Which pro sports franchise has lost the most fans over the last ten years? The Indianapolis Colts are 12th on financial news website 247wallst.com’s list of “12 Pro Sports Running Out of Fans.” Colts average attendance over the last ten years has consistently fallen, reaching 59,199 per game in 2018, a decline of -10.8%, reports financial news website 247wallst.com’s report. Click here to read 24/7’s complete article.
In 2017, the Colts struggled. Franchise QB Andrew Luck was sidelined all season with a shoulder injury and the team went 4-12, missing the playoffs for the third straight season. This seems to have caused Colts fans to lose interest in their team, as 2018 was the first season in Lucas Oil Stadium history that average attendance did not exceed 100% of the announced capacity. Just 94.0% of seats were filled in 2018, 23rd among all NFL teams. But fans may be back in droves after a revamped Indy roster posted a 10-6 record in 2018 and made the playoffs for the first time after a three-season drought.
12. Indianapolis Colts
> Avg. home attendance change 2008-2018: -10.8%
> 2008 avg. home game attendance (pct. capacity): 66,378 (105.4%)
> 2008 record: 12-4
> 2018 avg. home game attendance (pct. capacity): 59,199 (94.0%)
> 2018 record: 10-6
12 Pro Sports Franchises Running Out of Fans
- Detroit Tigers
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Chicago White Sox
- Washington Redskins
- Ottawa Senators
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cincinnati Reds
- Phoenix Suns
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Indianapolis Colts
While it is tough to know exactly what is stopping fans from coming to games, losing is likely a top cause. Fans are simply not willing to pay top dollar to see a game that will probably end in disappointment for them. In fact, 10 of the 12 teams running out of fans played worse in 2018 than they did a decade earlier. Every team can have losing seasons, but franchises that always seem to come up short can lose the attention of their fans.
Methodology
To determine the teams losing the most fans, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 10-year percentage changes in average attendance at regular season home games in the NHL, NBA, MLB, and NFL. Attendance figures are from ESPN and are as of the most recent completed season – the 2018-2019 season for the NHL and NBA, and the 2018 seasons for the NFL and MLB – and the season 10 years prior. We only considered teams that had at least a 10% decline in the average percentage of the stadium that was filled.
To avoid attendance declines based on a reduction in stadium capacity, franchises that built a new facility or moved to a new city in those years were excluded. The average percentage of capacity filled during home games in a season for the NHL, NBA, and NFL also came from ESPN and is as of the most recently completed regular season. In the case of the MLB, average capacity filled is based on the average home game attendance from ESPN and officially listed stadium capacities.
About 24/7 Wall St.
24/7 Wall St., LLC is a Delaware corporation which runs a financial news and opinion company with content delivered over the Internet. The company’s articles are republished by many of the largest news sites and portals, including MSN Money, Yahoo! Finance, MarketWatch, Time.com, USAToday, and The Huffington Post. The company publishes over 30 articles per day and has readers throughout North America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.