The White Sox have been a massive disappointment this year. While they are still technically in the running for the AL Central, they need to use this year to figure out how they are going to win consistently again. Whether it is a rebuild or a retool, something needs to change. Regardless, the fans have had enough, and they have stopped going to games, as the attendance numbers are significantly down this year.
Is There A Boycott?
The White Sox have always been made fun of for their “lack of attendance” but they have never been at the bottom of the league. The past few years have been better for the Sox in terms of attendance, but it seems that streak is now over.
According to Baseball Reference, the White Sox currently sit 25th in total attendance this far into the season. This is six spots worse than last year, where they ranked 19th. For a market like Chicago, this is especially embarrassing.
When you take a deeper dive into the numbers, it gets worse. According to Baseball Reference, at this point last year the White Sox had 156,000 more fans in attendance. This is the biggest difference in the major leagues by a wide margin.
The next worst team is only at 77,000 fewer fans than they did last year. The White Sox have almost doubled that number. For a “contending” team in one of the biggest markets in the US, that is extremely embarrassing. Even when other Chicago teams struggle, they are at the top of the league in attendance. Now, there are two baseball teams in Chicago, but they should still not be at the bottom of the league.
If you look at it on a per-game basis, the White Sox are again the worst in the league. Per game, they have lost about 4,000 fans. That is a big loss for the White Sox, especially if you consider how many concessions those 4,000 could have bought.
Again, that is double the next closest team, as they have only lost about 2,000 per game. They are behind teams like Colorado, San Fransico, and Detroit. Even Kansas City, one of the worst teams in the league, has gained more fans from last year.
Will It Fix Anything?
Since the attendance is down this much, surely it has to have caught the attention of Jerry or the front office. They cannot operate the team properly if they are going to be losing fans.
Hopefully, this trend will cause them to make some changes from top to bottom. They need to revamp the front office and the product on the field. This rebuild has been a failure, as they haven’t even won a playoff series, let alone more than one game in either of the two series they played.
White Sox fans need to keep this up, as it will be the only way change will happen. If the Sox are losing money, maybe then they will make smart decisions.
I wouldn’t spend a bad penny supporting this organization. If people stop attending games, will Reinsdorf use that as an excuse to move the team? Take a look at Fisher with Oakland as an example! Of course, the way this team and its leadership are now, I would tell any other city or state “If you are interested in the White Sox, you can have them!”
Winning is simply not Jerry’s top priority – making money is. So he’ll keep the payroll down and hope the die-hards keep spending their money at the ballpark watching an inferior product. And he’ll hope to catch lightening in a bottle like 2005. I doubt he’ll live to see another championship unless he sells the team to a savvy new owner.
Reinsdorf does not care one bit. Remember part of the deal Reinsdorf has with the Illinois Stadium Authority… if fan attendance falls under 1.2 million (I believe).. Reinsdorf does not have to pay rent on the part for the season.
So he is probably overjoyed that attendance is down. No rent, he still makes a profit.
Since when does Jerry and the front office pay attention to what they are putting on the field.
Just like the Bears and now the Blackhawks, this is a total tear down.
Unfortunately, if Jerry doesn’t get rid of the clown show front office, it will yield the same results next time!
Oyy …
They let one bad mistake affect their play for the rest of the game. Hurts isn’t somebody prone to that.