Not since the home opener have the Red Sox had anything resembling a sellout at Fenway. Back on April 6, the Sox drew 36.093 when they hosted the Baltimore Orioles in the first home game of the season.
Fans fill the field level seats at Fenway Park for the home opener against the Baltimore Orioles, but that’s been the only sell-out this season
Since then, the Sox have drawn fairly well. Of the 24 home dates through Friday’s homestand opener with Milwaukee, 19 have attracted crowds of 30,000 or more. Many MLB teams would be more than happy with those kind of numbers. Overall, the Red Sox are averaging 31,059 per game, a respectable enough figure.
Some thought that after two straight last-place finishes — and three in the last four — combined with an inactive offseason in free agency that the ballpark would be half full in the early part of the season. That was never going to happen, of course. Regardless of the quality of the product on the field, fans enjoy going to Fenway to experience a game. And there’s the visiting fan bases to take into account, too, since Fenway remains one of New England’s top tourist attractions.
But the Red Sox have left a lot of tickets on the table through the first two months, too. Their average attendance ranks 12th in MLB, placing them closer to the middle of the pack rather than the top. And since attendance reflects tickets sold, a simple eye test reveals that many are buying tickets, but not using them — never a good long-term sign.
Granted, it’s still relatively early in the season. Not until recently has the weather begun to warm. School is still in session, and playoff runs by the Bruins and Celtics have diverted the attention of some fans. It’s likely that as we move into summer, that number will continue to creep upward.
Should the Red Sox remain above .500 and at least nominally in contention, the number could spike. Winning is always good for box office business. But long gone are the days of early-season sell-outs and a brisk secondary-market. At their current pace, the Sox could have nearly a half-million tickets left unsold over the course of the season. And for that, the Red Sox have only themselves to blame.
The Bruins exceeded most everyone’s expectations during the regular season, mine included. Following the retirements of both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, I figured they’d made the playoffs, but probably as a wild card entry. Instead, the Bruins held first place in the Atlantic Division for most of the year and were in contention for the President’s Trophy before slipping in the final 10 days.
But after that, expectations get re-set for the postseason, and winning only one round — in seven games, at home, and in overtime at that — marked their playoff performance as ultimately a disappointment. You wouldn’t have known that from the way the players talked on Break-Up Day, however. To a man, the Bruins kept saying how “proud” they were of what they accomplished. Which was……what, exactly?
Sure, the Bruins playoff exit wasn’t as frustrating as last spring. But since when does losing in the second round constitute a triumph of sorts? No need or reason to hang their heads in shame, but maybe ease up on the back pats?
* Any suggestion that a potential Celtics championship banner No. 18 will be forever tainted because of the quality of competition is, frankly, dumb. The Celtics can only beat the teams they play, and it’s hardly their fault if the opposition isn’t some all-time great assembly of talent. Winning 16 games in the postseason is a daunting task, no matter the year.
* It was only a matter of time. First, came NIL money for college athletes. This past week, the NCAA, facing multiple antitrust lawsuits, agreed, along with its Power 5 conferences, to institute revenue sharing with its athletes, likely beginning in 2025. For decades, schools have earned millions and millions thanks to free labor. Now, athletes at these schools will be compensated and essentially become university employees.
I’m all for an end to the pretense of amateurism, and for the athletes themselves to finally get their own share of the ever-growing economic pie. But how this is going to be administered remains an open question, and the potential for abuse will be great. And what about the athletes at smaller conferences and their member schools? This will only further widen the gap between the haves and have-nots.
* How many incompletions in Week One by Jacoby Brissett will it take for Patriots’ fans to begin clamoring for the elevation of Drake Maye? Three? Four?
* No sport recycles coaches like the NHL. I keep waiting for some team to hire Mike Keenan.
* Not every Celtics game has to be a referendum on which star is more trustworthy, Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown. But you wouldn’t know that from listening to post-game reactions.
* This could be recency bias at work, but the quality of officiating in the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring is at an all-time low. There’s been way too much inconsistency when it comes to head shots and dangerous hits.
* Summer’s almost here, which means you’ll be hearing a lot of “Yacht Rock” in the radio. Please do not make the mistake of lumping the great Steely Dan into this category. In their prime, the Dan were wonderfully subversive and musically complex. In other words, they most assuredly do not belong in the same musical genre as, say, “Escape (The Piña Colada Song),” OK?
* A Celtics-Mavericks meet-up in the NBA Finals would be something. Just imagine the potential for four games worth of Kyrie Irving at the Garden.
* Is it too much to ask to want the Edmonton Oilers in the Final? The game would benefit greatly from having the magnificent Connor McDavid on the biggest stage.
* Finally, this column is designed as a collection of my own opinions and usually there is no right and wrong. But last week, I judged golfer Scottie Scheffler unfairly and prematurely. With the benefit of hindsight, my depiction of him as “entitled” for his run-in with police in Louisville was incorrect, for which I apologize.
