One day in Sacramento sports, you turned out in thousands. Check out these numbers
Sacramento on Sunday got its sporting fix.
Shortly after noon, inside the comforts of the downtown Golden 1 Center, the Kings capped the regular season with a 109-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns in front of a sellout crowd of 17.832.
The Kings on Wednesday host the Dallas Mavericks in a play-in game, both teams desperate to extend their season.
Less than a mile away on Sunday, across the Tower Bridge, the A’s drew 10,036 to Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for a series finale against the New York Mets. The 1:05 p.m. first-pitch temperature was 79 degrees. The Mets won 8-0.
And late Sunday afternoon, less than 10 miles away from Sutter Health Park, Sacramento State football attracted a Spring Game record crowd of 7,149 at Hornet Stadium. Fans young and older came to see spirited first-year coach Brennan Marion’s high-flying “Go-Go” offense in action, and then to meet players and coaches afterward.
So, one day in Sac, more than 35,000 fans (assuming no overlap) sat in the stands to soak up sports — the good, the bad and the Go-Go. Here’s the breakdown:
Sac State crowd adds to sports mania
The crowds for the Kings and A’s were expected.
Sacramento State was the unknown. The Spring Game crowd was a far cry from past years when dozens or hundreds showed up to watch blocking and tackling. Sunday was a controlled scrimmage that concluded the program’s off-season practice sessions.
Unlike other parts of the country, California football programs do not draw big Spring Game crowds, be it at USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford or locally.
So the 7,149 attendance speaks of the curiosity and optimism of the Hornets. Not bad for a Kings town, and a baseball town and for a region hungry for a winner at Sacramento State.
The Hornets offense generated more than 500 yards of offense and scored 10 touchdowns.
“Sacramento is a football town and we’re going continue to make sure we have a great fan experience to bring fans here and give them a great product on the field to be proud of,” Marion said afterward. “I just told the players that’s it’s really about their work and commitment to the program that’s got excitement going and the buzz and the energy. None of this happens without the players’ hard work and what they’ve done. I’m just very grateful to everybody in Sacramento who showed up and supported us.”
Hornets QBs shine
Returning Hornets starter Carson Conklin, Tulsa University transfer Cardell Williams and Santa Rosa Junior College transfer Santino Chavez all impressed at quarterback.
Sacramento-area products Onterrio Smith Jr. of Folsom High School and Tommy Poe of Del Oro of Loomis made plays at receiver.
Sacramento State opens late this summer. The season opener is Aug. 30 at FCS powerhouse South Dakota State.
The Hornets won the Big Sky Conference championship in 2019, 2021 and 2022 and reached the playoffs in 2023 before injuries and late-game losses led to a 3-9 season in 2024.
Sacramento State under Marion has secured the No. 1 recruiting class and high marks for transfer portal additions. The school on April 3 filed an application to move up from the FCS level to the higher FBS classification. If approved. the Hornets would play their final Big Sky and FCS season in 2025, but would be ineligible for the playoffs, per transition policy.
This story was originally published April 14, 2025 at 12:03 PM.