Attendance problems in Orlando

Nick Friedell from Yahoo!Sports' Ball Don't Lie blog filed a great report on the state of attendance in the NBA.

With the economy as bad as it is and people not looking to spend money on luxuries -- like, say, sporting events -- NBA attendance is taking a little bit of a hit. Friedell cites one columnist who even believes some NBA teams might be thinking of suspending operations because of financial problems. I don't think this will be the case. It is November and the perception is the season does not really start until February.

But this has to be a concern for Magic fans.

With only six games so far at Amway Arena (No. 7 tonight against the Toronto Raptors might draw a few more people because of last year's playoff series), Orlando is the only team with a winning record ranked in the bottom third of the league (at No. 20).

The Magic have always had attendance problems. Ever since Shaquille O'Neal left and the sell-out streak of the mid-90s ended, it has been an up-and-down roller coaster of support in the city. Usually by playoff time, people care. But generally, they do not.

I know last spring in the playoffs, people were going nuts over a team that advanced out of the first round for the first time in 12 years. Attendance that season was not even that great.

It did not help that Orlando lost local draw Carlos Arroyo. Despite Arroyo's mediocre play, it can't be doubted he drew a significant amount of the Hispanic market of the city (that Orlando had been trying to tap in to for years) to the arena. After the team acquired him, the next three games sold out and Puerto Rican flags could be seen waving throughout the stadium. His loss hurt ticket sales this year.

Don't underestimate the passing of the Orlando Events Center legislation either in attendance. It was a controversial topic and now that it has passed, maybe fans are expecting a little more from the team and organization.

The economy is not getting better any time soon. So expect attendance numbers to drop throughout the league.

All the team can do is win and put a pleasing product on the court so when someone decides to shell out $50 for a basketball game, they will want to do it in Orlando.