Question from Different Fan Base

txpd

Registered User
Jan 25, 2003
69,649
14,131
New Bern, NC
the caps actually did not sell that well with ovechkin lighting the world on fire and the caps still stinking it up. it took the boudreau streak to the playoffs, the red uni's and the new rock the red game presentation to start selling the building out.

in fact, as i recall, hf'rs around the league regularly bashed caps fans for having lower average attendance at home than on the road for those first two plus seasons.
 

CapitalsCupReality

It’s Go Time!!
Feb 27, 2002
64,388
19,089
Imagine those first 2 years WITHOUT Ovechkin. Instead of the official (albeit inflated) 13.9 k a game attendance, the Caps would have been much lower. They were just coming off the great selloff. Hell we might not have a team right now without him getting drafted.
 

txpd

Registered User
Jan 25, 2003
69,649
14,131
New Bern, NC
yea, the inflated 13k number was 5k short of filling the building. it would have been worse had jeff halpern have been the marquee figure to see that first year. that said, if the boudreau/rock the red teams had been a team without ovechkin, i am pretty sure they would still have been selling out.

i can guarantee you that a caps team finishing in the top 4 in league without ovechkin would outdraw a playoff missing caps team with ovechkin on it. its not about ov anymore. its about winning.
 

MoJoSauce

Registered User
Apr 3, 2011
602
29
NNK
yea, the inflated 13k number was 5k short of filling the building. it would have been worse had jeff halpern have been the marquee figure to see that first year. that said, if the boudreau/rock the red teams had been a team without ovechkin, i am pretty sure they would still have been selling out.

i can guarantee you that a caps team finishing in the top 4 in league without ovechkin would outdraw a playoff missing caps team with ovechkin on it. its not about ov anymore. its about winning.

I still think OV brought the excitement that got viewers that turned into fans. I think you are absolutely correct about DC wanting a team in the playoffs over OV, but without him I don't think caps tickets would cost what they cost now.
 

Capitlols

Historic Chokers
Feb 9, 2010
12,345
1
DC is far, far from a basketball town. Even in Gilbert's heyday they couldn't sellout. The Nats couldn't sellout having one of the best teams in the league and they struggled to sellout playoff games. In time I could see the Nats being the #2 team here, but it's still Skins>>>Caps>Nats>Wiz.
 

BrooklynCapsFan

No more choking!
Oct 23, 2002
17,872
60
Brooklyn, New York
I don't follow baseball like I used to, but is it fair to hold a baseball team to the standard of selling out every game?

The Nats were 14th in the league last season in average attendance with 30k fans/night. That's a lot of people.
 

BTCG

Registered User
Jun 16, 2006
2,313
1
Today is today, and yesterday is yesterday.

Who cares what the town used to be?
 

MoJoSauce

Registered User
Apr 3, 2011
602
29
NNK
I don't follow baseball like I used to, but is it fair to hold a baseball team to the standard of selling out every game?

The Nats were 14th in the league last season in average attendance with 30k fans/night. That's a lot of people.

Tickets on stubhub were also easily under $5. The sportsbog had a running bit posting tickets for the games, several times big games had dollar tickets. I think the nats are geting their, 2 years I bet their tickets will be a hard get. Right now is basically 06-07 for the nats in terms of recent caps history
 

Capitlols

Historic Chokers
Feb 9, 2010
12,345
1
I don't follow baseball like I used to, but is it fair to hold a baseball team to the standard of selling out every game?

The Nats were 14th in the league last season in average attendance with 30k fans/night. That's a lot of people.

That's not good for being one of the best teams all year and having the star power of guys like Harper and Strasburg. I expect it to steadily increase over the next few years though.
 

CapitalsCupReality

It’s Go Time!!
Feb 27, 2002
64,388
19,089
yea, the inflated 13k number was 5k short of filling the building. it would have been worse had jeff halpern have been the marquee figure to see that first year. that said, if the boudreau/rock the red teams had been a team without ovechkin, i am pretty sure they would still have been selling out.

i can guarantee you that a caps team finishing in the top 4 in league without ovechkin would outdraw a playoff missing caps team with ovechkin on it. its not about ov anymore. its about winning.

