Rays games have averaged just 16,240 fans per contest over the last six seasonsGETTY IMAGES
The Rays are struggling to draw fans at Tropicana Field despite having the best win percentage in MLB, as yesterday's win against the D-backs drew an announced crowd of 8,059, which was "not only the smallest of the season, but the worst" since the record lows for games played in advance of Hurricane Irma in '17, according to Marc Topkin of the TAMPA BAY TIMES. Monday's crowd against the same opponent was only slightly larger at 8,124 (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/8). In Tampa, John Romano notes Rays crowds this season are "typically about half the median size" for MLB. Explanations from fans giving feedback on the crowd issues "hit on these four themes: stadium location, player turnover, ticket prices and team policies." There is a "serious lack of mass transportation and an assortment of bridges that must be crossed, and location seems to hurt the Rays more than most teams." The financial realities of the Rays' baseball operations "means star players are traded away as soon as their salaries exceed their production." One Tampa Bay Times reader wrote, "There will never be generational support when the team has no players that fans come to know and love for the long haul." Many fans believe the Lightning do a "much better job of making the in-game experience more enjoyable" (TAMPABAY.com, 5/8).
FISH OUT OF WATER: SI's Emma Baccellieri wrote the Rays, "more emphatically than any other team," want to "win without spending." Long "plagued by poor attendance," they have drawn just 16,240 fans per game over the last six years, finishing last in the AL in five of them. The team is "entering Year 14 under the ownership group led by Stuart Sternberg; in 11 of those seasons they've had one of the three smallest payrolls in baseball." The '19 Rays "fit right in with an MLB-low outlay" of $61.5M, which is "less than half of the league-average figure." Everything that "makes them interesting -- the opener, front-office wizardry, tantalizing prospects -- helps Tampa Bay pursue victories and keep this number absurdly small." In a moment of "broader tension between players and management," the Rays are a "tricky case." Baccellieri: "What does it mean when a team is doing everything it can to succeed on the field -- everything except spending money on players?" (SI, 5/6 issue).
