Tampa's Postseason Was Embarrassing

Tampa Bay Times

And not in the way that you think. The Rays got swept by the Rangers in the Wild Card Round and were outscored 11-1 in the two games of the opening round. They just couldn’t generate any offense, but their performance on the field isn’t the most embarrassing part of this. They had record-low attendance for a playoff game. They averaged just under 20,000 in attendance for both games and in their Game 1 matchup, it was the lowest attendance in a playoff game since Game 7 of the 1919 World Series. Tropicana Field has the capacity for just 25,000 fans with the upper deck closed off, which is just crazy in itself. Sure, if you’re not selling out games, tarp it off, but if there isn’t enough interest in watching baseball in Tampa, maybe they need to consider moving elsewhere.

Tampa Bay Times

The crazy thing about it, the Rays attendance is up from previous years. Prior to COVID, the attendance numbers were down roughly 3,000 attendees per game from their 2023 numbers. Only allowing 25,000 fans to attend a playoff game and it only filling to 80% capacity is wild. I get that it was a 3pm game in the middle of the week, but if you have ever been to the Tampa/St. Petersburg area, then you know that it is a chill place. The fact that they couldn’t fill the stadium is crazy, even if it was on a Tuesday/Wednesday afternoon. The Minnesota Twins had no issue filling the stadium and both games were practically at the same time and by the way, their attendance was nearly 20,000 more for each game.

New Proposed Rays Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida

The fact that they’re building a $1.3 billion stadium in the near future is insanity. Why would a new stadium entice fans to come to games? The Rays have been a playoff team for 5 consecutive seasons. Fans aren’t showing up when they’re good, what is going to happen when they’re not good? I’ll tell you, the stands will be bare and you will have a luxurious stadium sitting in Saint Pete left to rot. This new stadium will be funded 50/50 by the Rays and the other half is taxpayer money. Taxpayers already aren’t showing up to the games, do you think they’re going to be happy about paying for a stadium that they don’t even want to visit? It is a bad situation all around.

I know for a fact that there are lots of cities in the US that would cram fans in for an afternoon playoff game. I know for a fact Charlotte, North Carolina would cram fans into the stands for an afternoon playoff game. Nashville would. Montreal would. Portland would. The fact that Tampa can’t sell out a playoff game with a 25,000 capacity is an embarrassment. Do us all a favor Tampa, and give another city a shot at an MLB franchise that actually cares about baseball.

Yacs