Sep
25
Written by:
Norman Rumack
9/25/2009 11:49 PM
With the arrival of the fall season our feathered friends fly south. Meanwhile,many Blue Jays fans have been scattered just about anywhere other than the Rogers Centre this season. They have been staying away in record setting numbers lately. It's not entirely surprising considering the team is not counting "freebie" tickets or "comps" (as in complimentary) in terms of their attendance figures. Only 20,668 showed up Friday night to see what might have been Roy Halladay's last at home Blue Jays outing . Quite often last year, I would sit in the press box and see a two-thirds empty stadium and a reported crowd of anywhere between twenty-two or twenty-four thousand. When I would see those figures, I would shake my head and wonder what exactly they were counting. Maybe last years actual paid attendance was similar. Losing is the biggest factor as to why fans stay away and that applies to almost every team in the world, perhaps with the exception of the Toronto Maple Leafs who haven't seen a playoff date since the season prior to the lockout. I have also wondered if there are reasons aside from losing as to why so many fans stay away from Jays games? So with that in mind, I thought I would ask a close friend of mine who is a die-hard Jays fan,and still comes down to games once every couple of weeks, that very same question. My buddy's name is "Rodney", and perhaps you the reader might share the same concerns he has about the team aside from just wins and losses. I would be interested in knowing from readers if you concur with him on points he is concerned about.Although the Blue Jays carry out substantial and commendable charitable activities and fundraising through their Jays Care Foundation, Rodney tells me that from his perspective, the Blue Jays players are not visible enough in the community. He says he never sees them out and about meeting their fans around the city or province. The only visibility Rodney recalls was the verbal exchange between former Jay Alex Rios and some upset Jays fans on "You Tube" a few months ago. Rodney was reminiscing about the days of the Blue Jays Caravan from their early years. If they still have it, he certainly wasn't aware of it. He also found their on-line ticket system was frustrating. Rodney claims that when he has attempted to purchase a lower priced seat in a certain section, the system tries to push him into a more expensive seat. For some fans, there is a feeling right from the start of the season that the team has no chance to make it to the post-season because of their divisional alignment with the Yankees and the Red Sox, with their big budgets. This is certainly a major concern for my friend as well. Rodney has a feeling that when players become stars here in Toronto, they wont be staying for very long. It bothers him that Toronto has become a farm team to a degree for wealthier clubs.Rodney feels that the Jays cater to an older crowd, and it's his observation that the team doesn't have very many young fans, and that they are losing the kids to other sports. He thinks they need to be more aggressive in marketing their product to the next generation of fans. Once again , what you've read here are the feelings of a Blue Jays fan and I've deliberately left out my sentiments, in order to observe how many other fans feel the same way, or disagree on some of the points from my friend and passionate Blue Jays fan "Rodney". The news that Chris Bosh has a strained left hamstring, and may miss the opening of training camp in Ottawa, will be upsetting for many Raptors fans. There are lofty expectations for the team with all the off-season roster changes they've made. Fairly or unfairly, many fans have the feeling that Chris Bosh may have one foot out the door in spite of his public affection for the city of Toronto.Some fans may also be upset by the enjoyment Bosh takes in non- basketball activities when they hear as they did during the NBA playoffs last year, that superstar Kobe Bryant works out 5 or 6 days a week starting at 5 or 6 in the morning. To be fair, it's entirely possible that Chris Bosh is also an early riser for personal training. The Raptors will have to get off to a good start this season, to ease the anxiety of their fed up fans.
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