Is it me or is attendance in MLB down this year? I don't have any stats but it sure looks that way from viewing the highlights day in and day out and seeing all of the empty seats at the vast majority of ballparks. Does anyone have the stats?
MLB Attendance
- Thread starter cyclonenum1
- Start date
Brenley commented that a lot of sold seats in Wrigley aren't filled for day games.
Blamed the economic conditions , saying people aren't able to slip away from work anymore.
Blamed the economic conditions , saying people aren't able to slip away from work anymore.
MLB was down almost 7% last year, so even though the stands look vacant, I'm guessing it is still up from a year ago.
According to ESPN's numbers and a little spreadsheet work, we're at 29957 per game this year. Last season ended at 30,298.
edit: 32,516 in '08. Good call cYoda
edit: 32,516 in '08. Good call cYoda
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Only a difference of 341. That, IMO, will be easily made up with pennant race increases. The teams that already suck will stay the same, while the teams still in it will see increases.
I always scoffed at this when I was younger, but I went to a Twins game earlier this year and man I was shocked at how expensive it is. If I had kids there is no way I'd go.
Tickets aren't too terrible in some places, but its all the extra crap they nail you with. FOr me to order tickets to see the Royals/Yankees online, the Royals want to charge another $8 for a convenience fee. This doesn't include paying for parking for another $8. Suddenly 2 $14 tickets has turned into $44 and damn near doubled ticket cost, not to mention how outrageous it is to get food in the ballparks.
I just ordered some Royals tickets yesterday. For my delivery option I could pay $2.50 to print them off myself at home, or pick them up at will call for free. Somebody please explain why they would want to price things in order to encourage me to use will call, make them staff a ticket window with a live person, and take time away from me eating and drinking inside the park when it would cost them nothing at all for me to print at home? Dumb.
i dont have any numbers but i would say the Rockies attendance is actually up this year. we just about had a sellout for the last 3 games against the pirates.
By the end of the year I would say the average attendance will be up overall this year. You can get tickets at just about any stadium for under $15. I have seen numbers that Minor League attendance is WAY UP this year though so that's encouraging.
Actual attendance is down for the Cubs. Lot of no shows during the week and it wil get a lot worse in September. I work in Chicago, used to be hard to get tickets through our brokers at work, people give them away now and can't find takers. Games just are not as full as they were. People just getting sick of bad baseball and paying through the teeth for it.
Wow. We went to a game last month - Saturday night and got two tickets for $15 and had the row nearly to ourselves. Lower level, third base line, about halfway out. It was inter-league against the Blue Jays - so that may have something to do with it. But the place was 2/3rd empty. Only other place I've been was Wrigley. Compared to that, I was amazed how desolate it seemed outside Coors. Beautiful facility however.
Went to the Phillies two weeks ago and it was packed - Friday afternoon. Although there were a TON of Philly fans there.
Doesn't help the Cubs in that they have the 2nd highest ticket price and put a miserable product on the field.
It was just my wife and I. Tickets were probably about $170 when it was all said and done (got them back in Feb). Nice seats - but still. And we probably dropped another 50-75 on concessions. It's ridiculous.
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I watched a Braves vs marlins game the other day and there couldn't have been more than 3,000 people there. That is horrible.
This is the Royals management we're talking about here. :wideeyed:
But I totally agree. Instead I'm just waiting until I get to KC to get our tickets. No way in hell they'll sell out so there isn't any incentive for me to spend an extra $20 just to get the tickets early.
Most ticket outlets are like this. They'll mail them to you for free, or charge you 2.50 to print them off yourself. Ticketmaster for one.
Another favorite of mine is the "internet convienience fee". I know that there is a cost with the website. But generall it's the same system the ticket agents themselves use. And theoretically, shouldn't it be cheaper for me to get them online that deal with a person on the phone or ticket window - and paying a number of them?
:skeptical:
True. But prices are pretty bad if you want decent seats. I went to a Royals game and for lower level seats in the outfield tickets were $40...almost $50 after fees. To watch a team that sucks. No wonder people aren't going...
One nice thing this year has been that when going to Astros' games, the parking lots around the stadium are only charging about half of what they were last year.
