Thursday, February 7, 2013
Indiana's attendance woes
By Joe Kaiser
The Indiana Pacers have a lot going for them this season, yet still have one of the lowest attendances in the NBA.
Think about it for a second. The Pacers have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference despite playing without Danny Granger all season. They have a bright young, defensive-minded coach in Frank Vogel. And they have an arena in Bankers Life Fieldhouse considered to be one of the very best in the league.
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star points out today that despite all that, and a roster composed of model citizens who have went above and beyond to engage the fans, the Pacers fans haven't turned out this season.
"The slogan goes, 'In 49 states, it's just basketball. But this is Indiana.' That must be a reference to the Indiana Hoosiers rather than the Pacers, who continue to be among the NBA bottom feeders in attendance," Wells writes. "They are currently 26th in the NBA, averaging 14,592 fans in a building that seats 18,165.
"The Pacers have had just four sellouts this season; opening night, both Miami games and against Chicago earlier this week."
The one sure-fire way to improve attendance in any sport is to continue to win, and even with the figures being low this season Wells does note that attendance has increased an average of 1,320 fans a game from last year. If the Pacers can keep the team in tact and carry their winning ways into the playoffs, one has to believe those numbers will continue to rise.
