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Pirates Feeling Attendance Woes As Fans Grow Frustrated With Losing Streak

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Pirates fans say they are tired of all the losing, especially after the team clinched back-to-back seasons below 500.

It was a perfect late summer evening Monday in the waning days of the baseball season. A couple of years ago, PNC Park would be hopping. These days, there's plenty of elbow room.

"I still love the club," Roosevelt Russel, Jr., of Stanton Heights, said. "A little disappointed in the way they are finishing up this season."

The season's woes started before Game One, with the loss of Jung Ho Kang for the season and Starling Marte for 80 games.

"As soon as something doesn't go right, it's easy to point fingers all over the place," fan Jim Kapusnik said.

There's been a lot of that. With the Pirates really out of contention for a few weeks, the old refrain has returned.

"Management, definitely," Jennifer Connelly, of Churchill, said. "I think the Nicasio thing is what really upset people. Like, they could have probably won a game that weekend if he had been available."

Connelly has a weekend season ticket plan and didn't even bother last home stand.

"[I'm] that disheartened," she said. "I have another friend who is canceling her season tickets. It's sad. We had a couple of hopeful years."

The impact in the stands has been obvious. The team averaged almost 31,000 tickets sold per game in 2015. That's now down to the 24,000 range.

It's important to point out those are the number of tickets sold, not the number of fans actually coming to a game.

While some fans pointed out that the environment at PNC Park makes it worth attending, PNC Park can't hit or pitch, and it can only draw so many fans.

Some fans still say, however, that they're keeping some hope alive for next year.

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