Crash Course
10-07-2004, 12:10 AM
At 4:30 pm ET this afternoon, a buddy called me up and told me that on WFAN Radio in NYC, the local jocks reported that the Braves were having problems selling tickets to their first game in the NLDS this year, and, as it was conveyed to me on the phone, that the jocks added that the Braves were telling fans that "if you buy a ticket to game 1 of the NLDS, we'll give you a ticket to game 2 for free."
This would never happen at Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, or at Yankee Stadium. Heck, there, you have to pay above and beyond the face value of a post-season ticket, most times, if you hope to get one on the day of the game.
Doing a google search on this later, I found this article: http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/sports/9822513.htm
For the seventh year in a row, attendance dropped at Turner Field.
"Has it really?" pitcher Paul Byrd said with a look of amazement. "I thought we were doing well. We had a little pennant race going. That's surprising to me."
The NL East champion Braves played their final regular-season home game Wednesday, drawing an afternoon crowd of 22,000 that was typical of many turnouts this season - more than half the seats were not being used.
Overall, Atlanta drew 2,322,565 fans, a dip of 79,519 (3 percent) from the previous season and an extension of the way a trend going back to 1997. The Braves attracted more than 3.4 million for their debut year at Turner Field, but attendance has fallen every season since.
This year, for the first time since 1991, the average crowd (29,400) was less than 30,000 a game.
I don't care how many times you have finished 1st in a row - apathy/being spoiled is not a valid excuse for fans not supporting their team. If the fans in Atlanta do not want to support their team, they do not deserve to have one.
Let the Braves move to New Jersey and see the support they'll get there. Shame on the Braves fans in Atlanta. Go to the games, will ya?
This would never happen at Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, or at Yankee Stadium. Heck, there, you have to pay above and beyond the face value of a post-season ticket, most times, if you hope to get one on the day of the game.
Doing a google search on this later, I found this article: http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/sports/9822513.htm
For the seventh year in a row, attendance dropped at Turner Field.
"Has it really?" pitcher Paul Byrd said with a look of amazement. "I thought we were doing well. We had a little pennant race going. That's surprising to me."
The NL East champion Braves played their final regular-season home game Wednesday, drawing an afternoon crowd of 22,000 that was typical of many turnouts this season - more than half the seats were not being used.
Overall, Atlanta drew 2,322,565 fans, a dip of 79,519 (3 percent) from the previous season and an extension of the way a trend going back to 1997. The Braves attracted more than 3.4 million for their debut year at Turner Field, but attendance has fallen every season since.
This year, for the first time since 1991, the average crowd (29,400) was less than 30,000 a game.
I don't care how many times you have finished 1st in a row - apathy/being spoiled is not a valid excuse for fans not supporting their team. If the fans in Atlanta do not want to support their team, they do not deserve to have one.
Let the Braves move to New Jersey and see the support they'll get there. Shame on the Braves fans in Atlanta. Go to the games, will ya?