Why Was Attendance So Bad for Atlanta Hawks in 2017-18?
By Chris Guest
The Atlanta Hawks are one of the more storied franchises in NBA history. Sure, they only have one NBA title in their 69 years of existence, but titles don’t always necessitate relevance in the NBA.
Just look at the New York Knicks, whose last title came 45 years ago in 1973, yet the Knicks constantly have some of the highest attendance in the league due to having Madison Square Garden as their home floor, one of the most iconic arenas in U.S. sports history.
The Hawks do not boast such a boon, and even though Philips is undergoing the second-largest arena transformation in NBA history this offseason, it is still doubtful that fans will flock to the arena in droves to see Zac Brown’s Social Club or Killer Mike’s SWAG Shop (unless you’re Quavo and his Migos brethren — pictured above — who were frequently in attendance at Hawks home games).
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One possible reason for the dip in attendance for the Hawks this season could be traced back to the notoriously fickle nature of Atlanta Sports fans. Though all cities boast some degree of bandwagon fans, Atlanta’s sports fans are extremely liable to focus on the hot narrative and only pay attention to Atlanta teams that are extremely good.
Even still, when the Hawks were one of the best teams in the league in 2014-15 – winning 60 games and making it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in the team’s history – their attendance was only 17th in the league.
Last season, the team picked up one of the biggest free agent signings in its history in Dwight Howard. Though it didn’t really work out too well on the court, it should’ve at least put a few rumps in seats, but instead the team backtracked in attendance – finishing 26th in the league after having the 23rd-highest attendance in the 2015-16 season.
Season – Attendance Rank
2010-11 – 22nd
2011-12 – 23rd
2012-13 – 26th
2013-14 – 28th
2014-15 – 17th
2015-16 – 23rd
2016-17 – 26th
2017-18 – 30th
The past 10 years have been the most consistent in Hawks franchise history, even when the team had the greatest Hawk of all time in his prime, Dominique Wilkins, they were not quite as consistent in making playoffs as they had been for 10 years straight – before this season, of course.
It doesn’t help the Hawks’ case that the South is most definitely a football region through and through. In particular, it almost impossible to penetrate the college football bulwark in the South, where Georgia Bulldogs fans (and their giant “G” logo) are as manifold as cars on the 75/85 interchange.
Further still, the Atlanta Falcons are currently experiencing one of the most prolific periods in the franchise’s history – meaning that a rebuilding Hawks team rarely gets the bandwidth when compared to a juggernaut Falcons squad that is seemingly a contender every year (and were even favored vs. the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles).
Keys to Increasing Attendance
The key to turning around attendance at Philips Arena is twofold – and both of them are already underway. First off, Philips Arena is undergoing the “second-largest renovation in NBA history,” according to Hawks PR, which will update the arena, hopefully making it a destination spot for Atlanta natives and tourists alike.
As Philips is adjacent to the CNN Center, which is a quite enjoyable tourist trap in itself (even having its merits for locals), this combination of things to do should be terrific for attendance at Hawks games as well; people out and about enjoying a nice day at Centennial Olympic Park or the CNN Center now might opt to pop into a Hawks game because of the sweet redesign that has taken place in the arena over the offseason.
Another major reason that could lead to a turnaround in attendance is the eyes of the NBA world will be on Atlanta in the NBA draft, as they will have 4 picks in the top 33 slots of this year’s draft, and they might even win the lottery.
With young talent becoming more and more important in the NBA every day, the Hawks will be resplendent with it in the upcoming season, as John Collins, Tyler Dorsey, Taurean Prince, DeAndre’ Bembry and the 4 players that Atlanta selects in the draft will likely make up a young core that should continuously improve over the years.
If the team can manage to select a generational, franchise-altering talent in the draft – of which there appear to be 7-8 this year – the Hawks will become much more of a draw in terms of attendance going forward.
In terms of attendance, nabbing either the #1 or #2 overall picks would benefit the team the most. Much has been said about DeAndre Ayton and Luka Doncic (even on this very website), but if one of those players were to land in an Atlanta Hawks uniform, basketball pundits the world over would start to pay a lot more attention to the Hawks than they have in the past, which, in turn, would bring more fans through the turnstiles.
Next: 15 Non-Lottery Draft Options for the Hawks
The offseason is just beginning for the Hawks, but it’s never too early to start looking at possibilities, so let’s hope this scrappy team retains its edge and manages to upgrade its talent enough to start getting more bodies in seats in the upcoming 2018-19 season.