Is Lagging MLB Attendance a Crisis or Fluke?

[madinmaryland]

Major League Baseball is not in an attendance crisis.

Not yet, anyway.

Three weeks into the 2010 season, however, 19 of the 30 big league teams are reporting attendance drop offs.

Could it be weather-related? Maybe, but there were nine rainouts at big-league parks last year at this time and there have been only three this year.

Could it be competition from basketball and hockey? Maybe, but there is always competition from basketball and hockey in April and May.

Could it be just a couple of teams dragging the numbers down? Maybe, but it's hard to see, not with six different clubs having established new all-time lows for the facilities they call home -- the Orioles, the Mets, the Mariners, the Indians, the Nationals and the Blue Jays have all set new single-game attendance lows at home this season.

Could it be big-market teams doing well and small market teams struggling? Maybe, but the small-market Pittsburgh Pirates are up an average of 1,659 fans per game in statistics compiled by FanHouse, and the big-market New York Mets are down 6,690. The last-place Rangers are up 5,530 per game and the first-place A's are down 4,624.

Could it be a matter of fans not supporting teams who haven't won in a while? Maybe, but the Pirates are up significantly after having not won in 18 years and the Rays are down 3,216 despite a first-place record and a first-rate roster.

..snip

For more: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/04/27/is-lagging-attendance-crisis-or-fluke/?ncid=txtlnkusspor00000002

[MadBadger]

1. Mets and O's are this way prob cuz they suck

[smoochpooch]

2. It should get better as the summer progresses.

More people will have jobs in the coming months, plus if teams like the Rays can hang on to a division lead they will gain new fans who want to join the bandwagon.

Good for Pittsburgh, they have that nice ballpark that I'm sure helps draw a lot of fans. Mets didn't really make their team better in 2010: Beltran injured, Reyes not looking like the player he was a couple years ago....they haven't really done much to get fans excited since 2006. (although we'll see if Pelfrey can keep up his hot start, he didn't look as sharp his last start)

[joeybee12]

3. Last's night game in socialist Canada against America's Team was weird...

...very, very empty.

[madinmaryland]

4. This coming from the Socalist New England state of Massachussetts

with socalist Obamacare!!

:D

[joeybee12]

5. Yup, a commie nazi socialist fascist uptopia! n/t

[madinmaryland]

6. Actually, the Natsi's are in DC. nt

[Yavin4]

7. Last Year, Fans Were Locked Into Ticket Purchases

This year, it's a much different story. The Mets are way down in ticket sales because most brokers cannot re-sell the tickets, and the allure of their new stadium has quickly worn off.