When I walked into Chase Field on Wednesday, I was expecting pompons galore and a rowdy Arizona Diamondbacks fan base. Instead, I saw a smattering of palm trees and a disappointing crowd total of 38,830.
It was completely embarrassing.
The Diamondbacks filled only 80 percent of their stadium for Game 4 on the NLDS. Whose fault is this? Undoubtedly the locals. According to ESPN.com, the D-backs’ average home attendance for 2011 was 25,992, only 18th in the MLB.
Support for this team needed/still needs to get better. This Diamondbacks team has the heart and soul of a champion, but it is disappointing to see such low attendance numbers, especially during the playoffs. Milwaukee and its fans were crazy for Games 1 and 2 of the series and it gave them a decided advantage.
Hopefully the D-backs can pull out Game Five in hostile Milwaukee, but honestly, Arizona doesn't deserve any more baseball this year. The fan base has been weak all year and for diehards, it kills to see the bandwagon reach full (well, 80 percent, I guess) capacity come playoff time.
Reach the columnist at dsshapi1@asu.edu
Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
