August 29, 2008
Everybody Loves The Underdog ... Except In Tampa
By Robbie GilliesIf the Tampa Bay Rays win the AL East, but no one is there to see it, does it count?
The Rays are the biggest surprise in baseball this year, but please, don’t call them a feel-good story. They currently have the best record in the American League at 81-51, yet they are still near the bottom of the list when it comes to home attendance. With just 30 games left, and the Rays in the driver’s seat in the East, the lack of fan support is simply embarrassing.
It made sense until recently. Entering their 11th year, the Rays had finished in the basement of their division nine times. They have, by far, the worst record over the past decade. They have averaged nearly 100 losses a season. To put it bluntly, they've been atrocious. So, it makes sense that fans would be weary of their early season success. The fact that they surpassed their previous record-high of 70 wins on Aug. 10 wasn’t a testament to their success this year, as much as it highlighted 10 years of ineptitude.
But the sentiment should have changed last Monday, when the Rays hosted the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Angels held the best record in baseball and this was the Rays' chance to make a statement. Both the Rays’ players and fans made their statements, all right.
On the field, the Rays took two of three from the Angels, and the fans? Well, they stayed at home. The average attendance for the three-game series was a paltry 16,985. Granted, the three games took place during the week (Monday-Wednesday), but fewer than 17,000, for such a marquee matchup, is pathetic.
According to John Romano of the St. Petersburg Times, each of those crowds were the smallest in baseball on those days. They were beat out by such powerhouse series as the Tigers at Rangers and the Royals at Indians.
To be fair, attendance is up from an average of 17,148 last season to 21,206 this season, but it’s not enough. The only time they get crowds of 30,000-plus is when a team like the Red Sox or Cubs come through and bring their legions of fans with them. Astonishingly, despite the lack of fan support the Rays have the best home record in baseball.
Hopefully the fans will realize that their team is on the verge of one of the most amazing turnarounds in sports history and they will jump on board. Though, if they don’t and the Rays make the playoffs, Tropicana Field will still probably sell out its playoff games. Unfortunately for the Rays, it will be the other teams’ fans buying the tickets. They would be forced to play all their post-season games as the de facto road team.
The people of Tampa/St. Petersburg aren't supporting their team and are showing that they don't deserve a playoff team. And if the locals don't support the Rays, why should anyone else? The Rays' turnaround has been amazing, but even more amazing is they have pulled off the rarest of feats of becoming an underdog not worth rooting for.
