Address The Problem

Without doubt, the PWHL is making waves across North America as it sends its players to various neutral cities in an effort to bring the women's game to those communities. The success of its one-day-only games has been celebrated by the PWHL as they've announced that 81,441 fans have walked through the turnstiles in the five cities they've visited, and there are more of these one-off games to come. However, the PWHL seems to ignore the bigger problem with butts in seats in that there aren't many seats with butts in them in a number of the cities they call home.

There have been big crowds in four of six cities that the PWHL calls home where they've surpassed 8000 fans for a few games. Toronto and Montreal lead the way in terms of the average crowds they're seeing as both have topped 8000 fans per game this season. But when two-thirds of your league are playing below 80% capacity in the buildings they call home, there has to be some sort of realization that the PWHL isn't succeeding despite all their bluster and celebration about attendance figures. So let's dig into the numbers.

In the PWHL Weekly Notebook published today, the league announced that "[t]he first five games of the [PWHL Takeover Tour] have amassed a total attendance of 81,441 starting in Seattle (12,608), a sold-out crowd in Vancouver (19,038), a record-setting U.S. crowd in Denver (14,018), and sold-out crowds in Québec City (18,259) and Edmonton (17,518)". If we include the games played at the Canadian Tire Centre (11,065) and Scotiabank Place (19,102), the seven games have seen 110,708 fans watch PWHL hockey in those arenas and cities. Pretty good numbers, right?

The question needs to be asked what makes this PWHL Takeover Tour any different than what the PWHPA did with their Secret Dream Gap Tour. People flocked to rinks where there has been a clear lack of high-level women's hockey, paid whatever money it cost to watch the best women's players in the world play the game, and celebrate how good these women are at playing the game. The PWHPA knew these stops weren't permanent despite their efforts, and this realization has to happen for the PWHL because expansion at this point in the game is beyond irresponsible. In fact, it shouldn't even be mentioned.

The 110,708 fans who have flocked to watch the women of the PWHL in non-PWHL arenas account for 29.15% of the total attendance that the PWHL has attracted this season. They've had 269,115 people come to watch the women over 45 games in the six arenas they've identified as their home arenas, but the math says that 5980 fans per game isn't going to end up covering all the costs that the PWHL is incurring. The PWHL Takeover Tour is legitimately making up the difference for the PWHL because there are lots of empty seats.

Of the six franchises, the New York Sirens are the biggest problem for the league right now which seems illogical considering that they play in the largest market. However, the Sirens have had more than 4000 fans at a game just once this season, and they've played in less than 1800 fans three times this season. They play to just 16.76% capcity of the Purdential Center on any given night with just 2768 fans coming to watch them. Even if we close the upper deck and just use the lower bowl, the Sirens still only play to 40.45% capacity.

How is it that a team in its second year of existence has already moved arenas and states, and they still can't sell half the seats in the arena in which they play? How is it that they can play to crowds of 3200 three times, but also play to crowds of less than 1800 three times while being in the largest metropolitan center on the continent? Why is it that the PWHL is making the same mistakes as the PHF in terms of having a team fail in the New York-New Jersey region? I thought this was supposed to be different!

That's not the only place where the PWHL should be concerned. We're told that Minnesota is the "State of Hockey", yet their team plays in a cavernous arena where they fill just 33.03% of seats when the upper deck is open and 66.30 when the upper deck is closed. Minnesota hasn't played to a crowd larger than 8726 this season, has exceeded 8000 fans just twice, and has played to less than 5000 fans four times. They average 5967 fans per game - fourth-best in the league. Are they the State of Hockey? It seems more like the State of Apathy.

Again, the PWHL seems to be completely ignorant of the problems they have in the buildings and cities they call home, and they're covering those mistakes with this PWHL Takeover Tour. Boston plays to 68.11% capacity in the Tsongas Center, Minnesota plays to 66.30 capacity in the lower bowl of the Xcel Energy Center, and New York plays to 40.45% capacity in the lower bowl of the Prudential Center. Two of the three franchises - Boston and New York - average less than 4500 fans per night. That's simply not good enough.

And if you think this is just focusing on the US, we need to turn our attention to Ottawa because they're playing in front of 6551 fans on average per night. That's 66.43% of capacity at TD Place, and only their January 11 game has exceeded 6600 fans. Twice in five home games they've played to less than 6000 fans. In an arena with 9000 seats, one-third of them sit unoccupied in a city that proclaims it loves the women's game. If that's the case, prove it.

When nearly one-third of the league's total attendance come from non-PWHL arena crowds, and 48.74% of the remaining two-thirds of the total attendance are found in Toronto and Montreal, the PWHL has an attendance problem. Four cities have played host to 29 PWHL games that have seen 137,939 people attend those games.

Or, if you want to put it another way, it took four teams to 29 games to push 20,468 more people through the turnstiles than the PWHL saw in seven non-PWHL arenas in seven games. Still don't think there's an attendance problem outside of Toronto and Montreal?

For the record since people will want the receipts, Toronto averages 8141 fans per game and plays to 100% capacity based on the capacity for the Coca-Cola Coliseum. Montreal averages 8257 fans per game and plays to 82.06% capacity at the Place Bell. Montreal has had crowds larger than 10,000 fans four times this season while Toronto's smallest crowd was 7584 this season. In short, Toronto and Montreal are carrying this league when it comes to ticket sales.

I want the PWHL to succeed for the players, not for the people in the league office or the Walters who are funding the league. The players deserve to have a strong league that has solid financial standing where they can continue to grow salaries and get better benefits. That doesn't happen without better fan support, though, and it's pretty clear that having four franchises playing in front crowds occupying just two-thirds of their arenas or less isn't going to create nor sustain that solid financial standing.

Using the PWHL Takeover Tour to evaluate new cities for expansion is highly irresponsible when the two biggest markets in the PWHL - New York and Boston - can't even break 5000 fans per game and two of the "hockey-mad" cities - Ottawa and Minnesota - are playing in front of large swaths of empty seats. Publishing a sentence like "PWHL attendance through 51 games of the league's 90-game schedule is 374,027 – an average of 7,334 per game" might look appealing to sponsors, but the actual numbers are distorted completely by the PWHL Takeover Tour's numbers. That's a fact.

Like most of what happens with the PWHL, there are often a lot of half-truths and spin being mixed into stories. The attendance figures look good when you just see the numbers, but those numbers hide the fact that New York, Boston, Minnesota, and Ottawa have lots of empty seats on a nightly basis. Until that problem can be solved, the PWHL should ban all chatter about expansion because adding another team to the mix could only make this attendance problem worse.

The first step in solving a problem is realizing there is a problem. It seems the PWHL isn't willing to take that step, this stubborn pride may ultimately cost this league in the long run.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!