Review-Journal readers eager to attend sporting events again

It’s been a long time since anyone has been able to buy peanuts or Cracker Jack.

Or root, root, root for the home team, for that matter. Or wave a foam finger. Or shout a few choice words at their favorite official. Or start yelling about that coaching decision they never would have made if they were in charge.

So, with that in mind, the Review-Journal wanted to see how much fans missed all those wonderful experiences at sporting events. And how eager they will be to taste them again when the coronavirus pandemic subsides.

For six organizations — the Raiders, Golden Knights, Aviators, Lights, Aces and UNLV — fans were asked the question: “How soon after the coronavirus pandemic would you attend a (insert team name) game?” on reviewjournal.com.

The options were “Right away! I missed sports;” “Fewer than six months;” “Between six and 12 months;” and “More than a year.” Here are three takeaways from the (very unscientific) results:

1. People want their sports

The majority of respondents said they’re ready for the return of sports.

The answer “Right away! I missed sports” took first in four of the six polls and accounted for 53.66 percent of the total vote (1,563 of 2,913).

It’s been awhile since local sports junkies got their fix. The Knights’ last home game was March 3. UNLV men’s and women’s basketball played their last games that same week. Big League Weekend wrapped up March 8.

That’s two-plus months without a local sporting event. That’s way too long for most people, it appears.

2. A good amount are willing to wait

The second-most popular answer? “More than a year.”

It accounted for 23.93 percent of the responses (697 votes). Plenty of people seem unwilling to take the risk of getting infected until more is known about COVID-19.

That could pose problems for local teams that already are facing significant revenue shortages. How does one go about filling an arena or stadium again if a decent portion of the fan base isn’t willing to show up?

3. Responses vary by team

It’s noteworthy that the Raiders and Knights got the most encouraging results.

They had the highest percentages of fans ready to come back immediately and the lowest percentage willing to wait a year-plus. Those teams probably will have fewer challenges when they start selling tickets again. The Raiders might not even face hurdles at all if Allegiant Stadium can open its doors.

But the Lights and Aces had more fans willing to wait a year than return as soon as they could. They could have more difficulties drawing crowds through no fault of their own.

The Lights have excelled at marketing their club and providing a fun game-day atmosphere. The Aces have put together an entertaining on-court product with exciting players such as A’ja Wilson, Liz Cambage, Kayla McBride and Kelsey Plum (Oh, and Dearica Hamby, who might have made the shot of the 2019 WNBA season).

Whether that matters remains to be seen.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.