I had the opportunity to attend a Texas Rangers-Cleveland Indians game at “Progressive Field” in Cleveland over the weekend.
In my heart, this stadium is still “The Jake.”
Having witnessed many a game at this facility after it opened in 1994, most of the time it was in an SRO environment. The Indians sold out over 400 games back during that period.
So on Saturday night, in a game between 2 division leaders, with the Rangers having won the past 2 American League pennants, the Tribe had their second biggest “crowd” of the season, at a little over 21,000.
Where are the fans? The Indians have a number of fine young players, and also sport a number of wily veterans.
Is it apathy? Do the people care? Is there that much animosity towards the owners? How is the team marketed to the public?
These are all legitimate questions. The only thing that I know is this. If I lived in the area, I would attend some games and stay behind this team.
In case you don’t know, they are for real, and are in it for the long haul.