RealGM

Why even the Atlanta playing well the fans do not attend?

I'm not the typical fan, but I've paid for my tickets already and I got to be honest that it is sometimes hard to drive down to Philips Arena because of what looks like inconsistent effort to me. I still watch the game on TV, but I can't always get behind buying concessions and dealing with traffic when it sometimes doesn't seem like the players on the floor care if they win.

As for the overall attendance, I don't think the organization marketed very well over the rebuilding process. 1st it was a slow and steady turnaround, not a sudden jump that captures peoples imagination. 2nd, it is a star driven league and the team doesn't have star power. The reasons behind this are Three Fold. Stars like rivalries are made in the post-season. Unfortunately the last two years the team has been swept in round 2 as their highest paid player has come up small in the post-season (he's not the only one). This should have been when he established his name on the big stage with stirring performances in victory or defeat. Instead he's been forgettable. The 2nd aspect is personality. Joe Johnson is quiet. Josh Smith is moody. Al Horford is more comfortable being marketed back in the Dominican Republic that he is here. Those personalities are hard to sell as stars. Finally, there was the marketing effort. They called it the Highlight Factory but when Josh Smith was the young man hitting the thunderous dunks and making the chase down blocks they didn't establish him as a must see in person player. It didn't help that Mike Woodson ran a team with a pace in the lower half of the NBA each year. Perhaps there were other factors affecting the investment in Marketing at the time, but the window to sell Josh Smith as a guy that people had to see regardless of team record passed. Without the early hype, it's made selling these guys now even harder. Finally, post-season success is the only thing that establishes a trusting and attending fan base. The Hawks haven't provided that. End of story.

Its pretty simple: Atlanta isnt a good pro sports town unless they are in the playoffs.

Its pathetic because every team outside of the Thrashers is good-great.

If the Hawks had a big name that was capable to attract fans it could be different. At the moment, no one on our roster has that type of ability, so the interest is going to stay low. Only a few players in the NBA would be able to help the Hawks attendance.

The average is currently around 14.5k and the arena holds just over 18k. No telling how many of the tickets are freebies to different organizations.

I believe it also has to do with how Atlanta is set up. A lot of companies aren't downtown anymore and are moving out to the burbs. There is competition for people's interest in the burbs (Gladiators, Gwinnett Braves, ect.). Add that to the fact that Atlanta's public transit system is pathetic, you are bound to have low attendance numbers.

We need Melo

Cities in the south(particularly Atlanta)don't have much loyalty to the home team when it comes to professional sports. You either have to have a legitimate chance to win the title or a transcendent player(Vick)to consistently pack arenas in a city like ATL.

The "die hard" fans in the south are usually college football fans.

Anyone been to the Hawks site lately and able to find POSTED season ticket prices for the rest of the season? They aren't there. With "variable pricing" it is so hard to know what you can expect to pay for a location on a game to game basis. It's like they are a secondary ticket source, changing their price depending on how the wind is blowing. Not that I was looking to buy season tickets, I just found it interesting I could not find price categories. When I go I just buy on Stubhub and get great sideline seats for a fraction of what I think the Hawks are charing season ticket holders. The only games I expect not to be able to get a lower sideline seat for less than the average season ticket price are the Lakers and Heat games.