Just How Popular Can the Milwaukee Bucks Get?

The Milwaukee Brewers have had three seasons in their history in which they drew a total of more than 3 million fans to games for the year.

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Two of those seasons came in the two years in which the Brewers made the playoffs, 2008 and 2011.

Before their playoff successes, the Brewers were routinely in the bottom five NL teams in attendance, but in those two years they averaged fifth out of sixteen teams.

What this shows, and what it has to do with the Milwaukee Bucks, is that the city of Milwaukee goes bananas over successful teams.

Apr 6, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Fans wait for start of game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

It’s true that fans in Milwaukee have a bit of a fair weather streak, but since 2006 the Brewers have not been lower in attendance ranks than ninth, proof that fans will stick around through thick and thin if you win them over with a fair chunk of winning.

The Bucks can have that kind of sustained support, and it starts this season.

Buoyed by a playoff appearance and hard-fought series against hated Chicago, I can guarantee you that attendance numbers will be up this year. This is the most exciting state the franchise has been in in a decade-plus, with young players like Giannis, MCW, and Jabari taking the floor along with a marquee free agent like Greg Monroe, yada, yada, yada the stuff you’ve been hearing all offseason…

That’s just the half of it though. If we’re looking down the road a little more to try and determine if the Bucks can reach the same level as the Brewers, we have to acknowledge the huge boost in attendance a new venue provides.

When the Brewers moved into Miller Park from County Stadium, their attendance would spike to a level higher than any they’d see until 2007, six years later when the team looked poised to contend for the playoffs at long last, a prognostication that would prove correct.

Since then attendance has risen and fallen, but has remained largely consistent whether the team makes the playoffs or not. This is because the Brewers have turned themselves not only into a sporting event, but an entire experience. I covered a bit of this in my wishlist for the new arena, but I really believe the Bucks can take the next step by doing a lot of the little things that contribute to the fan experience. A new arena would be the best way to do that.

Apr 30, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; A Milwaukee Bucks fan holds up a sign prior to the game against the Chicago Bulls in game six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Although the Bucks don’t have the benefit of playing in the balmy Milwaukee summer, they do have the distinction of being a rare, reliable source of entertainment downtown during the dead of winter. If the team is good enough to warrant a trek through the cold, who wouldn’t trade 15 minutes of chill air for two hours of high-caliber NBA basketball?

Jun 28, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks first round draft pick Jabari Parker throws the ceremonial first pitch before game between the Milwaukee Brewrers and the Colorado Rockies at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

This is, again, an area where the new arena can shine. Part of the arena plan is the development district that’s meant to surround the venue. It was the grease on the City of Milwaukee’s wheel that made their disproportionate share of public dollars go down smoother.

It becomes much easier to go to a Bucks game if you can head to a bar beforehand, then take a quick, heated walk across a plaza and into the arena. The plan is to have an entire entertainment and business district directly perpendicular to the arena to act as funnel to efficiently get the butts into the seats. A solid plan.

If you asked me what it would take to get the Bucks and NBA basketball to the level of interest in Milwaukee and Wisconsin that baseball currently enjoys, I’d say the most important ingredient is winning. Winning teams draw fans, that’s just a fact of life. Beyond that, a new arena definitely helps and so do young, magnanimous players. The good news is, the Bucks are off to a great start after rebranding themselves with new logos and colors. The buzz is really catching on, as evidenced by the number of new Bucks gear visible at the State Fair. The iron is hot, it’s time to strike with a great season culminating in an impressive showing in the playoffs.

Ultimately only time will tell how well the Bucks draw and for how long, but I don’t think it’s hard to see that things are definitely trending up.

Next: How The Bucks Compare: An Early Eastern Conference Primer

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