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Leagues and Governing Bodies

WAS STAR WARS FILM A PHANTOM MENACE TO MLB ATTENDANCE?

          Twentieth Century Fox confirmed yesterday that "The     Phantom Menace" earned $28.5M during its opening day on     Wednesday, marking the highest one-day gross ever for a     motion picture.  So, was "Episode 1" a menace to MLB     attendance?  Today, THE DAILY conducts a thoroughly     unscientific examination of MLB team-by-team attendance     during the first two days of "The Phantom Menace."  While we     don't account for various factors (weather, rivalry, team     record, etc.), we do see that 13 of the 15 teams hosting     games saw a two-day drop from their average attendance     heading into Wednesday's date.  One note: The Dodgers on     Wednesday drew 26,360 against the Astros, with Kevin Brown     pitching, down 32% from their season average.  Reel Sports     analyst Allen Roberts said that L.A. "had a definite holiday     atmosphere on the movie's opening day, with roads     practically empty."  Is there a Jedi force at work between     the team drop and the film?  We'll offer no conclusions and     leave it to our astute readers to ponder (THE DAILY):                
HOME TEAM '99 AVG.
5/18
WED.
5/19
THURS.
5/ 20
1 OR 2
GAME
AVERAGE
% +/-
Braves
36,967
34,106
38,588
36,347
-1.7%
Rockies
41,640
41,044
40,021
40,533
-2.7%
Giants
18,123
15,793
open date
15,793
-12.9%
Expos
9,842
5,182
open date
5,182
-47.3%
Marlins
17,807
15,059
11,473
13,266
-25.5%
Dodgers
38,669
26,360
40,780
33,570
-13.2%
Mets
25,900
rain out
19,542
19,542
-24.5%
Padres
32,821
31,686
33,316
32,501
-1.0%
Rangers
34,727
29,513
open date
29,513
-15.0%
Orioles
40,557
38,557
38,388
38,473
-5.1%
Blue Jays
23,993
20,384
21,137
20,671
-13.5%
Red Sox
27,003
32,091
33,139
32,615
20.8%
White Sox
12,780
14,854
open date
14,854
16.2%
Royals
17,495
13,727
15,172
14,450
-17.4%
Mariners
26,940
20,497
open date
20,497
-23.9%
TOTALS
405,264
338,853
291,556
24,526
-9.2%

 

NOTES: The Braves, Rockies, Giants and Rangers played day games Wednesday. The Mets game Tuesday was postponed due to rain and made up as part of a doubleheader yesterday.

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