An Audience of NONE to ONE
May 7, 2015
“Attention media: For record keeping purposes, today’s official paid attendance is zero.” So recorded the announcer to the press room on April 29, 2015 when the Baltimore Orioles took on the Chicago White Sox in an empty ballpark. Due to the dangerous riots in Baltimore over the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody, it was deemed unsafe to allow fans into the Camden Yards stadium. Supposedly playing in a “fan-free stadium” is not uncommon in soccer, but it is entirely unprecedented in the history of America’s favorite…