The Warriors attendance woes the past couple of seasons
were examined by C.W. Nevius of the S.F. CHRONICLE, who
wrote that the "trouble" with the franchise involves Owner
Chris Cohan, who took over the team in '94. Season ticket
sales "are down by nearly" 10,000 since Cohan assumed
control, the average attendance of 12,189 this season ranks
last in the NBA and "no more than" 20 of the 72 $125,000
per-year luxury suites at the Oakland Coliseum have been
leased. Meanwhile, sources say that the team "routinely
inflates attendance numbers by as many as" 3,000 and ushers
have "reportedly" been told to direct fans in the upper
sections of the arena down to courtside "so the television
cameras don't pick up acres of empty seats." Additionally,
a "large part of the revenue-producing advertising signs in
the arena are filled with ads for the team because
advertisers could not be found." Nevius: "To put it simply,
the Warriors are a professional sports franchise that has
lost its bearing ... and there is no hope on the horizon."
Sources estimate that Cohan's "shortfall" since buying the
team "could total" $30-50M. Nevius wrote that the "ultimate
solution" may be for Cohan to sell the team, but "this isn't
going to be easy. Cohan is nothing if not stubborn and
independent" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 1/13).
