What's Going On in Phoenix: The Root of the Coyotes' Attendance Struggles

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Ok.  I get it.  The Phoenix Coyotes probably couldn’t draw a crowd if they offered a Ned Braden-esque strip show at the conclusion of every game.

It’s shoved in our face in absolutely every single article or every single mention of the team.

Every. Single. One.

Never mind that the team is 9-5-0 and playing some pretty darn good hockey.

Let’s forget about the fact that they have one of the top goalies in the league right now or that Dave Tippett actually has this team playing up to their potential or that Shane Doan and Ed Jovanovski have resurrected this team on the ice.

No.  The main topic of every single media outlet is their attendance.

But let’s look at this.  Why is a team that is playing so well on the ice struggling so much?

Well, first of all, let’s be honest.  They’re hardly playing barn-burning hockey.  They’ve only scored more than three goals three times so far this season and, while Tippett certainly has them playing well, they’re struggling to find the back of the net.

Winning is good and all, but unless you’re in a hockey-crazed state and/or city, you’re hardly going to attract a crowd with 2-1 victories.

I mean, sure, Minnesota did it.  But that’s in Minnesota.  The State of Hockey.  The Braden-esque strip show could be the only attraction and fans would still show up in droves.

Second, the ownership debacle has been a large factor.

Consider this: Last season, in 41 home games, the Desert Dogs averaged 14,875 fans per game compared to 9,407 in this season’s seven home games.

You’re telling me that in one season’s time, 5,468 people just magically stopped caring about hockey?  Yes, the product on the ice was bad last season, but they were in the playoff hunt for a good portion of the season.

The ownership situation of the Coyotes made season ticket holders hold off on renewing their tickets.

Think about it.  Why would someone pay $738 (this is without taxes, mind you) for a sporting event that they weren’t even sure that they would attend?  And that’s just for the cheap seats.

Without ownership, the marketing team wouldn’t even know if they would have a product to promote, let alone be able to promote them successfully.  They would have no direction, no idea of what they could/could not spend on things.

In essence, the ownership struggles have been far more of a factor in the attendance at Jobing.com arena than anything else.

Finally, we find ourselves also faced with the stark reality that we are a country that has come on hard financial times.

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