Can you believe this?

[Mets82]

Here's a link to an article about how the Nationals draw literally nobody to the tv sets.


FOX Sports on MSN - MLB - Nationals strike out vs. Redskins on TV

 

[SabresRule]

Maybe it's because the team STINKS!

 

[cjwct]

Stinks or not, you cannot do that towards the end of a miserable season. If you remember, the Mets opened in Washington, Bush threw out the first pitch and that series was sold out . . . slowly the fans dwindled as the team began to nose dive . . . be interesting to see the numbers when the Mets play them next week with them being able to play potential spoiler

 

[anders5189]

I'm surprised this sort of thing doesn't happen more often. Who watches baseball teams that are in last place at the end of the season anyway?

 

[KCK_Halo]

I'm surprised this sort of thing doesn't happen more often. Who watches baseball teams that are in last place at the end of the season anyway?

Crazy fools like me who would rather watch an MLB game than a football game anyday.

 

[Hart5150]

Should of just stayed in Montreal, the only thing moving to Washington has done is ruin their once mighty farm system.

Best team in baseball in 1994, probably would of won the world series if not for the MLBPA strike. And continue to be in Montreal. F'n Don Fehr

 

[mccoyrj]

I'd be interested to see those numbers for teams like the Pirates and the Reds? I would bet they're pretty similar, especially after the team unloads their better players - the ones that kept you interested in the first place - like the frickin' Pirates do every year.

 

[cjwct]

Hey Hart, I am a Mets fan and do not want to see another competitor in the NL East; however, they have as great a young team as the Marlins when they won their World Series. Unfortunately for them , injuries have decimated that team all year and even though things look bleak, everyone knows that the team has a future with Acta!

 

[SamCdbs]

IMHO:

- The Nats have gone out of their way to be "DC's team". With the Orioles having a 30 year head start, they seem to be uninterested in marketing to people even in the inner suburbs. Just inside the city limits. If you look at the dynamic of DC, the middle class and upper middle class live in the suburbs, the ultra rich and the poor live in DC. Rich people go to the opera, poor people don't have MASN, and aren't what advertizers want anyway. People in suburban Maryland, and even suburban Virginia (the place the stadium should have been built) are made to feel unwelcome.

- Further, they have done nothing to claim the regional market, such as the rest of Virginia, eastern North Carolina and the Potomac highlands of West Virginia.

- DC is made up of a very high %age of people from elsewhere. Many from the northeast, with loyalties to "their" teams.

- There are "baseball towns" (Cincy, St. Louis, Kansas City, etc) and "football towns" (Pittsburgh, Cleveland, etc). Washington is a football town.

- The team stinks.

 

[HD MM]

Should of just stayed in Montreal, the only thing moving to Washington has done is ruin their once mighty farm system.

Best team in baseball in 1994, probably would of won the world series if not for the MLBPA strike. And continue to be in Montreal. F'n Don Fehr

I'd have to disagree with you on that one. The Indians were mighty powerful in the mid 90's. All of Cleveland thought '94 was our year.

 

[BillD1984]

I'd have to disagree with you on that one. The Indians were mighty powerful in the mid 90's. All of Cleveland thought '94 was our year.

While there is no doubt the Indians could have won the World Series in 1994 (with about four or five other teams), the Expos were clearly the best team in baseball when the strike came.

 

[brainiac]

Stinks or not, you cannot do that towards the end of a miserable season. If you remember, the Mets opened in Washington, Bush threw out the first pitch and that series was sold out . . . slowly the fans dwindled as the team began to nose dive . . . be interesting to see the numbers when the Mets play them next week with them being able to play potential spoiler

The novelty of a new stadium. As it became more evident that the team would suck yet again, even a new stadium couldn't draw the fans.

 

[SabresRule]

The novelty of a new stadium. As it became more evident that the team would suck yet again, even a new stadium couldn't draw the fans.

So, I guess it depends on whether the team opening the new stadium is good, as we saw with the 1994 Indians?

 

[brainiac]

So, I guess it depends on whether the team opening the new stadium is good, as we saw with the 1994 Indians?

Yep, if the Nats were any good, I'm sure they would have drawn at least a million more fans, especially with the new ballpark. When they were halfway decent in 2005, they actually drew pretty well in RFK. Having baseball back in DC had something to do with it also. DC is a Redskins town, though, so you'd better be fairly decent if you expect to draw well.

 

[Ramy]

The Redskins have been there for many, many, many years and that is why they have more viewers than the Nationals, plus they such. I think they have the worst record in baseball.