With the Major League Baseball playoffs underway, the annual attendance figures for 2011 were released.
The average attendance rose by about half of one per cent this year, which might not seem like much, but it did represent the end of 3 straight seasons of attendance drops.
The average attendance for an M.L.B. game was 30,229, which was up from last year, but is about nearly eight per cent below the record set in 2007.
Of course, baseball isn’t the sole mitigating factor in the numbers.
Baseball set a record for attendance in 2007, a year that was followed by essentially a two year drop in the American economy, a drop that resurfaced this summer and may impact the numbers again a year from now.
Here’s the other thing I found interesting;
Cleveland had the biggest percentage increase, up 31 per cent & Pittsburgh jumped 22 per cent as the Indians and Pirates contended early before falling back, waaay back.
Meanwhile, in spite of claiming the American League Wild Card in dramatic fashion, Tampa Bay’s attendance dropped 19 per cent
In Toronto, the Blue Jays ranked 25th overall, with average home attendance of 22,445, which was up 12 per cent
Imagine what the Jays number will be if the Jays ever truly contend again.
I’m Fred Wallace