I think we already agreed on that. DC is a town that jumps on the winners bandwagon. Sadly, without him those years would have never happened.
 

atomic

Registered User
Jul 2, 2006
289
0
I don't think it has anything to do with Ovechkin. It wasn't until Bruce Bodreau got here that the team start drawing fans. The team had Ovechkin and the place was 2/3 rds empty most nights before bruce. Bruce brought exciting hockey plus winning. I am sure if Dale Hunter was the coach for another season the sell-outs would stop happening.

Hopefully Oates can get the team to be exciting while winning games. If the team is exciting and wins they will sell-out with or without ovechkin.
 

atomic

Registered User
Jul 2, 2006
289
0
Imagine those first 2 years WITHOUT Ovechkin. Instead of the official (albeit inflated) 13.9 k a game attendance, the Caps would have been much lower. They were just coming off the great selloff. Hell we might not have a team right now without him getting drafted.

i went to a game with a claimed attendance of over 10k and I doubt there were more than 3000 fans there. I don't know how much lower attendance could have been.
 

AlexBrovechkin8

At least there was 2018.
Sponsor
Feb 18, 2012
26,744
24,941
District of Champions
Imho:

Skins
Capitals
Nationals
Bullets

DC is far, far from a basketball town. Even in Gilbert's heyday they couldn't sellout. The Nats couldn't sellout having one of the best teams in the league and they struggled to sellout playoff games. In time I could see the Nats being the #2 team here, but it's still Skins>>>Caps>Nats>Wiz.

Peter Bondra? Olaf Kolzig? Adam Oates? Jaromir Jagr? Dale Hunter?

This, this, and this.
 

cjc5103

Registered User
Jan 21, 2013
586
0
Washington DC
it's really all about the product on the ice (wins/losses), and the overall presentation. what i mean is that the caps games are just incredibly more exciting than both wizards and nats.

if you've ever been to a wizards game, you know exactly what i mean. people barely fill up the upper bowl for wiz games compared to capacity at caps games. also, with rebranding the last few years from new uniforms, rock the red theme, and "unleash the fury", non-hockey fans are coming to games for the "experience".

however, just like any sports team, if the team starts losing, attendence will undoubtly drop. just look at tickets right now. the caps are the worst team in the NHL and tickets on stub hub are the lowest i've ever seen them.

we'll see how this shortened season pans out, but if they don't make the playoffs or there's a fire sale, i can see how some people will not renew their season tickets.
 

Bethesda

Registered User
Feb 1, 2013
21
0
DC is far, far from a basketball town. Even in Gilbert's heyday they couldn't sellout.

This city is most definitely a basketball town at heart...from the lowest level on up. We just haven't been given anything to root for in 30+ years at the professional level.

The fact that the Gilbert Arenas years were the peak years for the Bullets/Wizards over that span should say it all. Gar-bage.

Every other major city stumbles into a superstar franchise basketball player. it's asinine that DC hasn't yet.
 

Jacoby4HOF66

Pull my finger
Mar 13, 2009
30,522
7,726
To those saying DC isn't a basketball town, you are crazy. You can bring up ticket prices for the Wiz all you want, but having Georgetown and the Terps to fill the void left by the Wiz sucking easily explains attendence issues with the Wiz. Get an OV in his prime type talent on the Wiz and DC would go nuts. Dwarf anything OV ever was in DC in his prime. Have you all forgotten the love fest for the way past his prime MJ when he first got involved with the Wiz? And don't discount race when it comes to what sports are popular in DC. There is a reason the Caps never took the top spot from the Skins when OV and friends first started making playoff runs. And the Skins were nothing but the butt of NFL jokes until Shanahan came to town.

And although a very good NBA player during his brief run with the Wiz, Gilbert Arenas was never an OV level NBA talent. I'd put him more in the Sasha category. :laugh:
 
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