ESPN blasts empty stands at Tampa Bay Rays playoff games

The team, which plans to build a $1.3 billion stadium in St. Petersburg, drew fewer than 21,000 fans for each of its two playoff games, setting a more-than 100-year low.

  • By Louis Llovio
  • | 10:00 a.m. October 4, 2023
  • | Updated 6:20 p.m. October 4, 2023
Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg and St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch announce the deal for a new $1.3 billion ballpark in the city at Tropicana Field.
Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg and St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch announce the deal for a new $1.3 billion ballpark in the city at Tropicana Field.
Photo by Mark Wemple
  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
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Just 14 days after the Tampa Bay Rays announced the team would invest more than $700 million on a new stadium in St. Petersburg, fewer than 20,000 people showed up Tuesday to watch the first game of its run to the World Series.

 

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