The Baton Rouge Zydeco set a league home attendance record in their inaugural season last year, but attendance is falling short of that mark 19 home games into season number two. Last year, the team was the first in league history to eclipse 110,000 in total attendance across a 28-game home regular season schedule, averaging around 3,900 fans a game at the Raising Cane’s River Center. So far this season, attendance is down by an average of about 800 per game. “We expected a slight dip in attendance numbers,” says River Center Sales and Marketing Manager Alysia Guin. “It’s going to happen after your inaugural season. The excitement has kind of died down slightly. We do think attendance will go up.” One reason for such hope is that last year’s attendance increased once the LSU football season ended. Guin says attendance has already started to increase, citing the first two home games after the Christmas break on Jan. 3 and 4 that averaged 3,946 fans. Those were two of the highest-attended home games this season. Upgrades were made to the arena before and after the team’s first season. A $440,000 hanging scoreboard was added in 2023 and rollout seating was added in the offseason before the team’s second year. On the ice, the team has made a significant turnaround this season. The Zydeco sit at 17-10, third in the Continental Division, near the halfway mark of the 56-game regular season. Last season, the team won a total of 16 games. The team won’t play another game at the River Center until March 15 because of the Mardi Gras season but could be making a playoff push when it returns. “I think we’re really focusing on the close of the season,” Guin says. “I think we all recognize LSU football is king, so when we go into the season, we’re already thinking it’s going to be a little bit of a slow start.” Take Our Poll