From his courtside seats at the Delta Center, Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller has a new ritual. He stands up, gazes into the upper bowl and starts counting empty seats.
And there are lots of them these days as the Jazz sputter to a mediocre start — six wins and 10 losses following Friday night's defeat in Phoenix.
"You can see him counting up how much money he is losing," said one Jazz fan in a neighboring seat who did not want to be identified. "It's not the (season-ticket) no-shows he's worried about. It's all those no-sales."
Utah Jazz fans fair and foul are weathering something they haven't seen since the mid-1980s: A losing season.
And they are staying away in droves.
Gone are the glory days where Jazz tickets, even the bad ones, were snatched at premium prices. On most game nights, the cavernous Delta Center is running maybe 25 percent below capacity — far less than the announced attendance that evokes snickers from disbelieving fans.
But is it really as bad as it appears?
If anything, the ripple effect — on concessions in the Delta Center and on restaurants and other businesses nearby — seems muted so far. And the impacts of a souring economy and the sobering terror attacks have to be figured into the equation as well.
Jazz Vice President Dave Allred said retail sales of licensed merchandise — a significant source of revenue for any small-market team like the Jazz — is about the same as it was last year. So are concession sales at the Delta Center.
Attendance is down only about 4 percent so far this year, he insists. Of course, that doesn't factor in season-ticket holders who don't show up.
"We actually feel pretty good about that considering everything," he said.
The "everything" in this case includes the economy, which is leaving folks with lighter wallets; a post-Sept. 11 attitude inspiring people to stay home more and enjoy their families, and now a potentially dismal Utah Jazz season where hopes of a championship are being slapped by the icy reality of mediocrity.
Other factors
It might all seem a recipe for disaster for Utah Jazz owner Miller and the host of downtown businesses that, for more than a decade, have tied their own fortunes to the umbilical cord of a consistent winner on the court.
Despite the dark cloud, businesses around the Delta Center report the drop in game attendance hasn't really been noticeable. Restaurants are running at near-capacity, parking lots are filled and bars are serving up libations like never before.
"People come to sports bars to celebrate and cry away the blues," said Kevin Monte, operations manager at Port-O-Call, a private club that has seen little drop in its brisk game-night business.
Melva Sine, executive director of the Utah Restaurant Association, reports downtown restaurants are doing well despite the combination of events that might damper enthusiasm for the Jazz season. Those restaurants in hotels are feeling a pinch because tourism generally is down, but that hasn't a lot to do with basketball games.
Downtown restaurants don't really need Jazz-game customers on Friday and Saturday nights when local diners are waiting in line for tables. But they have come to depend on Jazz games as an important revenue infusion during the middle of the week when the number of customers is sparse, Sine said.
"Jazz games are a critical part of a viable downtown," Sine said. "It creates traffic that helps all downtown businesses."
But there are two other factors creating traffic that may well be offsetting the falloff in game attendance. The new Gateway shopping center just west of the Delta Center is bustling with holiday shoppers. And the Olympics are even now creating a lot of downtown business.
Already, 500 temporary employees are working for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, and that number is expected to grow to 3,000 by February.
"Even if no one showed up for the Olympics, with all the support staff in town we are extremely busy and gearing up for it to get busier when the media starts arriving in January," Monte said.
Allred said there is no way to know if some SLOC employees are attending Jazz games, although the sale of same-night game tickets is running about the same as last year.
Seizing an opportunity
Those peddling game-night parking around the Delta Center report no loss of business, despite the fact that a good share of fans now arrive by TRAX. That may be due more to the fact Winter Games preparations have closed two parking lots across the street from the Delta Center, pushing fans' cars into fewer parking lots.
The only ones taking a financial hit are the professional ticket brokers, who have found little appetite for their Jazz tickets at any price.
"Every ticket company is losing money on every game except the Lakers," said Brian Rhay, who was finding no takers for front-row tickets to this week's game with Seattle.
"Look at all the empty seats, and it's obvious people have stopped going," he added. "I even offered some free tickets to my brother-in-law and he didn't want them."
Jazz fans by and large don't seem too worried about the losing season — they may be more concerned about rumors of a trade of perennial all-star Karl Malone.
Many say they see the waning interest among fair-weather fans as an opportunity to see more games. Those holding large blocks of season tickets may find less interest among business associates, and that leaves tickets for employees and their families who otherwise might not get to go.
Art Johnson of Kaysville and his wife Evelyn usually watch the games on television, but when their son-in-law couldn't use his center-court tickets, they jumped at the chance to take them.
"We love them whether they win or lose," Art said. "It's a nice diversion being able to come here and see them."
Mike Bloom and Lionel Durtschi, both pharmaceutical reps from Idaho Falls, are huge Jazz fans. And when some clients canceled on the Seattle game, they decided to take their sons to the game.
"You see the empty seats, and I guess it's true everybody loves a winner," Bloom said during a pre-game dinner at P.F. Chang's Chinese restaurant. "It's hard to get excited with the losing streak."
But fans, he added, are true to their team and, if anything, they have faith in the future. Just ask his 10-year-old son, Chance, a fan of the Jazz and the Utah Starzz who won't mutter an unkind word of any kind about the team or its losing streak.
Durtschi, who brought his 4-year-old son Dallin to his first Jazz game, agreed, saying fans must have patience with the rebuilding and appreciate the game for the diversion it is.
Still, he added, it's hard to justify that kind of expense. "If they are losing, I could see it might be one expense some people would not want to incur."
The cost of dinner before the game, four lower-bowl tickets, popcorn and drinks at the game and maybe some souvenirs, would cost Bloom and Durtschi close to $400 before the night was over.
Olympic wild card
Jazz officials are upbeat about the state of affairs early in the season. Especially considering how bad things could have been with the combined effects of the economy, terrorist attacks and mediocrity on the basketball floor.
"Traditionally, at least as long as any of us have been here, we have found it hard to gauge what the season will be like based on November and December," Allred said. In fact, Jazz fans really don't start getting excited until the first of the year, after colleges have stopped playing football, Christmas shopping is over and NFL football is winding down to the playoffs.
The wild card that makes this year different for the Jazz is the Olympics. Not only will the Games force a tough nine-game road trip in February, but Allred wonders if the Jazz won't come home to fans already weary of a sports overkill.
And if they come home from the long road trip with a losing record going into the last third of the season, will even rabid Jazz fans care at that point?
"It is something we have never experienced in Utah Jazz history," Allred said.
For his part, Allred remains confident Jazz fans will spin the turnstiles to see John Stockton and Karl Malone and Bryon Russell, just as they always have. And there also will be some people buying tickets to see their favorite team even if it isn't the Jazz. Tickets for the March game against Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards are already sold out.
"We'll take their money to see Shaq and Michael," he said. "We can't be too particular when they pay to get in. We appreciate their (financial) support."
That doesn't mean there isn't some uncertainty on the horizon about the consequences of a losing season and a fan base filled with a one-month diet of winter sports. Depending on the quality of the opponent, tickets are selling about as well as expected.
Of course, Allred adds, "it helps when you win."
E-mail: spang@desnews.com