Tampa Bay Rays Attendance Blues
What do the Rays have to accomplish to have fans show up?
Aug 31, 2008
As the final month of the Baseball regular season begins, the American League East standings have remained a huge shock to the baseball world. With today’s drubbing of the Baltimore Orioles, the Tampa Bay Rays are taking a five-and-a-half game lead in the tough AL East (4 teams over .500) into the last twenty-seven games left to play.
Why the Rays should be selling out every game
Without any major missteps in their six games remaining against the Boston Red Sox, the Rays should walk away with the division and secure their first playoff berth. The team is loaded with good, young talent, reminiscent of the 2003 Florida Marlins, but an even larger amount of the Rays’ talent is homegrown. Many of the players from the team which had the Major League’s worst record last year have returned, fueling the incredible turnaround the Rays have experienced.
While Tropicana Field might not be the newest ballpark in the league, it does have plenty to offer. The league’s third lowest ticket prices should entice those on a smaller budget to come out and support the Rays. Even less expensive is their fan cost index, a calculation of what it costs for a family of four to enjoy a game complete with food and both regular and adult beverages. The Rays fan cost index is the lowest in the majors at $137 compared to the third-highest New York Yankees at $251.
Tampa Bay Fans' lackluster attendance record
With all this in their favor, it would be easy to believe that the Rays would have some of the highest attendance figures in the League. And while there has been a 20% increase in attendance, this only brings the Rays average crowd size to 21,301 per game. The Rays have yet to have a full sellout crowd in Tropicana Field this season. They have drawn crowds of up to 37,000 when the Red Sox have come down to play, but the capacity for Tropicana Field is 45,000 people.
During a three-day series with Toronto this week, they only drew 40,195 fans for the entirety of the series. The New York Yankees drew a larger crowd than that for every single game this week,and they are a third place team with little hope to make the playoffs. The Boston Red Sox, the team with the highest average ticket prices ($49) and the highest fan cost index ($321!), have sold out more than four hundred games in a row. That goes back to a season where the Sox finished in third place (2006) and missed the playoffs.
With a first-place team, the lowest ticket and concession costs in the league, Tampa area residents have little to excuse their lack of enthusiasm for the Rays. Being a team that is playoff-bound they are going to need every local fan they can get. Without a local groundswell of support, the Rays can look forward to losing their home-field advantage during the playoffs. Fans of other clubs will not only show up, but they’re willing to travel to support their team.
Rays fans: it’s time to prove yourselves to the rest of Major League Baseball, and bring a friend.
