Crowds
When people go to games, they expect the crowd to be ready to cheer for their team. Especially in the playoffs, every seat is expected to be filled and the stadium is supposed to be very loud. While this is what is to be expected, a recent hockey game proved otherwise.
Last night, the Florida Panthers hosted the Ottawa Senators. It was a pretty even game and was definitely a goaltenders' duel, as the Ottawa Senators won 1-0 with Clarke MacArthur scoring a power play goal in the second period. The problem: the attendance. The total attendance for the game was 7,311. That broke the record for the smallest crowd in Florida Panthers history. I understand that it is early in the season, but such a small crowd is depressing. Hockey is definitely not the only sport going on right now. We are well into the 2014 NFL season and the playoffs are still going on in baseball. I can relate to this small crowd. Back in the 2000's, many seats were empty at PNC Park. The Pirates had just moved into PNC Park in 2001 and large crowds were seen, but there were not many after that season. The Pirates had not had a winning season since 1992 and many fans were disappointed by the team's lack of success. Ever since the 2011 season when Clint Hurdle came into the picture, the Pirates became a team that could compete for a majority of the season. Hurdle led the Pirates to back-to-back playoff berths in 2013 and 2014. Ever since the Pirates have competed, they have had higher attendances at games. The Florida Panthers are a hockey team with limited success. The team played its first season in 1993 and has only made it to the playoffs five times. 2012 was the first time the Panthers had made it to the playoffs since 2000, but the experience was short, as the New Jersey Devils defeated the Panthers in seven games in the first round. Even though fans may have frustration over the team's lack of success, this is still embarrassing for the Panthers franchise.
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ReplyDeleteI know what you are exactly talking about. I watched the game yesterday and I noticed that the stadium did not have that many fans than they normally do. Usually when I see Florida play they have the least amount of fans at the game, because the team has not done well in the past couple of seasons and that hockey is not that big in Florida, unless they are doing well. I saw the post game interview of the winning goalie (Craig Anderson) and he even said that the attendance was low for the game and that he was shocked. I believe that this will be the Florida Panthers last season in Florida and will be moved to a different city were hockey is appreciated.
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