Fans think rich people killed the vibe at Toronto Maple Leafs' playoff game
Attending a Toronto Maple Leafs playoff game is a costly endeavour, and the lower bowl of Scotiabank Arena is reserved for the ultra-privileged willing to shell out thousands for the best seats in the house.
Unfortunately, wealth and rowdiness don't have too much overlap, and rich ticketholders are once again being slammed for deadening the vibe during a big Leafs home game.
Maple Leafs fans endured a heartbreaking 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night, dropping Game 3 of a best-of-seven series to their arch-rival and slipping behind 2-1 in their first-round series.
The energy in Scotiabank Arena was lacklustre during Wednesday night's game, drawing criticism from longtime announcer Joe Bowen, who called the crowd "disappointing."
Fans watching the game on TV were similarly critical of the fan energy, with one now-viral tweet calling attention to a seemingly uninterested fan wearing a suit in a first-row seat.
Escort this loser out of the arena pic.twitter.com/peH6nB6Bqy
— Ah yes, the Leafs (@LeafsAllDayy) April 24, 2024
"Get the suits out of the building," said one user in response, suggesting that "it should be mandatory to wear jerseys in all rows" and calling the quiet suit-wearing fans who populate the lower bowl "a disgrace."
I got platinum seats as a gift once and when we cheered when the leafs scored the suits beside us shushed us
— Z (@ptc555) April 25, 2024
"The suits are the reason it's not too tough for visiting teams to play in T.O.," said another user. The commenter said that the current ticket prices translate to "limited energy in the building," and suggested that if the team made tickets "available/affordable for real fans, it would be such an advantage."
He’s the main demographic that can afford tickets without going hungry for a month
— Cameron (@AlexKillorn) April 25, 2024
This is far from the first time that wealthy fans' lack of enthusiasm during big games has drawn the ire of the wider fanbase — many of whom could only dream of scoring such expensive tickets.
When the Leafs kicked off their 2023-24 campaign back in October with their home opener against the Montreal Canadiens, fans similarly called out lower bowl ticketholders for their lack of enthusiasm, which sapped the arena of energy during key moments of the game.
John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
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