It is no secret that the New York Yankees are struggling; losing Derek Jeter; they can’t score a run; and they are already down 0-2 to the Tigers in the ALCS but that
English: A picture of the frieze of the new Yankee Stadium, during an interleague baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
is just the tip of the iceberg.
Blame has been thrown around from A-rod, to the umps to old age but the latest excuse is that Yankee fans are not showing up; and the ones that do boo and heckle players the entire game.
The later is true and I don’t love it but I grew up in Manhattan and that is just New York.
If you want to cheer after your team gets eliminated from the postseason, move to Oakland or Baltimore because thanking the team for losing but having a “good season” won’t ever happen here. Not even Mets fans would do that.
New York is a competitive place where people work hard and play hard, but to say that fans don’t show up to support the Yankees is ridiculous.
Now I know that everyone is referring to ALCS Game 2 on Saturday night, where only 47,000+ fans came, which is 4,000 less than the Stadium’s 51,000 capacity but that is far from empty. And the reason it was so noticeable on TV is because it was in the legends seats. Legends seats are the first 10 rows that stretch around home plate and cost more than a first-class seat from NYC to LA.
Plus, the Legend seats are not nearly as fun to sit in, as the crowd is not as unruly so I prefer to sit elsewhere.
But to make such statements that Yankees fans are disloyal is preposterous as there were definitely factors that affected the attendance.
- ALDS Game 5 started at 5pm on a Friday, which meant fans weren’t even out of work yet.
- ALCS Game 1 was the next day, which left little time to prepare.
- ALCS Game 2 was on 4pm, the same time the NY Giants were playing the San Francisco 49ers; and any sports fan knows the NFL rules.
Also, when pro-athletes come to play in New York they know what they are signing up for.
And that is, what can you do for me today and that is just the way it is.
NY fans have always been the same, as they will love you one minute and boo you the next and it is not some big secret, so acting so surprised is just foolish.
Here are the regular season attendance numbers dating back to 2009, the first year the new Yankee Stadium opened:
Year | Tm | W | L | Finish | Playoffs | Stadium | Attendance | Attend/G | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | New York Yankees | 95 | 67 | 1 | Yankee Stadium III | 3542406 | 43733 | 1st of 14 | |
| 2011 | New York Yankees | 97 | 65 | 1 | Lost LDS (3-2) | Yankee Stadium III | 3653680 | 45107 | 1st of 14 |
| 2010 | New York Yankees | 95 | 67 | 2 | Lost ALCS (4-2) | Yankee Stadium III | 3765807 | 46491 | 1st of 14 |
| 2009 | New York Yankees | 103 | 59 | 1 | Won WS (4-2) | Yankee Stadium III | 3719358 | 45918 | 1st of 14 |
(stats courtesy of baseball-reference.com)
I guess being #1 in attendance for the last five years is just meaningless?
So what should the Yankees do to get their fans to support them again?
That is easy, go into Detroit and beat the reigning MVP and CY Young award winner Justin Verlander tomorrow night.
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Last time Hughes vs Verlander had Hughes on top. I know he would prefer K. Upton but Hey.
George you mean prefer CC…..right?
I was referring to Verlander's girlfriend. Sorry
NO ATTENDENCE lower the prices you greedy bastards