Everyone who works in sports right now is blaming the alarming drop in NBA, MLB, NASCAR and NHL attendance on the economy.
(Sorry, no ‘plz support your team!’ piece by your local cheerleading columnist)
But look at other entertainment options, like movies, video games, and concerts. Those businesses are doing quite well, and in many cases have seen little-to-no dropoff in popularity. So why has attendance for *major league* sports fallen off a cliff while millions still flock to the next cheeseball Will Ferrell vehicle?
Answer: Besides the NFL, sports as entertainment is in permanent decline. The economic meltdown only sped up the inevitable.
I worked in sports for over a decade, for teams and in the main media. I was a play-by-play announcer in MLB, worked the minor leagues for many years in baseball and hockey, was a national talk show host at Fox Sports Radio and anchored Ohio State and USC football coverage for multiple years. But I’m 5+ years removed from the main media sports biz now, so I’ve got a completely different perspective on where the spectator sports industry is going.
Kids, the golden years are behind us.
Besides reams of bogus, “tickets-sold” game attendance stats, there’s mountains of anecdotal evidence that the pro sports bargain is no more for many ordinary folks making a typical wage. Even worse, those who previously paid for seats to games are staying away in droves. Saturday, I was at the Angels-Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium. Gorgeous weather. Memorial Day weekend. Dodgers have best record in baseball and the Angels are in town. And what did we get? A half-empty ballpark - with many of the empties no-shows.
10,000+ no-shows for the best team in baseball playing a rival on a perfect Memorial Day holiday? Ominous, to say the least.
Of course, pro teams and leagues have long known its business model is increasingly vulnerable. Since the early ’90s, which saw the beginning of a sports venue construction boom, sports execs have tried to reverse the tide by building ballparks to more resemble amusement parks. With that trend, one can infer that the folks running those venues apparently don’t put a lot of stock into the product on the field/court keeping people’s attention.
Earlier this season, Yankees management blamed an avalanche of empty seats during games not on abhorrently high ticket prices and a mediocre team, but on fans wandering around their new stadium, paying attention to everything but the game.
All the new ballparks and arenas now at worst feature restaurants, pickup bars, kiddie play areas, museums. And some even include mini-malls with merchants selling products that have nothing to do with the host team, or sports for that matter. So I guess the Yankees brass probably did have a point. But again, what does that all tell you?
All of the above does not apply to the NFL, though.
Because of the smallish number of games, league parity and insane media hype, the NFL has evolved into the perfect spectator sport beast. Like MLB, NBA and the other so-called major league sports, NFL ticket prices are laughably high. But bloodsport, especially in restrained, equal doses, now outsells stick and ball sports.
And wouldn’t you think that the NFL’s competitors for sports-based dollars would figure out that less is more? And that league parity is the linchpin to keep fans interested? (You don’t need to answer that.)
As I’ve been saying in this space for many months now, what you are going to see in the next five years is a spate of consolidation in the NHL, NBA and perhaps even MLB. I expect a handful of teams to relocate, and a few others to cease operation. (Not every franchise will have a benefactor like Jim Balsillie.)
Warm-weather NHL markets are obviously the most vulnerable financially, but the NBA has plenty of problem children, too. And that will not change, save one of those cratered franchises making a championship run that could extend its shelf-life.
For those not in the affected markets, that consolidation will be good news for the sports industry. There’s too many teams, too many games, too much dilution to keep the typical person interested. (Yes commenters, there are exceptions!)
I would love to be able to say that pro sports will soon make a comeback and you will see sold-out stadia and TV ratings through the roof in the very near future. But the facts support that sports as a major investment in people’s lives, like so many other things in our culture, is being lapped every day by advancing technology.
On the bright side, thank goodness smartphones, laptops and iPods weren’t around when Chris Chambliss did this to me in 1976:
Saved me alotta replacement loot.
By the way, here’s a link to the pic you’ve been looking for. If it comes up in the comments, someone please lend a hand.
——
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And be sure and check out the EXCLUSIVE SPORTSbyBROOKS Girls!
11:19 pm on May 26th, 2009
maybe the constant raising of tickets prices cought up to them.
1:22 am on May 27th, 2009
lower ticket prices..if the average guy could get great seats at a reasonable price, i'd go to many more games..but for the nosebleeds at an outrageous price..no thanks i'll watch it on a big screen in the comfort of my own home
1:34 am on May 27th, 2009
I do think lower ticket prices will help.
