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December 19, 2008
Trouble spot: Nets' attendance should be on the NBA's (and Times's) radar
Atlantic Yards Report
Norman Oder follows up on this morning's NY Times story on NBA teams struggling at the turnstile.
Missing from the article is any mention of the New Jersey Nets, which should be very close to that bottom fifth. Consider that the Indiana Pacers are drawing 14,180 fans, or 78.06% in an arena with the capacity of 18,165.
The announced Nets' attendance is just a fraction better. As of today, the Nets are averaging 15,621 fans, or 78.14% in an arena with the capacity of 19,990, a very slight decrease from last year's average of 15,657. (I had previously listed 19,968 as the capacity.)
That's a marginal distinction. Not only that, the Times acknowledges the capacity to fudge the numbers:
(N.B.A. teams report attendance based on tickets distributed, not turnstile counts. The latter figure is not publicly available.)
...I suspect the Nets are as good as fudging the numbers as anybody, maybe better. After all, one of the issues facing the Nets is similar to that facing the suffering Kings, as the Times described it:
On top of everything else, the Kings are in a political battle for a new arena, and fans are nervous that they will leave.Before the season ends, the Times should follow up on the "trouble spot" in its own backyard.
Posted by eric at December 19, 2008 10:11 AM