What is going on with the Ray's fan support?

[Trackmaster]

Yes, I know it's the Rays. But for the amount of success that they've had recently (having a long consecutive winning season streak, recent WS appearance and play-off appearances despite being in the AL East) and the fact that they're so loaded with talent, I would think that they would be much more popular than they are now. That stadium looked pretty empty last night. They're not that much newer than the Ravens, and we were able to turn them into one of the best supported teams in the NFL with our success.

Is it:

-The stadium? That stadium is pretty putrid and makes me gag watching games on TV there.

-The long losing streak to start the franchise out with? I'll admit that could turn any fanbase off from the team. But would it really carry over into now?

-The general apathy for pro sports in Florida? This may hold true for baseball, but the Heat seem to be pretty popular.

-Other?

-Am I off-base and there fanbase is actually pretty astonishing considering the circumstances?

[NickM21]

From what I read a lot of the people down there follow teams from thier own hometown team from where they moved from, I.E. not the Marlins or the Rays. That's a big part of it at least.

[Frobby]

They drew 14,000 last night. That stinks, but there have been plenty of OPACY crowds of 14,000 or less on April weekday games in the past.

The Rays' fan base isn't very good, and from what I've been told, the stadium is in a very inconvenient spot to travel to during the evening rush hour. I'm not very sympathetic to that excuse, but I've heard it often.

[NewMarketSean]

Transient population, many of which are from the north, ie, New York area.

Stadium that sucks and is in a bad location.

Pro sports in Florida don't draw well across the board.

[weams]

Transient population, many of which are from the north, ie, New York area.

Stadium that sucks and is in a bad location.

Pro sports in Florida don't draw well across the board.

It just was not a logical team to put there. Just not a good fan base. Even Jim and Gary were laughing on air about the unbreakable 30 year lease.

[Crazysilver03]

The Orioles fan on opening night got pretty loud at the Trop.

[weams]

I think Jim noted it was like attending a game in a shed.

[luismatos4prez]

There was something really weird with the crowd in the middle innings yesterday. They were screaming and cheering for something off screen that the announcers weren't acknowledging. Did anyone else catch this? Like in between random, uneventful ABs they would start cheering.

I was listening with headphones and the volume way up so it may not have been that dramatic.

[ShaneDawg85]

Yes, I know it's the Rays. But for the amount of success that they've had recently (having a long consecutive winning season streak, recent WS appearance and play-off appearances despite being in the AL East) and the fact that they're so loaded with talent, I would think that they would be much more popular than they are now. That stadium looked pretty empty last night. They're not that much newer than the Ravens, and we were able to turn them into one of the best supported teams in the NFL with our success.

Is it:

-The stadium? That stadium is pretty putrid and makes me gag watching games on TV there.

-The long losing streak to start the franchise out with? I'll admit that could turn any fanbase off from the team. But would it really carry over into now?

-The general apathy for pro sports in Florida? This may hold true for baseball, but the Heat seem to be pretty popular.

-Other?

-Am I off-base and there fanbase is actually pretty astonishing considering the circumstances?

Pretty much all of the above. The stadium is crappy, that can be seen anytime you see it on TV. The losing probably hurt a lot, but they've had five straight winning seasons to counteract it. Heck, with five straight winning seasons, let alone three playoff appearances and a World Series appearance around these parts Camden Yards would be closed to sold out every night again. The Heat don't really compare for a host of reasons, mainly because they're in Miami, they have popular players that everyone knows, and because they're an event to be seen. The Rays have some names, but they're not in a stadium, city, or place where they are or are going to be a draw, and the players aren't guys that the average person would know if you asked them to name the first baseball players that come to their mind. Add onto that the traffic and location issues, and people just aren't going to come out for the team unless they're in the playoffs.

[Can_of_corn]

The stadium sucks.

It is inconveniently located.

Large transient population (not particularly NY tho. Lots of folks from PA, OH, MD, NJ ect).

Lots of entertainment options.

Fairly weak economy.

[lovetoaster]

I actually don't think the stadium is that bad. I have been to a few games down there, and it is certainly not optimal, but they have done about the best they can with it. On the other hand, the stadium's location is terrible and getting there can be a nightmare sometimes.

I think it has to do with the location and the transient population. People just don't care down there. They care a little in September if the team is doing well, but the other six months of the year, there is not much interest. And it's really sad, given what that team has accomplished and the players that have come through there. It's scary to think what they could have done if they had a little more money.

It is pretty common in Florida. So many people live in Florida that are not from there and have ties to other teams. You normally need a new generation of fans to grow up with a new team to grow the fanbase, but with an older population, there are not many people growing up with the Rays.

The Heat is mentioned in the OP, but before they won consistently, their following was not that great. And even when they began with the big three, they had to do some gimmicky stuff. It's Miami and it has become an event. If the team starts to flounder or Lebron leaves, that will change quickly.

[Can_of_corn]

The Bucs can't sell out 8 home games a year, what chance do the Rays have?

[DrungoHazewood]

I think the Rays exist in no small part due to the fact that the city was a pawn in the new stadium building binge starting in the 80s. Tampa built the Trop to try to lure a MLB team. But they ended up just being leverage for every new team that wanted a new stadium. The White Sox, the Giants, and others would go to their city/state leadership and say "if you don't build me a shiny new stadium with luxury boxes I'm going to move to Tampa where they already have one."

Having the stadium certainly helped the expansion case, but it wouldn't surprise me if Bud and his boys further tipped the scales in Tampa's favor for being the blackmail city that allowed half of MLB owners to get a $500M stadium for free.

[BohBalmer]

Its 77 degrees outside..... do people really want to go inside a 24 year old tent next to a freeway to watch baseball game?

[lovetoaster]

The Bucs can't sell out 8 home games a year, what chance do the Rays have?

Agreed. I hear about these rabid Bucs fans, but if they are not really good, fans aren't coming to the games. And that stadium is at least in a decent location.