With the season set to begin Friday, you can almost feel it in the air. Florida baseball is just about here, and this year, the team has everything a fan could ask for.
The top-ranked Gators return every member of the weekend rotation, seven positional starters, four seniors and the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year. They’re loaded at the top, and it’s not much different at the proverbial bottom, as another heralded crop of freshmen enter the fray ready to contribute.
But what is the only thing missing from this national championship equation? You.
Last season, Florida set records for attendance, bringing in an average of 3,753 fans every home game for a season total of 153,904. The team also set a single-game record with 5,930 fans in attendance for an extra-inning victory against Florida State on March 15.
But those numbers don’t tell the whole story.
McKethan Stadium has a capacity of approximately 5,500, and not counting the record-setting performance against the Seminoles, the Gators drew more than 5,000 fans only twice all of last year. Their season average of 3,753 equates to 68 percent of the stadium’s capacity.
Comparing that number to the rest of the Southeastern Conference, it’s clear that Florida fans are falling well short of supporting their team.
Of the 12 conference schools, only Tennessee (38 percent; final record of 25-29), Kentucky (55 percent; 25-30) and Alabama (59 percent; 35-28) were worse at filling the seats. LSU averaged 104 percent of capacity, bringing in an average of 10,556 per game. Even Ole Miss, which finished 30-25 and last in the SEC West, filled its stadium to 79-percent capacity on average. Auburn, which closed the regular season 29-27, averaged 72-percent capacity.
None of those teams were ranked No. 1 at any point last season — not even close. None of those teams had the eye-popping power Florida did. None of those teams even sniffed the College World Series.
But the Gators played both the NCAA Regional and Super Regional at home, and put on a show while advancing to a second straight CWS for the first time in school history. However, fan support was severely lacking, as UF averaged 3,493 fans and 63-percent capacity during the Super Regional — worse than all Super Regional teams except Cal, which faced Dallas Baptist and drew 57-percent capacity.
And, please, save the it’s-hot-in-Gainesville excuse. Think it wasn’t scalding in Austin in June? Nashville? Tallahassee? The Longhorns drew more than 7,000 fans in 100-degree heat. It was only 91 in Gainesville.
But when it comes to Florida sports, this isn’t a new story by any means.
UF fans are historically of the fair-weather variety. When the team is winning, then you see full houses. Even the football team struggled to fill the seats last season, but at least those Gators had an excuse: The team stunk.
Florida’s baseball team is the antithesis of what Will Muschamp put on the field, and it merits a lot better. Roughly 2,000 South Carolina fans showed up last month to watch a preseason scrimmage, and the Gamecocks have sold out all of their season tickets. But here in Gainesville, there were more scouts on hand at a recent scrimmage than fans, and that should tell you plenty about the quality of this team.
The fans should be recognized for showing up last season and setting new records, but when that showing doesn’t stack up to the competition, is it really good enough?
Doesn’t a team that is chasing its first national title, that is returning seven Preseason All-Americans, that is arguably the best team on campus, deserve more?
Contact Matt Watts at mwatts@alligator.org.
