CINCINNATI, OH – In what is being heralded as the start of a great season, a record 1.8% of fans in attendance at Reds opening day actually watched the game. This is the highest percentage of opening day game watchers since 1977, when back to back World Series titles raised the number to 2.7%.
Though a record 1.8% of people watched the game, there was still be plenty of the non-baseball related activity that Cincinnati fans have come to expect on opening day. Despite hearing that so many others plan on paying attention to baseball, Mark Koenig of Western Hills still kept his game watching to a minimum. “Sure, I looked toward the field a few times,” Mark explained. “But mostly just when those crazy fun kids are launching those t-shirts into the crowd. I’m gonna get me one of those some day! Probably not on opening day though, since it’s doubtful I’ll be sober enough to stand much less catch a t-shirt.”
Others agree that watching the Reds play violates the longstanding Cincinnati tradition of the season opener. “I’ve been coming to opening day since my old man would take me when I was a little kid,” said Mark Stuerr of Bridgetown. “And if drinking, socializing, and picking up girls during the game was good enough for my Dad, it’s good enough for me. It’s definitely a great place to meet girls. Especially the ones who are skipping school and looking for someone to buy them beer.”
By the second game of the season, the Reds expect fans to return to their usual level of game attentiveness, which runs in the 40-50 percent range. The numbers tend to dip in the summer, however, when fans from West Virginia travel to the stadium, mostly for the purpose of taking their first escalator rides.