Declining attendance is a professional sports industry problem, not an Ottawa problem. It’s happening across cities and leagues in North America. While some cities are big enough to absorb it and still sell enough tickets to fill their buildings (New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, etc), others aren’t so lucky.
It’s lazy to write it off as “bad fans”. There are a myriad of challenges.
1. Competition for entertainment dollars and time
There are way more high-quality entertainment options for consumers than there used to be, and they’re becoming more and more accessible. Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, gaming, etc. There’s so much great content out there now and it’s all available in the comfort of our homes for $10-15 a month. That’s hard to compete with.
2. Improvement in the TV viewing experience
The experience quality of watching a game at home or at a restaurant/bar has caught up with being there live. 4K images, instant access to replays/multiple angles, the ability to flip between games, etc. I’m a huge Bills fan, but I have little interest in going to a live game. I’d much rather watch at home where I can flip between games.
3. Lack of innovation
Going to a game today feels almost exactly like going to a game in 2001. There’s been little done to improve the experience for fans.
4. It’s easier to be a fan of other teams
With the ability to watch so many teams so easily, where you live no longer determines who you cheer for. So many kids in the mid-00’s grew up as Penguins fans because of Crosby, and today, it’ll be the Oilers and McDavid. Those fans stick with their teams as they age, and won’t spend as much money going to their local games.
Add our own unique local challenges to that (terrible location, awful weather during 80% of the season, etc), and this is what you get.
Does it mean that sports are dying?
No, but the metric of “success” shouldn’t be live attendance. In the next 10-15 years, I think we’ll see the size of arenas and stadiums shrink to create a more premium live product, whereas most fans will watch their team on the internet.
In Ottawa, if we ever get a new rink, it should be ~15,000 seats.
Pro sports leagues and teams are going to need to find different ways to monetize their product.