Halifax Rainmen future in doubt as crowds dwindle
Andre Levingston says 'it all depends' on fans turning up
The Halifax Rainmen face a bleak future after only 400 people turned up to their first playoff game Monday evening.
It’s the basketball team’s eighth season, and they've had more on-court success than before. But the team needs off-court support too, says Andre Levingston, the team's president.
"At the end of the day it all depends on them. If they want the team to stay here and come out and support it, it'll be here," he said.
"We love being here. We think this is one of the best places to play in our league and we wouldn’t want to see this team go."
Monday’s crowd was much smaller than the 2,000 fans a game the team averaged this season. It's struggling to make ends meet.
Don Mills, a member of the team's advisory board, expressed disappointment with Monday night's small gathering.
"It's a real question whether or not the team can continue in this market place because it just might not be suitable for a professional basketball team," he said.
Mills sent out a tweet challenging Halifax fans to come out and support the team or run the risk of losing them.
Spread the word.NOW or Never for fans to come out to support <a href="https://twitter.com/HalifaxRainmen">@halifaxRainmen</a> during the playoffs and keep team in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/halifax?src=hash">#halifax</a> PLEASE RETWEET
—@DonMillsCRALoyal fans like Chris Parsons have been to every game over eight years.
"It's been up and down but I think this year there has been more downs than ups. It would be a sin if we lost the team," he said.
The top-seeded Rainmen lost their playoff opener against Moncton by one point. The teams play again Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Scotiabank Centre.