The Tampa Bay Rays have never been able to draw respectable attendance numbers no matter how good their performance is on the field, but that trend appears to be getting worse by the year. Attendance got so low this week, in fact, that the team felt the need to address it.
Despite their impressive 34-19 record, the Rays hit a new low in attendance when they drew less than 6,000 fans for Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Tropicana Field. On Wednesday, team president Brian Auld issued an optimistic statement about fans rallying around the Rays.
Statement from #Rays president Brian Auld after record low crowd of 5,786 Tuesday: “We appreciate the support of our fans, and we believe that St. Petersburg, Tampa and the entire Tampa Bay region will rally around this exciting and compelling Rays team.”
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) May 30, 2019
The Rays have always had fairly strong TV ratings, but they just can’t seem to get fans to the ballpark. Some say that is because a lot of Rays supporters have too long of a drive to Tropicana Field, but you could say that about plenty of pro sports franchises.
With the Rays being a legitimate playoff contender and still not attracting fans at home games or when they’re on the road (remember this game?), you have to wonder how long the team can survive in Tampa.
