18.06.18 Baseball Attendance

Take Me Out to the Ballgame.

(…Actually, Nevermind.)

MLB worries as fanA attendance shrinks 10%, the lowest level in 15 years – and it’s not just the unseasonably cold weather at the start of the season.

FLIP: WHIFF & A MISS

WHAT’S TO BLAME?
MLB is Trying to Find Out

• Cost? Avg ticket price in MLB is $32, but on the re-sale market (i.e. StubHub) it’s $76. Add food & drinks, that’s approx $100 for 1 fan.
• Less Competition?A Handful of really good teams & really bad teams makes for less thrill. Strikeouts topped hits in April.
• No incentive? Fans can watch anywhere – phone, tablet, TV.

WHY THIS MATTERS

• MLB attendance is pretty consistent, swinging no more than 2% in either direction.
• Baseball hasn’t seen a drop like this since 1995 following a player strike which canceled the World Series.
• Empty stadiums may give you a better shot at catching a foul ball, but not an ideal setting to watch a game.

MLB WANTS TO FIX IT

‘I think that a lot of us in the game are watching the way we’re playing very, very closely, everything from fewer hits, more strikeouts, more times between balls in play.”



Rob Manfred, MLB Commissioner

So which teams are seeing the biggest drops in attendance? And which 4 teams are still filling the stands? Click to find out.