Despite an improved team on the floor this season over last, the Indiana Pacers continue to struggle at the gate.
In the third year of Pacers basketball operations boss Larry Bird’s three-year plan to clear cap space and transform
the roster, the team still seems to be having difficulty winning fans over at the gate.
During the 2009-10 National Basketball Association season, the Pacers averaged 14,202 fans per home game. That was 27th in
the 30-team league.
With the addition of guard Darren Collison and emergence of Roy Hibbert, the Pacers have showed glimpses of promise on the
court, and have gotten off to an 11-11 start. The team is not red hot, but they’re certainly not ice cold either. They’ve
had a handful of nice victories, and they’re in the hunt for an Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Still, through 11 home games (more than one-fourth of the season), the Pacers are averaging 13,712 per home game, slipping
to 28th in the league in attendance. The New Orleans Hornets are 29th averaging 13,654 per home game and the Sacramento Kings
are 30th, averaging 13,457.
New Orleans might have more to complain about in terms of fan support than the Pacers. The Hornets feature on of the league’s
most exiting players in Chris Paul, and are 14-9 so far this season.
It’s difficult to say what’s behind the Pacers’ inability to get locals excited about heading to Conseco
Fieldhouse to watch a game. Team officials have actively marketed the team (including discounted ticket specials) and are
taking steps to rebuild the franchise.
The stalled economy certainly hasn’t helped. And maybe local hoops fans haven’t yet become attached to the new
and emerging Pacers players the way they did with Reggie Miller and Rik Smits. Or maybe, the team simply isn’t winning
enough yet. It’s likely a combination of some or all of those factors.
One thing is clear; the Pacers have been stuck in neutral in terms of attendance since 2007-08, when the Pacers averaged
a league worst 12,221 per home game. The last season the team averaged over 15,000 fans per home game was 2006-07.
After more cap space is cleared following this season, Bird is promising to be active in the free agent market to continue
to upgrade the roster.
Bird and the rest of the Pacers are going to need to throw their effort into overdrive, or they might find they’re
slipping into reverse in terms of fan support.
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Welcome to The Score, your place for hard-hitting sports business news, fast-breaking updates and fuel-injected debate. Buckle up. I'm your host, Anthony Schoettle, IBJ sports reporter.
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Laura-the festivals and tastings are free. What does is strengthen the sense of community with activities. What are those empty lots doing for the Village? it's sad you can't see the good that this progress can do for the area. No one is requiring anyone to shop there. I guess you'd rather see a Dollar store move in or no, we'd rather see the property stand empty b/c change is out of the question.
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Read down to the part about Brizzi. Someone needs to subpoena his "purchases" of Red RockPictures and Cellstar and his corresponding bank records, I mean c'mon, I'd like to see his alcohol usage records, too. http://diana-vice.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html
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Wonder if my neighborhood can advertise our "retention" pond and act like it is a beach too?
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a new record at the '11 salebration until they realized that it was a futile effort to get their crapwagon moter and crapwagon car up speed. And then they just quietly slunk off into the night and never spoke of it again. Nothing to see here folks.
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millions for putting a company's bumper sticker on one of its Lolas. But you gotta take what you can get.
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I've been to four games this year, but the level of excitement in the building is just not there which is sad
I went to a game...nearly killed the battery on my phone because there wasn't a space to plugin and charge.
It takes more than a year or so to overcome the image of thuggery. The team has done its best and I, for one, will begin attending more regularly.
I think the attendance usually goes up after the Colts season ends. Only so much money to spend on entertainment in one week...
The crowd was barely into the game, very little cheers and the Pacers themselves looked bored throughout the game. Watching NBA teams dog it for 3 quarters then play hard in the 4th quarter makes for a very boring evening.
Throw in the expensive tickets, food and parking in today's lagging economy and there's more reasons than ever these days to not attend a Pacers game.
For half the price you can attend a Butler, IU or Purdue game where the fans are always cheering, the action is non-stop and the players are young men to whom you can relate.
During the Reggie Miller era, the Pacers had two different teams that were successful and each had a unique set of players. Attendance was great and this city was as much in love with the Pacers as ever. The nucleus of Reggie, Smits, the Davis Brothers, Mark Jackson, Jalen Rose, etc. was a group of guys the city fell in love with. Though Indianapolis became fed up with the nucleus of Ron Artest, Jamaal Tinsley, Stephen Jackson, Jermaine O'Neal, etc., the city did initially embrace these guys. Likewise, Indy has embraced the nucleus of the Colts: Manning, Wayne, Freeney, Clark and the list could go on. Ever since Byrd has been attempting to rebuild the team, the Pacers still lack a nucleus of guys who will be part of a long term plan. Look at it now, Granger, Hibbert and lord only knows who else Coach O'Brien might have in the game. If the Pacers can get three or four more players that will be in Indianapolis to complement Granger and Hibbert for many years to come, this city will fall in love with the Pacers again. However, that of course assumes this new nucleaus will be one that can win and be of good character.
What is the Pacers attendance this year compared to the same number of games last year. It seems like Pacer attendance goes up after football season.
That the league wants the players to take a massive cut will never happen, but if they don't, the lockout could continue for some time
Attendance will go up after football season, if the team continues to play well...the economy is a mess, not a lot of disposable income out there. The Colts get priority right now.
At least the Pacers finally fired that idiot Jim O'Brien