The Ongoing Attendance Problem

[Nom]

If you suck for ten years, with one exception in the middle...your fans are going to appear to be fairweather. No-one will or should put up with that kind of bullshit for 10 years.

Why waste your money on a losing product? Fair-weather fans is a term that should have to be wiped off the map when a team sucks for 5 years at a time. When a team sucks- with no signs of improving- for five straight years, you should call those people, "smart."

Ten years of sucking is hyperbole. They won 90+ wins twice and were .500 another year and within 2-3 games of .500 a few more. That is mediocrity, not sucking. If you want to see what suckin looks like - go chek out the Browns.

They've averaged 75 wins over the last 10 years, winning 80+ in 5 of them. That isn't sucking. It isn't great, but a helluva lot better than a lot of other teams an hardly worth this, 'They don't deserve our money because they're always terrible' crap.

 

[The Oi]

Ten years of sucking is hyperbole. They won 90+ wins twice and were .500 another year and within 2-3 games of .500 a few more. That is mediocrity, not sucking. If you want to see what suckin looks like - go chek out the Browns.

Fair enough.

They've rotated between sucking and mediocrity.

Maybe my expectations are too high. Personally, if a team doesn't make the playoffs more than once in 10 years, they suck.

And yes...the Browns SUCK. What the Indians have been putting on the field the last 10 years doesn't even COMPARE to the garbage the Browns trot out there. The hope is that the Browns good drafting will continue and the extreme luck that helped them land an excellent front office will pay off.

I do hope that attendance continues to fall off with the Browns as long as they keep sucking. I do get the argument that it's not fair that the Browns don't get hit in the pocket as much as the Tribe when they both suck at the same time. But the Browns have a lot of people quitting on them too...as they should.

 

[Shakalu M.D.]

I don't give a shit how many wins a team has, the postseason is what I care about. How many championships do the 66 win Cavs have?

 

[Nom]

Fair enough.

They've rotated between sucking and mediocrity.

Maybe my expectations are too high. Personally, if a team doesn't make the playoffs more than once in 10 years, they suck.

And yes...the Browns SUCK. What the Indians have been putting on the field the last 10 years doesn't even COMPARE to the garbage the Browns trot out there. The hope is that the Browns good drafting will continue and the extreme luck that helped them land an excellent front office will pay off.

I do hope that attendance continues to fall off with the Browns as long as they keep sucking. I do get the argument that it's not fair that the Browns don't get hit in the pocket as much as the Tribe when they both suck at the same time. But the Browns have a lot of people quitting on them too...as they should.

I get the playoff argument but would say winning 93 games in '05 would normally be a playoff team.

Also - baseball is an extreme sport in terms of teams that make the playoffs - in the NBa or NFL half the teams make it, so mediocrity gets you in. In MLB it takes a damn good season to make it.

Here's an honest question - would you rather be the Twins - make the playoffs a bunch but never advance - or the Indians, who made it once but almost made the WS.

 

[Chris]

What kind of question is that? Neither, cuz neither won the WS. At least in hindsight. If you're talking about without knowing the outcomes before hand...probably the Twins. More playoff appearances= better chance at WS, at least without the knowledge that the Twins always got bitched slapped by NY or whoever.

Not really riveting discussion material either way.

 

[The Oi]

I get the playoff argument but would say winning 93 games in '05 would normally be a playoff team.

Also - baseball is an extreme sport in terms of teams that make the playoffs - in the NBa or NFL half the teams make it, so mediocrity gets you in. In MLB it takes a damn good season to make it.

Here's an honest question - would you rather be the Twins - make the playoffs a bunch but never advance - or the Indians, who made it once but almost made the WS.

93 wins would NORMALLY get you in, just like 10-6 in the NFL would NORMALLY get you in. But neither the Indians nor the Browns made it with those records. And that would be ok if those seasons weren't wedged in between a lot of non-playoff crap-fests.

I'd take the Twins 10 times out of 10. Not even an argument, because the Indians didn't even make the world series that year. If it was Twins playoff bow-outs vs Indians World Series win surrounded by garbage seasons...I'd take the World Series for sure. But you're asking me if I'd take one ALDS win followed by an embarrassing choke job in the ALCS vs a bunch of disappointing playoff appearances.

The Indians had one really exciting run...surrounded by mediocrity and terrible baseball. When a team makes the playoffs, there's always a chance they could go all the way. When a team doesn't make the playoffs, there's always a chance you're going to lose a bunch of fans.

And again...teams that don't make the playoffs more than once in 10 years absolutely deserve to lose a large chunk of their fans.

 

[Huber.]

The Indians are last in attendance already. The should play some home games at the Lake County Captains, Akron Aeros and Mahoning Valley ballparks so it would count as a sellout.

 

[The Oi]

The Indians are last in attendance already. The should play some home games at the Lake County Captains, Akron Aeros and Mahoning Valley ballparks so it would count as a sellout.

Got a lot of MLB veteran talent on all of those squads. Grinders.

 

[Steve_424]

The Indians are last in attendance already. The should play some home games at the Lake County Captains, Akron Aeros and Mahoning Valley ballparks so it would count as a sellout.

Can't blame the weather, Browns, or Cavaliers for this weekend...

 

[DawgOnKing]

H - Horrible economic environment.
D - Dolan spending.
T - Travis Hafner type extensions.
V - Viable (younger) audience is dwindling.

 

[Real Deal]

H - Horrible economic environment.
D - Dolan spending.
T - Travis Hafner type extensions.
V - Viable (younger) audience is dwindling.

That's because the Indians haven't been consistent since the 90's. Kids nowadays wanna root for the winner, bandwagon, etc. I have younger cousins that do this and I get really, really mad. But I can't blame them one bit. I just teach them root for the front of the jersey, not the back. Root for your hometown.

 

[Huber.]

If we make the playoffs 2 years in a row do you guys think it will go up?

 

[bushwick_bill]

If we make the playoffs 2 years in a row do you guys think it will go up?

Outside of the Yankees or Red Sox, not too many teams make the playoffs 2 years in a row... give me a break...

 

[Nom]

If we make the playoffs 2 years in a row do you guys think it will go up?

It'll go up - but it won't be great - I would say bottom 10, still.

 

[Huber.]

Outside of the Yankees or Red Sox, not too many teams make the playoffs 2 years in a row... give me a break...

Rays, Phillies (5 years in a row), Rangers, Tigers will this year....want me to go on? Small market teams have no excuse to not make the playoffs 2 years in a row. It just has to be ran correctly. Teams like us and the Pirates, Royals and Orioles are ran like shit.