BY RICK CURTI
On May 28, 2019, The Tampa Bay Rays set a franchise record in there 22 year history that no team would ever want.
They drew their lowest crowd ever! No hurricane, no holiday, they drew a paltry 5,786 fans.
For a Triple-A Minor League Team that would be a good attendance but this is MLB. This isn’t the first time the Rays have been in the news for poor attendance.
The Rays have been at the bottom of attendance for the past decade and only their counterpart the Miami Marlins are doing worse.
When are we going to stop making excuses for the Rays? Is it the fact that they actually play in St Petersburg the only issue? Will they thrive if they actually played in Tampa Bay? The Marlins are bad and that’s always an excuse why fans are not going? But the Rays are a great team in the tough American League East and it seems attendance is getting worse and worse.
Tampa Bay Rays owner Stu Sternberg made news a couple of years ago when he visited the former mayor of Montreal about possibly relocating which of course he denied. I know Commissioner Manfred won’t expand till there are new stadiums in Tampa Bay and Oakland. But can the Rays make it that far when their lease won’t expire at Tropicana Field till 2027.
What’s Next? Will the Rays stay or will they relocate to Charlotte or Montreal or possibly Portland? It’s a shame because Tampa Bay has brought so much talent such as Wade Boggs, Fred McGriff and Lou Piniella.
My honest opinion Tampa Bay and the great state of Florida can’t support MLB and I have no idea what MLB is waiting for?
If you build it and they will come doesn’t always mean they will.
