AndreRoy
Registered User
- Jan 3, 2018
- 4,466
- 3,592
Tampa residents are not at all to blame for the Rays’ attendance issues. First of all the stadium is in the middle of nowhere in St. Pete and getting there from Tampa for a game requires sitting in some of the worst rush hour traffic in the country (not LA or DC Metro bad, but still really bad.) And with cheapskate owners who won’t ante up when it comes time to pay their players and who routinely bash their own fanbase when they aren’t demanding hundreds of millions of dollars from them, why would anyone do so?
The Lightning, on the other hand, have an owner who built a first class organization on and off the ice, who paid his own money to renovate the arena into one of the best in the league, and who rather than attacking the community has contributed to it with charity and youth programs, and as a result the Lightning have the longest sellout streak in the NHL and have been a top ten team in attendance for the past decade.
Tampa fans support teams that deserve their support. The Rays’ owners alienated Tampa residents years ago and at this point most of us couldn’t care less if they leave. Tampa is a hockey town and has been for some time.
The Lightning, on the other hand, have an owner who built a first class organization on and off the ice, who paid his own money to renovate the arena into one of the best in the league, and who rather than attacking the community has contributed to it with charity and youth programs, and as a result the Lightning have the longest sellout streak in the NHL and have been a top ten team in attendance for the past decade.
Tampa fans support teams that deserve their support. The Rays’ owners alienated Tampa residents years ago and at this point most of us couldn’t care less if they leave. Tampa is a hockey town and has been for some time.