With 2 months to go, Aviators smash Las Vegas attendance mark

A record that stood for almost 30 years came crashing down at the Las Vegas Ballpark this past weekend as the Aviators broke the franchise’s single-season home attendance record.

The previous record stood at 387,815 in 72 dates in 1992. This year’s team shattered the mark in 42 home games (398,771 entering Monday’s game) with 27 games left on the schedule.

Compared with the rest of minor league baseball, the Aviators rank at the top of both total attendance and average attendance (9,495 per game) despite having the seventh smallest park in the Pacific Coast League.

“There’s a honeymoon period going on right now with the new ballpark,” Aviators president Don Logan said. “I think it’s downtown Summerlin, in proximity to the freeway, not charging for parking was huge.”

One running stat this season is the Aviators’ average attendance in comparison with the majors’ Miami Marlins. The Marlins have a 9,348 average to the Aviators’ 9,495 — and the Marlins have played two more home games.

In comparison, the franchise’s previous average high was 5,441 in 1993. Plus, this year’s team has played 16 games in front announced crowds of more than 10,000.

Also, the Aviators have seen 31 sellouts, yet the largest crowd visited on May 14 for the team’s Smokers Strike Out 16th annual School Day Game, which brought in more than 12,000 kids.

Even with the early success in the new ballpark, Logan wants to improve the fan experience.

“We’re still sitting here ironing out some kinks right now,” he said. “We’ve got things we’ve got to do better and things we’ve got to address and improve upon.”

“I learned this as a kid playing high school football. You have to be hostile, agile and mobile. I don’t know about the hostile part, but you have to be agile and mobile. You have to be willing to sit back and self-assess and make some decisions.”

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Terrel Emerson covers the Aviators for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at temerson@reviewjournal.com.