LA CROSSE, WI (WXOW)—Bonus ball. It's not something the Loggers plan on, but it's something the team shoots for every year Chris Goodell, Loggers General Manager said.
"We get to sell more tickets, open up concessions, sell more Logger Dogs and welcome our fans back in and have some more fun," Goodell said.
Turning empty seats, into a full stadium brings additional expenses.
"You've got to buy more Logger Dogs," Goodell said. "You've got to buy more beverages. You've got to pay the staff an additional two games."
Running the concession stand for ten years now, Mary Benson has seen the ups and downs of the team.
"I don't know why, I think it's the best year so far," Benson said. "Everything just seemed to roll along."
She said she's excited for how well the Loggers have done this year and doesn't mind the little extra work.
"I was just told to order more fish. We have a fish fry tonight so we don't want to run out," Benson said.
Sports Nut, a bar and grill a block away from the Lumberyard, also sees extra business on game night.
Chris Olson, Sports Nut owner said Loggers fan boost his sales by about 20 percent.
He said he has the drill down now and knows how much food and drinks to order so they don't run out.
Olson said he always tries to hang around on game nights to give his staff an extra hand.
"What the Loggers have done for me is balance my business out," Olson said. "So in the summer time there's not a big drop off in sales where as a lot of bars people are gone, they're camping, boating, fishing doing whatever. They're not sitting in a bar."
Keeping their fans happy and the electric buzz in the stadium is what sets them apart from other teams the Loggers said.
"You're just right on top of the action and come post season," Goodell said. "We just saw Tuesday night, they are loud and its a fun atmosphere to be a part of. We had some visiting fans from the Wisconsin Woodchucks here on Tuesday and we had kind of that high school basketball gym feeling going. Chants going back and forth."
Goodell said winning a championship is a great springboard for the next year because everyone loves a winner.
"Traditionally when you look at teams that have won a championship the honeymoon period that follows is pretty typically very good," Goodell said.
The Loggers wouldn't be successful with out their fans.
He said it's the 3,000 fans each night that help build the $1.8 million facility by purchasing tickets and Logger dogs.
