Here in Wisconsin and Milwaukee specifically is the talk of whether you should or shouldn’t root for Chicago Cubs in the World Series. Another discussion is how new Cubs fans will come out of the woodwork given the Brewers lack of success and the sudden love for baseball. It’s annoying, but it’s part of sports especially when a team close in proximity gets good. But why are Cubs fans the only ones catching heat for jumping on the bandwagon?

Cleveland Indians fans were absolutely abysmal supporting the home team throughout the season. Cleveland averaged 19,000+ fans per game which finished 28th out of 30 in the league only beating Tampa Bay and Oakland. That’s a pathetic number for a team who won 94 games. Although this isn’t a new thing, Cleveland ranked in the bottom five for attendance for the last five years. The sudden support for Indians by the city is a weird thing because it wasn’t there during the season. If Indians go on and win this World Series, we can say ‘Not even their own fans believed they could win a World Series.’ Simply put, it’s jarring to see these kind of numbers from a city so supportive of their sports franchises.

The Jake as it used to be called was one of the premier destinations in sports. They filled it year after year with sellouts from 1995-2001 with one of the longest streaks in baseball. But things changed as the years went on, and the stadium became old very quickly. Not to mention, LeBron James came, left and returned to Cleveland’s professional basketball team. Even when James left, The Q, or Quicken Loans Arena, stayed full with fans. If a Cleveland fan has a choice between Cavs’ season tickets or Indians, he’s probably going with watching the best basketball player in the world. But still that doesn’t excuse the poor attendance numbers throughout the year.

Am I telling you this to rag on Indians fans? A little bit, but more so, it’s odd to see a team with so much success get so little support from their fan base in terms of ticket sales. What’s interesting is Indians had the fifth-best primetime ratings of MLB team so people are watching yet not supporting with their wallet.

What will be interesting to monitor is if Cleveland gets a boost in ticket sales next season with a World Series appearance. Everyone wants to cheer on a winner.

Charlie.