Tampa Bay Rays set unflattering attendance record

The Tampa Bay Rays set an unflattering mark for attendance — stop me if you’ve heard that one before.

The Rays’ attendance for their 9-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night at Tropicana Field was a paltry 5,460. According to Rays reporter Marc Topkin, that is the lowest total for a game at The Trop that did not involve COVID-related restriction on fan capacity.

Tonight's crowd of 5,460 is smallest ever for a #Rays game at Trop without COVID-related restrictions on capacity (as earlier this season). Smallest was 5,786 on May 28, 2019; had 5,855 on Aug 2 this year.

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) August 17, 2021

The Rays are in first in the AL East at 72-47, so you can’t argue that they’re not drawing because they’re not winning. It’s possible that increased positive COVID-19 cases in the area have made some fans reluctant to attend. However, the team has always struggled with attendance, and this seems to be a continuation of a disappointing trend.

For comparison, the Rays were even outdrawn by the 51-68 Marlins, who had 6,442 fans at their 12-2 loss to the Braves in Miami.