“Turns out last year was a bit of a fluke. The Islanders’ first 100-point season since 1983 and their final year at Nassau Coliseum brought in a bunch of new eyeballs that didn’t stick around to this season. Last year, the team averaged an 0.6 rating, which was a 70 percent improvement over 2013-14, in which their disastrous season managed a paltry 0.36 rating. That sad number was preceded by a .49 rating in 2013, which included a run to the playoffs.
In other words, the percentage of area television sets pointed at the Islanders on gamedays is usually pretty low, except when the team is super duper good. Kinda like attendance at both Nassau Coliseum and now at Barclays Center. Big shock, I know.”
I was saying this earlier this season about attendance at Barclay’s. So many people pointed to the early attendance numbers as “proof” that moving was a bad idea without really looking at the history. Last year was absolutely a fluke. Not only were the Islanders good, like really good, for the first time in a long time, but it was also the last season in Nassau, so you had a bunch of interest being driven by nostalgia as well.
Attendance and TV ratings took a dive this season because the nostalgia went away and the team is good, but not as good as last season. It’s not like the Islanders had a nice 10 year run of high attendance and TV ratings. Things really just went back to normal.
Islander fans are great, they are die-hard, loyal, and a billion other things that make me proud to be among them. But we are not legion. We weren’t in Nassau, and we aren’t in Brooklyn.
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