Fans Aren’t Ready to Strike Back Yet

A nation of angry baseball fans has made its voice heard.

With the threat of an imminent work stoppage, the sporting public has lashed out on radio talk shows and the Internet, in letters to the editor and signs draped over ballpark railings. Critics have proposed everything from a silent protest in the stands to an immediate and outright boycott.

But in the language that speaks loudest to owners and players--the language of attendance and television ratings--all this talk has so far amounted to hot air.

Last weekend, in the 48 hours after the players’ union set a strike date of Aug. 30, major league games attracted a healthy average of 31,540 fans, and at least two teams drew unusually large crowds, apparently overcoming moral indignation with the offer of free bobblehead dolls.

Ratings for the Fox network’s game of the week were similarly up 4%.

“It disappoints me quite a bit,” said Greg Caldwell, a Houston public relations manager who recently formed the Baseball Fan Union, one of numerous organizations and Web sites that have sprung up with the aim of mounting a grass-roots revolt.

“How many times do the fans have to see this take place?” Caldwell asked. “The owners and players don’t care about them, yet they continue to support baseball. The owners know that and the players know that, and that’s why they didn’t hesitate to set a strike date.”

Negotiators met again Monday, their second set of talks since the strike date was announced. Representatives from the two sides said they did not address the difficult issues of a luxury tax and revenue sharing, focusing instead on “legal, drafting-type issues.”

In the absence of any encouraging news, Caldwell had figured the fan movement was gaining momentum as his Web site received more than 45,000 hits in recent weeks. He was similarly heartened by the words of President Bush last week. If play is halted, Bush said, “a lot of fans are going to be furious, and I’m one of them.”

But a far different sentiment was expressed by San Francisco Giant outfielder Barry Bonds, who seemed confident the game could survive what would be its ninth work stoppage since 1972.

“It will come back,” he told the Washington Post. “A lot of companies go on strike, not just baseball. And people still ride the bus.”

Though attendance at baseball games is down 5.3% this season, the numbers from last Saturday and Sunday appear to support his contention.

The Philadelphia Phillies attracted a season-high crowd of 58,493 for a home game against the St. Louis Cardinals at which fans received a dual bobblehead doll of Hall of Fame announcer Harry Kalas and Hall of Fame player Richie Ashburn. The Montreal Expos, among the worst-drawing teams in the league, had a respectable 24,872 attendance for a game against the San Diego Padres that featured Vladimir Guerrero dolls.

Leaguewide, the two-day average of 31,540 was significantly better than the 30,555 that baseball drew the weekend of Aug. 3 and 4. It fell short of the 35,937 mark set Aug. 10-11, but that weekend featured Bonds as a new member of the 600 home run club, Chicago Cub outfielder Sammy Sosa playing two highlight-reel games in Denver and the New York Yankees drawing 54,000-plus fans to each of two home games against the Oakland Athletics. Attendance the weekend of July 27-28, when many of the teams that were home Aug. 10-11 also hosted games, was a nearly identical 35,939.

Furthermore, last weekend’s numbers remained strong even though the Yankees were on the road and the Giants, leading the National League in attendance, played against the Florida Marlins in moribund Pro Player Stadium.

“The fans talk a big game, but for 30 years they’ve never really backed it up,” said David Carter of the Sports Business Group, a Los Angeles-based consulting firm. “They’ve had a chance to be part of the solution, but they’ve been part of the problem because they haven’t put their money where their mouth is.”

Locally, the Angels averaged 40,760 for a three-game series against the Cleveland Indians, including 6,080 walk-up fans Saturday.

Meanwhile, a new Web site called MLBfanstrike.com was pushing for an immediate boycott and urging season-ticket holders to demand a refund.

Despite the strong attendance numbers, Caldwell hopes that such efforts will catch the attention of owners and players.

“My e-mail box is inundated with people telling me that if the players do strike, they’re done with baseball,” he said. “They’re not coming back. People are really fed up. That’s what I’m hearing.”