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Emptiest stadiums?


Phils Phan

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Champions League and Europa League matches are played with only media in the stadium for years.

Bayern played at CSKA Moscow in Group play with no fans just two weeks ago.

CSKA were forced by UEFA to play the match in an empty stadium as punishment for their fans behaviour in Roma a few weeks before. This behaviour included racist chanting, crowd disturbance and setting off flares/fireworks.

This is not common practice for the Champions League but is seen a fair bit in European competition, particularly with the Eastern European teams. Partizan Belgrade will have part of their stadium closed for their next home Europa League match after displaying an anti-semitic banner against Tottenham, who are known for having a large jewish following past and present.

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In the mid 90s, when Hertha BSC played in the 2. Bundesliga, they played regularly in front of just a few thousand people (2.000 - 7.000). The Berlin Olympic Stadium had a capacity of over 80.000 that time.

This is the best pic I've found:

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There's a difference between playing in a closed stadium as a punishment and playing before a few hundred fans in a huge stadium.

The Florida Marlins had some laughably small crowd when they played at Dolphins Stadium:

empty-stadium.jpg

To be fair, has anything really changed?

Phillies, Bears, and new NYFC fan.

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There's a difference between playing in a closed stadium as a punishment and playing before a few hundred fans in a huge stadium.

The Florida Marlins had some laughably small crowd when they played at Dolphins Stadium:

empty-stadium.jpg

Ive always found it funny to see images like this. Why wouldn't most fans move down to the closest point without getting hounded by security? Especially with the Panthers images floating around, it makes it look even worse when everyone is so scattered. I understand the team obligation, but its just funny to see.

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I can't find a wide shot, but the Hamilton Bulldogs played the St. John's IceCaps in the middle of a raging snowstorm. The only reason the game wasn't cancelled was because the IceCaps were already in town and didn't have to travel. Announced crowd was 3,000, but there couldn't have been more than 900 people there (lower bowl seats 10,000)

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On September 20, 2012 at 0:50 AM, 'CS85 said:

It's like watching the hellish undead creakily shuffling their way out of the flames of a liposuction clinic dumpster fire.

On February 19, 2012 at 9:30 AM, 'pianoknight said:

Story B: Red Wings go undefeated and score 100 goals in every game. They also beat a team comprised of Godzilla, the ghost of Abraham Lincoln, 2 Power Rangers and Betty White. Oh, and they played in the middle of Iraq on a military base. In the sand. With no ice. Santa gave them special sand-skates that allowed them to play in shorts and t-shirts in 115 degree weather. Jesus, Zeus and Buddha watched from the sidelines and ate cotton candy.

POTD 5/24/12, POTD 2/26/17

 

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There's a difference between playing in a closed stadium as a punishment and playing before a few hundred fans in a huge stadium.

The Florida Marlins had some laughably small crowd when they played at Dolphins Stadium:

empty-stadium.jpg

Ive always found it funny to see images like this. Why wouldn't most fans move down to the closest point without getting hounded by security? Especially with the Panthers images floating around, it makes it look even worse when everyone is so scattered. I understand the team obligation, but its just funny to see.

I'd guess because they're far more likely to snag foul balls if they're sitting in a section by themselves.

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The Jets played at Arrowhead on January 2, 1983 - the last regular season game of the strike season. Chiefs were 2-6 going in and it was cold and snowy with wind chills in the teens. Official attendance was 11,902, but as I recall that was being generous. It was after that game that they started to revisit the notion of roofing the stadium, this time with a ridged saddleback design that looked like the Saddledome mated with a giant Ruffles potato chip. Sorry I can't find any pictures.

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A couple years ago, the Pistons played in a nasty, nasty winter storm. Coupled with the fact that they were already only filling half the place due to a terrible product. Not sure the exact figure.

Wasn't there something similar with the Cleveland Cavaliers, maybe a year or two after LeBron left for Miami?

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There's a difference between playing in a closed stadium as a punishment and playing before a few hundred fans in a huge stadium.

The Florida Marlins had some laughably small crowd when they played at Dolphins Stadium:

empty-stadium.jpg

Ive always found it funny to see images like this. Why wouldn't most fans move down to the closest point without getting hounded by security? Especially with the Panthers images floating around, it makes it look even worse when everyone is so scattered. I understand the team obligation, but its just funny to see.

I'd guess because they're far more likely to snag foul balls if they're sitting in a section by themselves.

Indeed. Or they want to stay in the shade in South Florida. Plenty of reasons to not move down. I remember going to the Oakland Coliseum during the dark days for the late 90's for the A's and I'd be one of maybe 2000 actual people in the crowd on a weeknight. I always moved farther from the field to find my on section. Why have your own seat or row when you can have an entire section all to yourself to stretch out in. Those are some of my favorite games when I get big chunks of a stadium to myself.

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Man, I was gonna say "the ones in Italy where the league bans spectators for making monkey noises at black guys" but damn, you snooze, you lose

♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

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In 1987, the Devils played the Flames in front of 334 fans (not surprisingly, the game was played in a massive snowstorm). Can't find any shots of the whole arena but did find this video.

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=194856

If I recall right, there were some special certifications or awards given to the 334 folks that did appear at the Flames-Devils game that year some years later, i think earlier this year?? that was something but wow...

So how long before we call the Panthers "Les Nordiques de Quebec"?

That would be interesting but time will tell if it is the right one to make.. just wish the NHL would wake up and get some good markets in like Quebec City (new arena almost ready!?? so give the Panthers to QC, damn it!!) Seattle (want to do it, perfect rivalry with Vancouver all set) and Portland (might be ideal somehow)...

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