On April 29, 2002, something happened that I had been dreading: The Tribune offered another story relating to White Sox attendance.
On behalf of all White Sox fans like myself, I ask, plead and beg all sports editors, reporters and broadcasters to realize the horse known as White Sox attendance is dead.
For whatever reason–the 1994 strike, the Comiskey Park upper deck, Jerry Reinsdorf, the neighborhood–people are not going to turn out in large numbers for White Sox games. Would it be nice if the ballpark were filled every night? Of course. It would be just as nice if the Arizona Diamondbacks accepted a trade proposal of Dan Wright and Carlos Lee for Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. But neither is going to happen.
Even if the Cubs continue their slow start and the Sox remain in first place, the Cubs will have higher attendance at the end of the season. Fine. We don’t need to hear about it.
For the rest of the season I hope the media focuses on issues important to real Sox fans: the defense, starting pitching and other on-the-field matters. I want to know if Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez and Paul Konerko are going to hit balls into the stands, not how many people are sitting in them.
