The Okanagan is known as an excellent sports market, with lots of knowledgeable and dedicated fans, but there is also a lot of competition for the sports dollar.
In recent years almost every team, with the exception of the Kelowna Rockets, has had to struggle to raise money and attract fans.
Now even the Rockets have to work harder to sell tickets.
The Rockets have sold out 245 consecutive regular season home games but, this year the Rockets had more season ticket cancellations than ever before.
The team is hoping to sell 350 season tickets by holding an open house at Prospera Place on the Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
The team believes economic uncertainty has affected tickets sales and corporate sponsorships, but the Rockets aren’t the only local team feeling the pain.
The community-owned Okanagan Sun used to receive $30,000 a year in provincial lottery funding, but that money dried up a few years ago and the team says trying to get corporate sponsors has been a major struggle.
Although the Kelowna Jays baseball team have won four provincial championships and went to the National Championship in Ontario this year, players had to pay most of their own travel expenses. The team said fundraising only brings in half the amount of money it used to.
But, with so many teams playing and fundraising in the same market, corporate pockets start to run dry.
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