According to the Associated Press, the average attendance at Major League Baseball games is down 6.9 percent from this time last season.
After two weeks of play the average number of fans going to each game has been 30,298. Last season during the same period that number was significantly higher, at 32,539.
While there is no empirical evidence regarding why more fans have chosen to stay home this season, we can safely assume that one major contributing factor is the ailing economy. Wet and windy April weather is another possibility, but weather alone cannot entirely account for that large of a decrease in the attendance figures.
Despite the poor numbers, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said last week that he was pleased with the overall attendance figures for opening week.
Considering the fact that the largest baseball market, New York City, is featuring a major new attraction with two brand-new stadiums, those ticket sale numbers have to be disappointing, regardless of what the Commissioner says.
Our Take
Seven percent really isn’t all that bad when you think about it. The Dow Jones average was nearly cut in half by the financial crisis and a number of gigantic corporations are facing insolvency.
Baseball has been through hard times before and has survived. When the stock market completely collapsed at the onset of the Great Depression, baseball was hit hard, but it kept going. During the second World War when many of the game’s stars signed up to fight for their country, the MLB kept on going. After a debilitating strike in 1994 that soured many fans, baseball bounced back.
The attendance figures are discouraging, but they also represent an opportunity. Big league clubs should reach out to their fan base by offering deals. Many franchises have already handed out discounts, such as the Tigers in Comerica Park, where ticket prices for home games in April and May have been dramatically slashed. It’s time that every club pitched in to help their fans stay connected during these difficult times.
Take heed, Major League owners. We want free hot dogs, drink specials, and some reasonable prices, or you’re going to see attendance numbers drop even more.
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