This is something that has frustrated me for a long time. I haven't thought about it too much lately, but I heard the guys on 97.1 mention it today. Quite frankly it pissed me off and I ranted about it on my social media accounts. The Indians attendance last night was 18,521. Quite frankly, that is embarrassing, pathetic, terrible, and a host of other more profane words I could use but won't. I almost feel like Cleveland doesn't deserve an MLB franchise, as much as that pains me to say.The Cleveland Indians are coming of an extra inning Game 7 World Series loss, are riding an EPIC winning streak, are in 1st place and it's September. Yet the team is 24th in attendance out of 30 MLB clubs.
I understand the market isn't the largest, but they are JUST ahead of the Reds and Pirates in attendance, and both of those teams struggled this year. I am a die hard Indians fan and grew up in Cuyahoga County, but I honestly wouldn't blame Larry Dolan one bit if he moved the team. Obviously not now, but if they can't draw fans right now, what happens next time the franchise struggles?
It's obvious to me that Greater Cleveland is not a baseball market. If you can't draw 27,500-32,000 for a 1st place team in September with a 18 game winning streak (going into last night), there really isn't any hope. If you can't even average 25,000 for a team that is approaching 100 wins, what happens when the team struggles again? I guess I mostly just wanted to vent, but I guess I would ask the Indians fans on 11W, why can't the Indians draw more fans? What happened to those late 90's crowds?
Baseball is my favorite sport so I am biased, but if I lived in Cleveland I would probably go to 10-20 games a year. I used to have 20 game season tickets as young adult. The Indians prices aren't that high. The team is a championship contender. It's so frustrating to see so many empty seats, especially now. Can they do anything to draw more fans, or is it a lost cause? Why are Cleveland sports fans so apathetic when it comes to the Indians, especially compared to other similar sized markets?
