Where O' Where Have all the People Gone

An interesting article was posted on Yahoo sports today about the attendance problems occurring in the NBA. This article specifically describes the poor attendance at the Hawks - Grizzlies matchup from last night. After seeing some of the pictures from this game, and the fact that the game was not even broadcasted on TV, is anyone a little worried about people buying into the Hawks product?

Let's be honest, attendance has always been a concern in the Atlanta sports market. The Braves rank in the middle of attendance figures despite the fact that they are consistently one of the better teams in the National League (please ignore this year). The Falcons have a hard time selling out to even allow their games to be broadcasted on local networks. This despite the fact that they are one game out of the division lead. And now the Hawks, who after last year's playoffs seemed to have taken a huge step in attracting a crowd, have fallen into the attendance black hole as well.

During these difficult economic times it is getting more and more difficult to attend a NBA sporting event. People are not going to dish out $50 to see a game between Memphis and Atlanta, when they could easily use that cash to buy dinner at one of my favorite Atlanta sport bars, Twisted Taco, and still have some left over for a fun night at the Cheetah. (Twisted Taco + The Cheetah > Atlanta v. Memphis) (And yes that was shameless pub for the Cheetah and Twisted Taco)

Charge that much for admission when LeBron comes to town. Charge that price when, I hate to say this, Boston comes to play us. Charge the higher price when the Lakers and their Hollywood fans invade Philips. I have no problem with the high prices when the quality of basketball is going to be equally as high. But a game against Memphis? Please. There is no way people are going to dish out any kind of dough to see that team play for the same reason no one would pay to see the Hawks four years ago. (Case in point found here and here)

In fact, the Chicago Cubs (and other MLB teams) have higher pricing for "prime games" and lower pricing for less than prime games...hey...Atlanta Spirit...hear that??

The NBA needs to get a grip on the reality of the economic situation in the country and if they want less arenas looking like this picture below, do something about the ticket prices. It's not like the quality of play is going to increase any time soon when teams keep drafting players on their potential instead of actual skill. But that is a topic for another time.