The Tampa Bay Rays have been one of the more innovative, cutting-edge, and analytically inclined franchises in baseball for some time now. When a budget is set as low as theirs, you are forced to either adapt to thrive or die. In this case, the Rays are always looking for new ways to gain an advantage over their foes; and it's worked in most cases. Fresh off a 100-win season and making the World Series in 2020, you'd believe all is well for them.
Unfortunately, there has been a long-standing issue in their ambitions: Team attendance has been atrocious for a very long time. This past season, it's hit new lows, despite COVID restrictions being lifted early in Florida. And despite anything the team does, no one will show up. Now desperate times are calling for desperate measures: The Rays are looking to do a half-season initiative where they have a "sister city" the area shares the team with.
But why is this? Is it as simple as Tampa and St. Petersburg not caring about baseball? Or does it go much deeper than this? Let me just put it this way: It's the latter.
