Sports
MLB Commissioner Bud Selig Calls Out Rays Fans
On Tuesday, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said with a competitive team like the Rays, there is no excuse for the poor attendance at the Trop.
Prior to Tuesday night's All-Star game in Kansas City, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig called out Rays' fans for the low attendance at Tropicana Field.
According to MLB.com, Selig said with a competitive team like the Rays it is "inexcusable" for attendance to be so low at the Trop.
"To study the attendance figures every day and see that they're 29th in attendance, it's inexcusable," Selig said. "Nobody can defend that. This is a very competitive baseball team. The average Major League attendance is between 31,000 and 32,000. And if my memory is serving me well, Tampa Bay's attendance is around 19-something. It's disappointing."
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The Tampa Bay Rays rank 29 out of 30 in attendance per game at 20,582. The capacity average, 60.4 percent, ranks the Rays 21st in the MLB. The Rays averaged 18,878 a game in 2011, 22,758 in 2010 and 23,147 in 2009.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, attendance at the Trop is up 7 percent this year from at the same point in 2011.
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"At their current pace, they would draw 1,667,142. Over their four previous seasons, they averaged 1,770,284."
Top 5 in Attendance
- Philadelphia Phillies - 44,746
- Texas Rangers - 43,607
- New York Yankees - 42,234
- St. Louis Cardinals - 41,854
- San Francisco Giants - 41,636
Bottom 5 in Attendance
26. Houston Astros - 22,049
27. Seattle Mariners - 21,939
28. Oakland A's - 21,011
29. Tampa Bay Rays - 20,582
30. Cleveland Indians - 19,256
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