OPINION: The scene was set. The Blackcaps versus South Africa; our summer heroes against the number one ranked side in the world. Game three, the series tied at one-all. A beautiful day, 21 degrees and fine in the capital on a Saturday afternoon. Where else would you rather be than Westpac Stadium?
Just 15,381 turned up to watch.
Dress it up however you want, but that's a disappointing crowd.
Ok so the Blackcaps didn't end up putting on much of a show, I get that. But where were you Wellington? That all-too-familiar sight of a sea of yellow seats at Westpac Stadium really stuck out yesterday for a match which had all the ingredients for a sell-out.
Some fans took to social media to slam the crowds, one fan tweeting "#NZvSA Hey Wellington, where is your crowd?" while another also tweeted "Wellington's crowd-size apologists about 12 on the Beaufort scale today. #NZvSA #YellowSeatBrigade". Another fan just called it how they saw it "That Wellington crowd is embarrassing. #NZvSA
So what's going on here sports fans? And I'm asking sports fans right around the country because even though the Sevens are all-but dead and Phoenix crowds are generally poor, this isn't just a Wellington issue.
The NRL Nines are already being wished away by apathetic Aucklanders who don't support the Blues or the Breakers in the way they used to. Super Rugby is broken, but there's a direct correlation between the numbers through the turnstiles and your position on the table across the five Kiwi franchises. Then there are other codes, other competitions, all of which are struggling to get bums on seats.
The Blackcaps are usually pretty reliable, but yesterday's attendance shows there are now very few sure bets when it comes to pulling a sporting crowd in New Zealand. In fact, an All Blacks test might be the only sporting show in the country that can guarantee a sell-out, with Joseph Parker second.
Times are tough, money's tight, and sporting codes and franchises are desperate for your discretionary dollar. But let me ask you this: even if you had more money to spend, would you turn up and watch your Super Rugby team, ANZ Premiership team, the Phoenix, the Warriors, the Breakers, week in, week out? Would you be more likely to attend the Sevens or the Nines?
My guess is that the answer is no. The answer's no because it's a hassle to get to the ground or the stadium, the seats are uncomfortable, the beer and food is terrible and expensive, and the whole experience is generally a bit unpleasant.
The only times we're prepared to make an exception are those events like the Rugby World Cup, the Lions series, the Cricket World Cup, Joseph Parker's world title shot, and All Whites intercontinental playoff and finals fixtures for our leading domestic competitions. It's all about saving your pennies for those "I was there" events.
They only come along every so often, so what's the issue here? Is there too much sport on offer? Do we simply have better things to do? Do we have other, more important things to do? Has it become unfashionable and unaffordable to attend live sport? Or have we simply become sporting snobs?
Is live sport dying in New Zealand, or is it already dead?
Andrew Gourdie is a Newshub sports reporter.
