Tropicana Field during Game 1 of the 2023 MLB Playoffs. Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images
It isn’t exactly a foreign concept that the attendance at Tampa Bay Rays games would be low. It is an issue that has lingered for years. But in yesterday’s playoff game, the woes continued.
The Rays hosted the Texas Rangers in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card series yesterday afternoon. And the announced attendance was a mere 19,704. Videos and images went viral of the vast sections of empty seats in Tropicana Field during a playoff game.
Lingering Issues
Tropicana Field and the Rays are not exactly new to attendance issues. The stadium is consistently ranked as one of the worst in MLB, with it being the only stadium without any natural light. Its dome and location in St. Petersburg, away from the main population hub of Tampa and lack of public transportation, often result in the Rays being at the bottom of MLB attendance.
However, this doesn’t really excuse the lack of attendance. The Rays started off the season with a historic 13-0 run, and remained a playoff team through the duration of the season. Despite this, they still ranked 27th in attendance in 2023, a year which generally saw attendance increase. 2023 saw over 70 million total fans attend games, a 9.6% increase over last season.
104 Years Later
While the game did take place on a Tuesday afternoon, it still is no excuse for a playoff game to have that low of an attendance. In fact, the last time a playoff game had an attendance that low (not counting the pandemic season) was Game 7 of the 1919 World Series. That series, between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox, was the infamous “Black Sox Scandal.” It saw several players being banned for betting. That game saw an attendance of only 13,923.
The Rays were not helped by the home crowd in the game, either, as they were blanked by the Rangers 4-0. They will now try to save their season this afternoon in Game 2, or they’ll be eliminated. They also notably were eliminated in the Wild Card series last year by the Guardians after failing to score runs.
The Rays recently announced a plan to build a brand-new 30,000-seat ballpark in the same vicinity as Tropicana Field. However, the plans are not officially confirmed yet. Fans fear that by building the new ballpark in the same location, the attendance issues will still be prevalent. But only time will tell at this point.
