TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – In an attempt to boost poor attendance numbers, earlier this week the Tampa Bay Rays announced a $5 ticket flash sale.
The 5,000 discounted tickets were made available for five home games, and the Rays only sold out of two of those games, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The desperate attempt to fill seats at the Trop comes after years of a steady decline in attendance.
A 2012 Qunnipiac University poll showed that 20 percent of Floridians prefer the New York Yankees as their MLB team of choice, which is 2 percent more than the Tampa Bay Rays.
Previous attendance numbers have reflected a similar sentiment.
In 2014, the team had an average game attendance of 17,858 per game — a number that fell to 15,322 in 2015.
Average attendance per game
Hover over the bar to see the exact number.
Source: ESPN
Although the Trop had slightly more seats filled per game in 2016, the number dropped again in 2017 and dropped to 14,529 in 2018.
In Major League Baseball this year, the Rays rank No. 29 with an average attendance of 13,662 fans — the only team with worse attendance is the Miami Marlins.
With the lease at Tropicana Field ending in 2027, the team’s low attendance will play a major role in whether or the team will stay in Florida.
