Economy Woes Effects Fan Base

As the U.S. economic situation continues to worsen, fans nationwide have recently begun to see the affects of the recession on the world of sports. Once thought to be recession-proof, sports teams are beginning to feel the financial woes that other industries have been struggling with for months.

With teams losing sponsorship and revenue, they have been forced to increase ticket prices, leaving fans with the tough decision to pay extra or forfeit attending the events and supporting their teams. With the economy being as bad as the Great Depression, it is not hard to see why fans have opted to cutback on leisure activities, especially attending sporting events.

Where is the loyalty to the fans? The people who have stuck by their team through thick and thin, sat through games in a variety of weather extremes, and even travelled the distance to watch a big game. It is legitimate to question why raising ticket prices were one of the first solutions to the problem.

It can be speculated that a lack of attendance may create a disconnect between teams and their fan base. There is a big difference between watching games from home rather than experiencing the entire atmosphere of attending a game and seeing the events unravel first-hand. It has arguably become a luxury to attend a home game, let alone go on the road with teams. 

Teams may find that they are not as successful when playing in a half-empty stadium.  

There is a big difference in the atmosphere compared to a packed arena with applause and reaction to every score or official call throughout the game.  

If the current situation continues, it is likely to become even more difficult for fans to watch games or get any sort of coverage on their favorite sports teams.

Newspapers have already been forced to cutback coverage on NHL games.

Not only will fans not be able to afford attending games, but it will not be possible to get up-to-date information.

Sports fans are entitled to be angry. In an environment where people are being affected with every other industry’s financial issues as well as their own, they should be able to trust the sports industry. Increasing ticket prices will negatively impact both the athletes and the industry as a whole. The damage done by this decision to the relationship between fans and sports teams may be irreversible if alternative solutions are not found.