WHERE ARE THE FANS? DESPITE THEIR SUCCESS, AVENGERS' ATTENDANCE WORSE THAN LAST YEAR.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

A year ago, in their inaugural season, the Avengers drew an average of more than 11,000 fans per game to watch some pretty dreadful-looking arena football.

The fans came anyway, and seemed to enjoy it, even though the Avengers won just one of their seven home games. It begged the question: ``How popular will these guys be when they actually win something?''

A lot less popular, actually. The Avengers have achieved football respectability - with a win Saturday, they would reach .500 for the first time and all but clinch a playoff spot - but Los Angeles sports fans have not exactly reacted enthusiastically.

Going into Saturday's home finale, the Avengers have averaged fewer than 7,500 fans for six games at Staples Center, a respectable number, especially for a ``minor'' sports league, but despite its on-field improvement the team has yet to find a discernible niche in this crowded entertainment market.

The team's smallest crowd from last season, 8,578, was bigger than the largest crowd from this year, the 8,476 who watched last Saturday's game.

``Am I happy? No, but I'm never really satisfied with anything,'' team owner Casey Wasserman said. ``But we have a good core of fans that we're going to build around for the future.

``It takes a long time to build. Look at the Clippers. Two years ago they're in the doldrums and now they're hot. The Kings, three months into the season they were in last place and then look what happened. If we make a run to the Arena Bowl, who knows?''

Declining attendance is always a delicate subject with Avengers officials, and it's difficult to pin them down on the exact reasons for it. They say a ``curiosity factor'' boosted the attendance in the team's first year, but don't offer anything deeper.

The home schedule began with games Thursday and Friday nights, and team officials said that once the string of five consecutive Saturday night games kicked in, so would an attendance increase. Indeed, the Avengers' two biggest crowds have come in their past two games, but last year, they played just three Saturday night games.

Then there was the ever-delicate subject of the XFL and the Xtreme. From the beginning, Wasserman insisted the Xtreme's presence would not affect his franchise because the two seasons did not coincide, and that indoor football would draw a different type of football fan.

Now, Wasserman says, ``We got caught in the whole XFL melee. There's only so much money that people have to spend on sports, and they came before us.''

In reality, the Xtreme might have hurt the Avengers more when they folded. Even though the Arena Football League is a stable organization in its 15th season, the average sports fan tends to see anything besides the NFL, NHL, NBA or Major League Baseball as a fly-by-night operation that could fold at any time.

Why invest time, money and loyalty into the Avengers, when they could disappear the same way as the Xtreme and so many other bogus teams before them?

``It's a challenge we face every day,'' Wasserman said. ``I intend to be here a long time, and I've lived in L.A. a long time. The Xtreme was not an L.A. team, it was run on a national basis. I'm not going to move. My goal is to build a successful sports business in L.A. and to have 15,000 people in Staples Center every week.

``Really, there's nothing we can do except show up every year and show people that we're still here. I've put too much effort into this to fail.''

The NFL's option to take a controlling interest in the AFL, which expires in March, would boost the exposure of the league and the Avengers, who need star power and long-term players around which they can center marketing campaigns.

This year was a big step in that direction. If Todd Marinovich can remain out of trouble, he might decide he doesn't need the NFL and be inclined to stay with the Avengers for the rest of his career, and receiver Chris Jackson's return after a disappointing stint with the Tennessee Titans was a good sign.

That's good news for the Avengers' off-the-field bottom line, since it's much easier to draw support for a winner, particularly in Los Angeles.

Wasserman was devastated by the team's 0-5 start and fired coach Stan Brock after three games, replacing him with defensive coordinator Robert Lyles, who has gone 5-3 and made a strong case to have the ``interim'' label removed after the season.

``I'm not worried about it right now,'' Lyles said. ``Whatever Casey decides to do, I'll be OK with it. I'm not insecure about it. I feel like I have a job to do right now, and my staff has a job to do, and if we do that job well, other things will take care of themselves.''

Wasserman said he plans to give Lyles the first interview for the full- time job, and the owner wants stability, not just at the coaching position but for the franchise as a whole.

There's also the ever-present questions about Wasserman's plans for his own future, which have included rumors about buying the Dodgers or an NFL franchise.

``I would love to make a long-lasting impact on this town through my involvement in sports,'' Wasserman said.

``That starts with the Avengers and it always will, no matter what we do, whether it's buying a NFL team or bring in an existing team here. I want to be successful and do some great things for this city.''

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Photo:

Robert Lyles, right, has gone 5-3 since taking over as Avengers coach this season.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer