Monday's Blue Jays-Orioles game only drew an announced crowd of 7,915 to Camden YardsGETTY IMAGES
The "sagging attendance that has plagued the Orioles since 2014 is not so easy to explain," according to Peter Schmuck of the BALTIMORE SUN. The Orioles on Monday had their lowest-attended game in Camden Yards history with a crowd of 7,915, not counting a '15 game when fans were "locked out" for a contest against the White Sox in the wake of the Freddie Gray unrest. The Orioles "reached their highest point in 10 years" in '14 on the way to their first AL East title this century, but annual attendance "has slipped every year since even though the team made the playoffs again" in '16. The "bone-chilling cold predicted for Monday night’s series opener" against the Blue Jays was "probably the chief culprit" for poor attendance. Last night's crowd "wasn’t much better" than Monday's game, drawing an announced 8,640. Monday's crowd is a "surprisingly low number" for a ballpark that was sold out through much of the '90s, "regardless of a low-40s temperature or a traditionally unpopular opponent." This series might "set a record low." But Orioles VP/Communications & Marketing Greg Bader "shot down the notion that the lowest single-game attendance figure can be viewed as a reflection of a sharply diminished season-ticket base." The Orioles "do not release season-ticket figures, but they obviously don’t sell nearly the number that they sold during their first decade playing at Oriole Park." The franchise has "faced a more challenging environment" since the Nationals arrived in the region in '05. Since then, the club has "sought to increase attendance with an aggressive promotional calendar each year and the Orioles also feature some of the most liberal policies allowing fans to exchange tickets and bring their own food into the ballpark" (BALTIMORE SUN, 4/11).
IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS: In Ft. Lauderdale, Craig Davis notes observers have been "quick to attribute the paltry attendance figures at Marlins Park so far this season to fans disenchanted with new CEO Derek Jeter for trading away Giancarlo Stanton and other popular stars." There is "no question having 7,003 for Monday’s Marlins-Mets series opener is embarrassing for a major league game." It was the "lowest announced paid attendance since the ballpark opened" in '12. It held up for 24 hours until yesterday’s game "drew 6,516." The "tangible difference from previous years, though, is in the way attendance is being reported under the new ownership group." Attendance under previous ownership was also "reported as tickets sold." There have been a number of games with "significantly smaller crowds than Monday’s" (South Florida SUN SENTINEL, 4/11).
CHICAGO HOPE: In Tampa, Marc Topkin reports there were 974 actual "ticket-using fans" at Monday's Rays-White Sox game at a snowy Guaranteed Rate Field (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 4/11). The "announced paid attendance" for the game was 10,377, which "obviously includes the no-shows" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 4/10). ESPN's Jalen Rose said, "The worst thing that can happen for your product is empty seats. ... Why don’t you find a way to distribute the tickets throughout the community and give them to people who actually want to come watch your team play? I know they’re going to be free tickets, but they are empty seats. You have to find a way to fix that. That visual is horrible for a product.” ESPN's Mike Greenberg: “In a lot of cases, they actually do stuff like that, and they used to count those deeply discounted or given away tickets in the attendance. That’s why you’d have a game where 15,000 would be the announced attendance. That they can't even give away that many tickets is the problem” (“Get Up!,” ESPN, 4/11).
