Pistons have sold out six games this season, compared with just two in their final season at the PalaceNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
The inaugural season at Little Caesars Arena has been "filled with overall attendance success for both the Pistons and Red Wings but not without its frustrations for fans," according to Carlos Monarrez of the DETROIT FREE PRESS, who writes under the header, "What's Really Going On With Little Caesars Arena's Empty Seats." There is "bustling activity throughout the concourse" at LCA, but the Pistons and Red Wings have been "scrutinized for empty seats that have been noticeable on television broadcasts." Both clubs are "having great seasons" in terms of attendance figures. The Pistons have "sold out six games this season, compared with just two sellouts in their final season at the Palace." The Red Wings "expect to sell out their 41 regular-season games." But ensuring fans are "putting their derrieres in the seats they buy" is another matter. The prime club seats in the middle of the lower bowl are "especially noticeable to TV audiences." Pistons season-ticket holder Cathy Pease said, "Even when the big people come to town, like Cleveland, there ain’t nobody there." Her husband, Tom Pease said, "It’s a lot harder to get into the excitement now." The Pistons would "not respond to questions about the arena feeling empty."
HOLD ON TO THAT FEELING: Red Wings fans agree that LCA "is not Joe Louis Arena," which is for the "good and the bad." Red Wings season-ticket holder Sheri Marcus said, "The new place is totally state of the art. It’s great. It’s just a little less personal." It is "almost impossible to argue" that LCA "isn’t cooler than the Joe or just about any other arena." It has "mostly strong sight lines with a design so steep it can be nauseating when looking down from the upper bowl." A new and common behavior at LCA is the way people "stand around on the concourse." Because of its "expansive corridors, people tend to congregate in little huddles everywhere." Red Wings season-ticket holder Patrick Flynn said crowds this season are "far less boisterous than the ones at Joe Louis, where the chants were raucous and regular." A "universal challenge, if not an outright frustration" for fans is the "price and scarcity of parking" near LCA (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 3/22).
