Where are the fans? Braves an indicator of baseball's declining attendance

The Miami Herald ^ | Monday, April 28, 2003 | PAUL NEWBERRY - Associated Press

[FreedomPoster]

Sorry Willie, while I agree with and understand your concerns, to anyone who lives here and is paying attention, this one doesn't wash.

The Braves don't have their pitching of the 90's, AOL/TW isn't funding them like Ted did, and it just isn't the same. I went to opening day, and have a nice digital image of Maddox's ERA after inning one: 36.00.
I wish I had it hosted somewhere so I could link it here.

The stadium has always been a b!tch to get to for affluent suburbanites, and it's just not worth the hassle this year. That's the real driver behind reduced attendance in Atlanta.

[cynicom]

I think Maddux is getting 12 or 15 million for one year. That amounts to about a million for each game he wins. At twenty bucks an hour, Joe sixpack is not wanted at Turner Field. Jimmy carter will be there as a moocher.

[evad]

We enjoy the Bowie Basox, a minor league team. We don't need to worry about parking, getting ripped off on ticket prices or watching high priced over paid fat cats. It's just an afternoon or night of fun with fireworks sometimes as the final show.

I wouldn't go to an O's game if they paid me. Sorry folks, that's juts the way I feel.

"They" killed it.

[Vigilantcitizen]

First, where does a Miami(Home of the Marlins) reporter get off on discussing the Braves declining attendance?

Second, I'd attribute declining attendance at (U.N. mouthpiece shill) Turner field to...

A) The "Newness" factor of the new(And grossly misnamed)stadium wearing off.

B) The "Newness" factor of winning divisions wearing off.

C) My business has been good, but a lot of people aren't making much money right now.

BTW...The oft reported demise of the Braves this season has been greatly exaggerated.

[error99]

"..."I think the game itself will be fine," said Jones, who contributes to the high prices with his $90 million contract. "But something has to be done. I don't know what it is..." - - He knows. He just does not want to say.

[Cicero]

People have gradually grown less fond of the sport over the years. Players' strikes, irrational salaries, movement of teams and players from one city to another. It's been a long time coming, but baseball isn't what it used to be.

Baseball enjoyed a kind of revival when the left-wingers fell in love with it. No violence or head-to head competition, slow and lazy, field of dreams kind of stuff. But I can't get excited about it any more.

[ThreePuttinDude]

Sounds as if the fans are a little sick and tired of the "Over Paid flunkies". If it weren't for the inflated salaries, a family could afford to go to more games throughout the year.

Its not the Bush Economy, Willie. This has been happening for afew years in a row. You are bringing numbers from 1993, hell if you want to be credible, bring some more recent years attendance #'s to the game.

[ThreePuttinDude]

Just checking your previous posts, you are nothing but a Liberal Bush Basher....its time to put an alert out on you Willie.....

[geege]

I used to "live" at Yankee Stadium.....pictures with the players...friends with the security guards.....getting in for free....sitting with the Yankee wives....telling people where their seats were...bringing home mega bats on bat day.....bringing home a piece of right field during the "78" world series...lots of fun....... But....I haven't been to a game since "81".......I still enjoy watching my Yanks....just not into going anymore........

[Mr. Jeeves]

Just about all of the lower box Giants tickets for the whole season at Pac Bell Park were gone in one day when Internet sales started.

Getting to the World Series sells tickets.

[nononsense]

I not a great baseball fan, but I have been watching Baseball Tonight on ESPN. If you get a chance to look out at the stands you will find a lot of empty seats. This league is in trouble and will continue to die unless both the owners and players decide they want to save their league. I would think it is disheartening to the players to look out at the stands and hardly see anyone there, but until they are willing to change that then that is how it will stay.

[Vigilantcitizen]

Freedom poster brought up a point that I left out of my post 5.

I've attended Braves games since the days of Aaron and Evans.

After the new stadium was built, they started closing off certain streets during games. This really increased my travel time coming from the west side, as I was forced by these closings to join the mass migration of cars headed towards the northern suburbs.

This has caused me to quit attending around 10 games a year.

If the MARTA train went straight to the stadium(Another brilliant decision by those in charge), I would not hesitate to take it.

[eddie willers]

The Braves don't have their pitching of the 90's

And Millwood throws a no-hitter yesterday.
Aarrgghh!

[NY.SS-Bar9]

Why I think MLB is in trouble:

1) I get free tickets - with parking - to Yankee stadium about one a year - right behind home plate - costs me about $150. to take the family. (Imagine if I paid the $66. face value + parking)

2) I can take the family to a minor league game for about half what the "free" tickets wind up costing - And have more fun - and miss the 1/2 hour traffic jam just to get out of the parking lot.

3) Corporations are cutting back on some of the perks - season tickets are an easy target for the CFO.

4) Just a guess - but I bet many are tired of these overpaid self-aggrandizing fools especially after being reminded what real heroes are.

[eddie willers]

If the MARTA train went straight to the stadium(Another brilliant decision by those in charge),

An incredibly stupid decision made when MARTA was first being built.
That they didn't fix that mistake when given a second chance due to Olympic money/construction is simply beyond belief.
(I smell Bill Campbell skullduggery here)

[eddie willers]

5) Stadiums going to non-smoking.
(That's got to knock out a few)

[xp38]

While players have moved regularly and expansion has introduced new teams and some slight shifting of divisions and leagues. The last time a baseball team has actually moved was I believe the second version of the Washington Senators to Texas. Prior to that the Seattle Pilots to Milwaukee. Both in the early seventies so there has been basically 30 years of stability as far as team homes go. The other 3 team sports have been much more fluid in team movement.

[FreedomPoster]

Millwood was my Blackjack dealer at a charity event we went to earlier this year (Chipper and Jeff Foxworthy had just vacated the table). Every time I asked for a card, I went bust. At the end, I said to him, "Kevin, you're a helluva pitcher, but you SUCK as a Blackjack dealer!" Good guy, he got a good laugh out of that.

I wish him good success post-Atlanta.

[eddie willers]

I wish him good success post-Atlanta.

I do too....cool as a cucumber and never griped when he wasn't doing well.

All knowledgeable Braves fans screamed when he was traded. As fine a man as Greg Maddox is, he is on the backside of glory and, hey, it's a business.
Shoulda kept Kevin and moved Greg.