reppin_the_847 wrote:musiqsoulchild wrote:dougthonus wrote:
True. This is probably why the NY Knicks continue to sell out the Garden even with an AWFUL product out on the floor. The NYC Metro area probably has almost 23.5 Million people residing there. A true megalopolis only surpassed by a few others globally (ie. Greater Tokyo, etc.). Of course, NY has the Nets, but I'm sure the Nets are doing well attendance wise even with a mediocre team. Getting out of New Jersey was beneficial move for the Nets. Actually I partially take that back. The Nets are ranked #19 in terms of attendance, while the Knicks are #4. I think the Knicks are partially constrained by the size of the Garden, which is actually smaller than the United Center.
One market that I don't quite understand is Metro Detroit. They are actually not really a small market. They are the 12th largest in the nation with a CSA of 5.3 million in the metro area. Their team also plays in a far northern suburb, Auburn Hills (in wealthy Oakland County). Granted, Detroit's economy took a dump during the recession, but the area is doing a lot better now. They have no trouble packing the stands for the Lions, Tigers & Red Wings (all of who play in the city, not in the burbs like the Pistons). The Pistons are truly struggling with attendance. They're ranked 28th out of the 30 teams in the NBA in terms of attendance.
Another true head scratcher is the Atlanta Hawks. They are just above Metro Detroit in market size with a CSA of 6.16 million people. They have a damn good team, and yet they have the 22nd lowest attendance in the league. Doesn't make any sense.
This might make the thread go crazy....but I'll offer an explanation.
1) Detroit I think really lost out after the Malice in the Palace incident.
2) ATL : Well, the owner is on record saying that its hard to get the demographic that spends more (generally calling this white...according to the owner) to come see games because they may feel uneasy with the large numbers of black audience. I am afraid there's some truth to it in terms of just rationalizing ATL's attendance.