But just look at the insane number of no-shows at MLB and NBA games.
I know some people will say I'm exaggerating, but anyone who is paying attention can see that it has gotten a lot worse.
I think people now view pro sports as just another entertainment option. It's not about the lifestyle of being a fan.
Obviously every city is different. Boston, DC, NYC, Dallas, Chicago all have old school sports fans. But how much NBA interest is there in St. Louis? Zero. How about NHL interest in Cleveland? About the same.
I know there are exceptions everywhere, but it really appears that we've reached a tipping point.
1:35 am on May 27th, 2009
And in case you're wondering, my avatar is Carl Peterson. Thank god he's gone!
9:06 am on May 27th, 2009
We watch baseball more than ever in our family; but, it's difficult to srape up $20 a seat for games, plus $10 parking, $30 for food, etc. and do this consistently on a weeknight. (especially if the game runs past 10pm) At the end of the day, it's nice to save $120+ and watch the game on a plasma 60 inch tv.
9:10 am on May 27th, 2009
It's 100% ticket prices for me.
I live in NYC and the fact is I am priced out of both our new stadiums. At the company I work at, we pay a little bit of money into a social club fund each month, and they throw activites. We learned that there won't be a Yankee game this year because the corporate ticket prices tripled. TRIPLED!!!!
So I would gladly fill a seat every month or so, in both stadiums, if I didn't have to pay for other things, like rent or food.
9:47 am on May 27th, 2009
i think that of all the leagues the NBA is in the worst trouble. Baseball is america’s game and no matter how bad it gets it will go on. The NHL actually might be the only of these sports on the rise, in the past few years attendance has been up league wide, and if they can secure themselves a proper TV hockey might move up to be the number three sport in america.
10:37 am on May 27th, 2009
There's no real team loyalty among the players anymore also. How many times have you heard/read "It's a business" when a player changes teams. Boy, comments like that will get the fans flocking to the gates in droves! And especially when owners trade a years gone by untouchable star who these days is viewed as nothing more than a business asset or liability. Couple this with off the field antics and you've got two sure fire reasons fans have been turned off. In baseball, you need a photographic memory to keep up with the rosters for example.
There are many reasons for attendance/interest decline including the internet, but I think the owners' are their own greatest enemy. My favorite football team for example is the 'Skins and it's safe to say the majority owner is not going to win a popularity contest with the teams own fans. Previous owners of the team were respected.
I could go on here but I'll spare ya'll and me…LOL.
Aloha…
10:51 am on May 27th, 2009
Ticket prices are not the only reason people stay, they rape you at the concession stands, parking, and in many cases the product on the field. ($8 for a 16oz beer, $5 for a hotdog, ect….) ….It's a couple hundred dollars to bring your family to a game.
1:29 pm on May 27th, 2009
We need new SbB babe pics. C'mon dude, get with it. We can only read about sports for so long…
2:12 pm on May 27th, 2009
i was also at the dodgers-angels game on saturday and it was far from half-empty. i would say that place was at least 80 to 90% full capacity. don't stretch the facts to make your story sound more convincing. i do believe sports attendance is on a decline but in LA, i think we are one of the last cities that suffers from that problem.
4:30 pm on May 27th, 2009
It is way too expensive to attend sporting events.
5:06 pm on May 27th, 2009
80% capacity at Dodger Stadium vs. 10,000 empty seats? What's the difference? I'm not stretching anything. The no-shows, especially in the box seat area, were jaw-dropping
6:10 pm on May 27th, 2009
80% capacity at a Dodger/Angel inter-league game??? That was a sure sellout a couple of years ago. And the only reason the Dodgers announce attendance in the 40,000 range every game is that probably 25,000 of those tix are already bought by companies.
9:03 pm on May 27th, 2009
Everybody losing their jobs + millionaires playing a child's game = increased animosity toward pro athletes and their more, more, more mentality. And, as some of you have already touched on, I think the emergence of HD has just as much to do with it as the economy does.
1:31 am on May 28th, 2009
Its hard to stay interested in pro sports when many people are losing their homes, their jobs, and just struggling to stay ahead of of the poor house. Then these muti-million dollar crybabies dont show for training camps, dont care about their fans, etc…. These so called 'pros' cant stay away from preformance drugs and other banned substances. NO, I would rather watch little league baseball, and pee-wee football. There you have kids who play the game for the enjoyment not the drugs and the money.