Attendance drops

[*ochocincos*]

(07-11-2019, 06:42 PM)pally Wrote: In an analysis, of the all teams in the 4 major sports, the Bengals ranked 7th in the largest attendance drop off over the last decade.  Last year's attendance was 21.4% lower than it was 2008

https://247wallst.com/special-report/2019/07/09/sports-teams-running-out-of-fans-3/3/

7. Cincinnati Bengals
> Avg. home attendance change 2008-2018: -21.4%
> 2008 avg. home game attendance (pct. capacity): 64,582 (98.6%)
> 2008 record: 4-11-1

Cincinnati Bengals home games were almost completely full, on average, in 2008, even though the team won only four games all season after QB Carson Palmer missed most of the year with an elbow issue. Bengals fans regularly sold-out Paul Brown Stadium at the time, thanks to Palmer and head coach Marvin Lewis, who, in 2005, brought the Bengals their first playoff appearance in 15 years.  Other than the Los Angeles Chargers, who played in the tiny StubHub Center, no team averaged fewer fans than the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2018 NFL season. The Bengals’ stadium was just 77.5% full on average for home games, the third lowest capacity in the NFL. Cincy posted a 6-10 record, dead last in the AFC North. Cincinnati’s attendance has been steadily declining since it last made the playoffs in 2015. The team is still seeking its first playoff win since 1990.

It is no secret what it will take to bring the fans back.   Step 1 was removing Marvin.  Step 2 is putting on a winning product with actual ability to win in the playoffs.  Step 3 is to lower prices.  Step 4 which is the most unlikely one....Mike Brown removes himself from any management of the team.

Oh, and the Reds were number 8 in the list, so it is official, Cincinnati professional sports suck

2016-2018 has really been the cause for this downfall.
Both the Reds and Bengals have failed to have a winning season for 3+ years straight.
With FC Cincinnati coming to town in early 2017 and playing very well through 2018, some Reds and Bengals fans chose to watch the new fun team rather than drudge through another losing, uninspiring season with the Reds/Bengals.

Say what you will, but clearly a lot of fans prefer to not spend the extra money to attend a game in person if they don't have hope that the team will win. Especially when they can watch the games in HD in their own homes for much cheaper/free.

With that said, I think that 2019 might be the start to swing that pendulum the other way for both the Reds and Bengals. The Reds are the closest they've had to a winning season since 2014 and the Bengals have (somewhat) re-energized their fanbase with a new coaching staff.