ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) _ The Tampa Bay Rays are costing the city of St. Petersburg about $7.3 million a year.
The St. Petersburg Times reported Friday that the city's operational costs have outpaced revenues, forcing to city to shell out more than $1 million every year on top of its $6 million annual payment for Tropicana Field.
The city had hoped monetary benefits of putting on baseball games would help defray the costs, but it hasn't happened.
The poor economy, low attendance, increased insurance costs and other factors have undercut the city's take from ticket, parking and concession revenues.
The Rays ranked 22nd out of 30 teams in attendance this year, despite owning one of the best records in baseball.
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