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Penguins announce sellout with 15 percent of arena being full

By Ian Oland

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March 3, 2021 12:06 am

The Pittsburgh Penguins continued to diminish the meaning of a sellout on Tuesday.

The Penguins allowed fans at PPG Paints Arena for the first time this season after getting approval from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday. 2,800 fans were allowed into the 18,387 capacity arena.

Despite the building being 15 percent full, the Penguins publicly declared it their 610th consecutive sellout.

Here’s a look inside via Penguins reporter Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports. (She’s a former Capitals intern!)

The Penguins’ current sellout streak first began on February 14, 2007.

Decades ago, a sellout meant an arena was 100 percent full and all tickets were sold. They were rare. Since then, sellouts have become more of a promotional tool for sports teams where it means all tickets were sold (or unloaded) even if the turnstile count remains well under full capacity.

“If it’s a full sellout but you didn’t meet max attendance or you weren’t fully attended, you do start to ask questions,” Andrew Zimbalist, a sports economist at Smith College, said to Marketplace.org.

Meanwhile, the Penguins’ big day was not without its issues. The team added both Sidney Crosby and assistant coach Todd Reirden to the COVID-19 Unavailability List before the game.

Fans were also spotted throughout the arena not wearing masks and concessions were jammed packed with fans at times.

Headline photo: Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports

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