Pacers' Average Attendance Lowest In NBA, Team Losing Money

Pacers Have Lowest Average Attendance In NBA This Season

The Pacers, who currently have a 24-39 record and have been hit with a "stream of negative off-court news," are averaging just 12,183 fans per game this season, which ranks "last in the NBA and represents its worst norm since" the '90-91 season, according to Mark Montieth of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. The figure includes unused tickets, meaning actual attendance sometimes falls under 10,000, and "has dipped below 8,000." The club's attendance has "declined in six of the past eight years" and this season has dropped by "more than 3,000 from last season's average of 15,359." Pacers President & CEO Donnie Walsh: "I think it's a combination of some of the incidents that we've had and the fact we're not a very good team right now, which is another story. The fact that anybody would stay home because of some of the things any of our (players) have done is not a good statement for us and we have to correct that." A Forbes study reported the Pacers lost $12.5M during the '05-06 season and $1.3M last year, with the "difference reflecting the lower player payroll." Pacers co-Owner Herb Simon said that "those figures are 'probably not' accurate but acknowledged more red ink is on the way" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 3/11).