If Rockies management thinks winning will solve their attendance problem, they had better look to Cleveland and think again.
Despite a sizzling sprint to the finish that has the Indians in the thick of the American League playoff chase, fans have not flocked to Jacobs Field. A recent three-game series against fellow AL contender Oakland drew just 21,255 fans a game.
“Getting fans back is not easily defined,” general manager Mark Shapiro said. “There are so many factors to it.”
Chief among them for the Indians is regaining trust.
From 1995-2001, the Indians drew a record 455 consecutive sellouts at Jacobs Field. Only the Rockies rivaled the Indians in overall attendance in that span.
But then came the decision by Indians ownership to dump salary in 2002-03, get rid of veterans and rebuild. That didn’t go over well with fans who had witnessed six division titles and two pennants from 1995-2001.
“The people disengaged,” Shapiro said. “We had brought them in with a bigger payroll, more established stars and a prolific offense. Now we are winning with a different style. It’s taken some getting used to.”
In June 2002, when Shapiro dealt star pitcher Bartolo Colon to Montreal, he promised a return to the playoffs by 2005. His young team, with the league’s fifth-lowest payroll of $45 million, is on the verge of fulfilling his promise.
But the fans haven’t followed. The Indians have the third-best record in baseball but rank 24th in attendance, averaging 24,227 a game. Shapiro has faith the faithful will return.
“Our TV ratings are way up, and that’s a good sign,” he said. “But we hope our attendance will be up next year. But if we are 24th in attendance next year and are playing well, then we will have some legitimate questions.”
Although Shapiro said he believes Cleveland will embrace the Indians again, beginning with the team’s final regular-season homestand that includes three games with the division rival Chicago White Sox this week, he admits it would be almost impossible to duplicate the fan frenzy from 1995-2001.
“It was like the perfect storm,” he said. “This city hadn’t had a playoff team in over 40 years, so they were starved for it. There wasn’t any football because we lost the Browns. Plus, here was this beautiful new ballpark. All of that converged together.”
Jacobs ladder
Cleveland’s Jacobs Field, opened in 1994, used to be a baseball hotbed, but not in recent years. Here are the ups and downs of the Indians’ home park:
June 12, 1995: Indians begin a string of 455 consecutive sellouts, setting a major-league record.
February 2000: Larry Dolan replaces Richard Jacobs as Indians owner.
April 4, 2001: Consecutive sellout streak ends.
2001: Indians win AL Central title for sixth time in seven years.
2002: The breakup of the Indians is complete with the trade of popular pitcher Bartolo Colon to Montreal.
2003: Attendance falls to 21,358 per game.
2005: A second-half run has the Indians in playoff contention for the first time since 2001. However, a recent three-game series against fellow contender Oakland draws only 63,766 fans, less than half the capacity at Jacobs Field.
