Sports is big business, and that is well known to the
readers of THE SPORTS BUSINESS DAILY. But just how often does
the average North American sports fan attend a sporting event?
The numbers don't lie. In the first of what will become an
annual year-end feature, THE DAILY has estimated that, by the end
of this year, 188,397,024 people will have attended professional
sporting events in the U.S. and Canada -- that's two paid entries
into a sporting event for every three people from San Diego to
Newfoundland.
METHODOLOGY: THE DAILY tracked attendance figures on eleven
different professional sports -- from auto racing to volleyball,
minors to majors -- across North America to come up with "The
Body Count." Estimates were calculated for sports that still
have events remaining in '95. Attendance figures were not
available for this year's LPGA events or for boxing and the rodeo
circuit.
THE BIG WINNER: Baseball led the way with over 83 million
paid in '95, followed by hockey and basketball. For comparison
purposes, horse and greyhound racing combined for over 85 million
paying customers this year (THE DAILY).
RANK SPORT THE COUNT
1 BASEBALL (MLB, Minors) 83,591,341
2 HOCKEY (NHL, IHL, AHL, etc.) 33,135,268
3 BASKETBALL (NBA, CBA, USBL) 20,972,236
4 FOOTBALL (NFL, CFL, Arena) 18,493,050
5 GOLF (PGA/Sr.PGA, USGA etc.) 9,175,000
6 AUTO RACING (IndyCar, NASCAR, etc) 8,963,778
7 TENNIS (WTA, ATP, Champions, Team) 8,927,703
8 SOCCER (A-League, Indoor) 2,965,207
9 VOLLEYBALL (AVP, WPVA) 627,500
10 BOWLING (PBA) 450,000
11 LACROSSE (MILL) 282,177
THE DAILY'S "BODY COUNT" 188,397,024
Population of U.S./Canada 292,800,000
