On Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays clinched their second playoff spot in team history. Only 17,981 fans were on hand to witness the accomplishment.
The attendance at Tropicana Field is pathetic, and Evan Longoria clearly agrees with me.
The Ray’s third baseman recently voiced his frustration with the lack of fans at the ballpark. You can’t blame him for being disappointed.
The Rays are a team loaded with young stars such as Longoria, B.J. Upton and Matt Garza. It’s not like they are a last place team struggling to compete.
The Rays are a playoff team, a team poised to make a deep run into October. Yet they continue to draw lackluster crowds.
I understand that the economy is terrible, Tropicana Field needs work and many fans in St. Petersburg are transplants, making them fans of other teams.
However, this is playoff-caliber baseball. The Rays have fought the rival Yankees and Red Sox all summer long, and now the playoffs are set to begin soon.
I would kill to have playoff baseball at Chase Field, but that’s not happening anytime soon. The fans in St. Petersburg are lucky to have a successful team.
Let’s hope fans pack Tropicana Field throughout the playoffs. The Rays deserve it.
Reach the reporter at gregory.dillard@asu.edu
