By Joe Baur
Theories to explain the Indians’ piss-poor attendance have at this point outnumbered the fans in the stands.
“They’re not any good.”
“They’re going to blow it.”
“It’s a bad economy.”
“Parking is too expensive!”
Yet Clevelanders are more than willing to fill the stands at Browns games. Granted they only play eight games a year in Cleveland and have seemingly made a special effort to ensure a ninth or tenth home game will never be played in Cleveland. The opportunity cost is in the Browns’ favor here. Still, how do the Indians not get so much as a nod of our respect or admiration?
Failing In Spectacular Fashion
The Browns sold naming rights to FirstEnergy. Money that should have gone back to the taxpayers who paid for the new stadium went to Haslam and company. Speaking of our fearless leader, Mr. Haslam is in a bit of legal trouble with experts speculating he might have to get rid of the team.
The Browns have been to the playoffs once in their second existence, losing to an XFL quarterback. We’ve seen God knows how many starting quarterbacks at this point with Brian Hoyer becoming the latest to join the infamous Tim Couch jersey with a new piece of duct tape for everyone we’ve had behind center since 1999.
Without debating the merits of the Trent Richardson trade, the Browns handled it in typical Browns fashion. Richardson found out about the trade from friends who had heard about it on the radio. CEO Joe Banner reportedly laughed off concerns from fans who just forked over a decent sum of cash for an authentic Richardson jersey.
Simply put, the Browns have done nothing to earn the undying support of Clevelanders. In fact, they’ve done the opposite in spectacular fashion.
Now I’m not suggestion we stop supporting the Browns. We absolutely should. This is Cleveland, and that’s how we roll. At least, that’s how we like to think we roll.
Better Than Pittsburgh?
Folks out of town see the Indians in the attendance basement and think we’re not the sports town we like to hype ourselves up as. And they have a point. What kind of city doesn’t get behind a playoff contending team?
Yes, ownership has done plenty to alienate fans in the past. Yes, the Indians have gotten our hopes up only to crush them by season’s end.
But they’re better this year. They’re on the cusp of a playoff spot. Why are we not rewarding them? The Pirates have been smoking us in attendance over the years, and that’s just as much a football town as we are. Any Clevelanders reading this willing to admit Pittsburgh is a better sports town? Lord, I hope not.
“Our Town. Our Tribe.”
Despite the Indians’ previous stumbles, ownership has done an admirable job trying to get fans to the stands for their remaining home games. Thursday, September 19 was dubbed “Our Town. Our Tribe.” as the Indians returned home against a phenomenally awful Astros team to begin their final playoff push. Management offered dollar dogs at the park and ticket stubs good for admission to the aquarium and science center. Not to mention the team they’re putting on the field is pretty damn good.
How many came out? 12,607. That’s 29.8% of the stadium capacity. Fans from Mexico-freaking-City made the trip, but our exurban fan base couldn’t be bothered.
We can’t control how biblically awful the Browns are. But we can control the Indians attendance.
Economic Troubles Be Damned
A silver lining of hope is that television viewership of the Indians has gone up this year. So the interest in watching the Tribe is there, but why not go to the game?
Suburban sprawl – a frequent culprit for much of our beloved city’s woes.
Parking shouldn’t be a concern, but it is. A recent Cleveland.com poll asking fans why they’re not going to the game cited parking prices.
First, parking is dirt cheap in Cleveland compared to other major league towns. Second, parking is undervalued in American society. So if you can’t afford to pay $10 for parking once in a while, then maybe you shouldn’t have a car or live in a part of town where a car is a necessity. Try living downtown or Ohio City where the ballpark is within walking distance. You can ditch the car and save $10,000 a year.
Third, you can use the freaking Rapid or Great Lakes Brewing’s Fatty Wagon in Ohio City. Both are unbelievably convenient.
Now let’s quickly dispel the “economic troubles” argument. Remember when the Tribe set a then record of 455 consecutive sellouts? You should, it wasn’t that long ago, and Cleveland wasn’t a shining beacon on a hill, economically speaking, then either. Some will point to Browns’ absence during the streak, but let’s remember their respective seasons only overlap for a few weeks. The Browns don’t play summer ball.
Support The Team Now
My hope is that attendance will go up as people continue returning to the core of Cleveland where concerns of “where do we park?” are replaced by “how are we going to split the bar tab?” Season ticket sales, a key player in the attendance game, will go up as businesses return to the city.
But that will take time. We have to support this playoff-fighting team now. Not supporting this team with butts in the seat is infinitely more embarrassing than anything the Browns can cook up.
Cleveland is a proud town, so let’s stop with the scapegoating of parking woes or past broken hearts like some drama-prone tween hooked on Twilight, and cheer this team into the 2013 playoffs.
Joe Baur is a freelance writer, filmmaker and satirist with a diverse array of interests including travel, adventure, craft beer, health, urban issues, culture and politics. He ranks his allegiances in the order of Cleveland, the state of Ohio and the Rust Belt, and enjoys a fried egg on a variety of meats. Joe has a B.A. in Mass Communication with a focus on production from Miami University. Follow him at http://JoeBaur.com and on Twitter @BaurJoe.
One Response to “How Sprawl Has Hurt Indians Attendance”
Indy
Joe, you complain about the city and county “allowing” suburban sprawl. What about their failure to make Cleveland a nice place to live? Crime is high. If you call the cops in the neighborhoods, they don’t show up. The schools are very poor.