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Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park FAQ, timeline, and infographics (pinned post)

Was the Barclays Center really 90% full last Wednesday? Nah.

According to the official total, which represents tickets sold/distributed, not gate count, last Wednesday night's game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics was more than 90% full, with 16,005 attendance in a building that houses 17,732 for basketball.

Well, it wasn't close to that. The photo below was taken near the middle of the third quarter of a competitive game, and it shows a lot of empty seats. (I got a free ticket, thanks to a StubHub promotion.)


Keep in mind that even when the arena "sells out," the actual gate count is usually at least 10% off, and Wednesday was probably worse, given the cold weather. According to a report from Empire State Development, "Actual attendance during the 2012-2013 season (including Playoffs) averaged approximately 14,974."

On Friday night, the official number was also goosed. The Brooklyn Game reported:
But for a Friday night matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, one of the leagueā€™s worst teams, even the upper decks were half-full at best as the game kicked off. (For what itā€™s worth, the Nets officially listed the attendance at 16,172, which makes sense if you include the fans watching at nearby bars.)
I don't remember whether the upper deck photo below was taken during a break in the action Wednesday--when there would have been more empty seats-- but I was mainly trying to get a shot of the Jay-Z banner, since that's as much of a prideful part of the Barclays Center history as anything.

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