several seasons on the air waves of TSN 1040. Sportsnet 650 is owned by Rogers, which also owns the Toronto Blue Jays, who are the big-league affiliate of the C’s, a team in the short-season, single-A Northwest League.

Phil Lind is the vice chairman of Rogers Communications. He went to UBC with Jake Kerr, who’s one of the C’s owners, and they’ve remained close. Sportsnet 650 opened in September, 2017, and as the story goes, Lind asked Kerr one day “Why aren’t you guys with us?” and that started proceedings.

The main reason that the C’s have signed on with Sportsnet was tucked away seven paragraphs into the press release that announced the deal. As part of the agreement, the C’s will have six games broadcast on Sportsnet Pacific television this coming season.

This isn’t a money play for Kerr and C’s co-owner Jeff Mooney. You’ll never get anyone to go on the record about it, but it’s common knowledge that teams like the C’s pay for their radio time, and use the ad spots to recoup costs. You can bet they’re doing the same with this TV deal.

So why?

You can’t fit many more people into the ballpark. The C’s announced attendance average for their 38-game home schedule this past season was 6,292. Nat Bailey Stadium lists capacity at 6,413, which means they were selling tickets at a 98 per cent clip.

The C’s have already added bleachers down the third baseline and beyond the left field wall in recent years. There’s only so much you can do with the Nat.

READ MORE  HERE  AT THE PROVINCE SPORTS WEBPAGE