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In what is considered nationwide “basketball country”, the fan base of the Indiana Pacers aren’t showing much support.? But then again, the attendance at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis could be indicative of the lack of success on the court and the off-field issues by some members of the team off the court.? Where you could count on strong attendance – especially during the early years at Conseco Fieldhouse – to most Pacers games, the team is lucky to count 12,000 any more.

The team’s average attendance of 12,183 is dead last in the NBA and represents their woprst attendance marks since the 1990-91 season, when they called Market Square Arena their home.? Keep in mind those numbers include unused tickets, so in reality, the numbers are probably lower; actual attendance is more along the lines of between 8,000 to 10,000.? As a big Pacers fan myself, I can tell you that the Pacers’ fanbase is usually patient in good times and bad.? But a streak of bad teams as of late, not to mention the off-court issues has really tested the fans’ patience – and it shows in the recent attendance numbers.

And Pacers owner Herb Simon is taking it personally; he calls the numbers a “shock” and is vowing to win back fans.? What works in the team’s favor is the fact that the average price for a Pacers ticket is below the league norm ($42.39 vs. the NBA average of $48.83).? But at the same time, you multiply the 3,000 empty seats over a 41-game schedule and there is a loss of about $5.2 million in revenue.? Also factor in the loss of revenue in parking, concessions and souvenir sales and the number is actually larger.

Typically – and that goes for most NBA teams with very few exceptions – attendance rides with the fortunes of the team on the court; in other words, the win-loss record of the team dictates what attendance may be on a game-to-game basis.? The Pacers’ record has steadily declinedsince they won a franchise-record 61 games in 2003-04 and could do so again if they don’t at least match last year’s 35-win total.? And again, the off-court issues, including the brawl at the Detroit game in November of 2004 has only alienated the fanbase.

Simon and the team are taking steps to try to win back the fans; they have stepped up game promotions, met with more groups in the community, they even have offered season ticketholders the chance to meet with team president Larry Bird at his summer home in Brown County (an hour south of Indianapolis); they also have invited season ticketholders to watch games with team president Donnie Walsh in his suite.? Walsh, to his credit, has stated that he has made it a point to answer every email from Pacers fans.?

So it comes to this – it is admittedly true that the Pacers are in rebuilding mode, as I expect Jermaine O’Neal and Jamaal Tinsley to be shown the door after this season, and the de facto franchise player is forward Danny Granger.? But with some smart drafting and fewer – preferably no off-the-court – incidents, the Indiana Pacers should be able to become one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, perhaps as soon as the 2009-2010 season.? The fan base deserve nothing less from the Pacers’ braintrust.