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| Photo Credit: @TubbyEmu |
The above is a picture of a TNA Basebrawl event held at Cal Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, MD over the weekend. The event didn't draw well, as the picture illustrates. This picture is not the first of its type to emanate from various TNA live events across the country. Sparse attendance has plagued the promotion, and these pictures don't do anything to lessen the embarrassment. However, much in the way that I feel too much commentary is levied on crowd chants and whether or not fans in attendance are "behaving," ragging on TNA for poor attendance seems to be piling on at this point. I'm not sure what the bad crowds tell me about the quality of the promotion's output, especially when I don't know how much TNA actually advertises for its local appearances. I've heard rumblings that the campaign blitz to get people aware that a show was actually taking place was pretty sparse in the Baltimore and DC areas. I don't care how good or bad a product is; advertising is the key factor, not quality of the show.
But of course, that fact isn't going to stop anyone from ragging on the company. I don't watch it anymore, so I can't really say what TNA is doing right or wrong. But I do feel like posting pictures and pointing and laughing is pretty much passe at this point. That statement isn't so much a defense of the company. But laughing at awful attendance seems to be distracting from the real issues. For example, do the wrestlers still get paid sub-sweatshop wages? Are the stories and wrestling on point? Worthwhile discussions need to be had about the company, and none of them center around how many or few people are going to house shows. That number seems like an effect rather than a cause, and the latter doesn't change without discussion on how to change the former. The biggest thing to remember is that none of those pictures really illustrate whether TNA is on the verge of closing or not anyway. As long as it is on Spike TV, is seen by a million people, and pulls in ad revenue, it will probably tread enough water to get by on minimal losses. Doing the Nelson at bad attendance feels puerile for the sake of puerility though. I mean, by all means, I don't necessarily believe being puerile is a bad thing if done in small enough doses, but at the same time, if it leads to intellectual dishonesty, then it can scoot right the fuck outta here.
But of course, that fact isn't going to stop anyone from ragging on the company. I don't watch it anymore, so I can't really say what TNA is doing right or wrong. But I do feel like posting pictures and pointing and laughing is pretty much passe at this point. That statement isn't so much a defense of the company. But laughing at awful attendance seems to be distracting from the real issues. For example, do the wrestlers still get paid sub-sweatshop wages? Are the stories and wrestling on point? Worthwhile discussions need to be had about the company, and none of them center around how many or few people are going to house shows. That number seems like an effect rather than a cause, and the latter doesn't change without discussion on how to change the former. The biggest thing to remember is that none of those pictures really illustrate whether TNA is on the verge of closing or not anyway. As long as it is on Spike TV, is seen by a million people, and pulls in ad revenue, it will probably tread enough water to get by on minimal losses. Doing the Nelson at bad attendance feels puerile for the sake of puerility though. I mean, by all means, I don't necessarily believe being puerile is a bad thing if done in small enough doses, but at the same time, if it leads to intellectual dishonesty, then it can scoot right the fuck outta here.