Such a shame, if only we had like two or three decades of persistent public experience that could have warned the Indians against this:
As a result of years of pressure from activist groups, several years ago, the Cleveland baseball franchise announced they would soon be changing the team's name. ...
Well, if the numbers are to be believed, it's possible that fans might not have taken kindly to the rebranding efforts.
Local TV ratings for the newly christened Guardians have dropped dramatically, with one report placing the number at -30%.
That's the third biggest decline of any team in the league, with only the moribund Oakland Athletics and rapidly fading San Francisco Giants reporting worse numbers.
You can just picture Guardians owner Larry Dolan taking out his frustration every time those brutal TV numbers come back:
But it's not just remote viewership that's declining:
In 2019, the last fully pre-pandemic season, the team averaged 21,465 fans per game.
This year, so far, average attendance has fallen to 15,025. ...
In 2019, non-Indians attendance averaged 28,436. This year, that number is 26,582, meaning the league overall is down 6.5% in ticket sales.
Meanwhile attendance for the Cleveland franchise has plummeted 30% from 2019.
Give it enough time and the Guardians will have to start renting their empty stadium out to joggers in order to make a buck.
It's not too late to change your name back, guys!
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