MLB attendance is "down 506 tickets per game" through 320 games this season, which means that "barring a bountiful summer, MLB is going to bleed fans for the fourth consecutive year," according to Jeff Passan of YAHOO SPORTS. MLB is on pace for 1,229,580 fewer tickets sold this season, which would drop the league to "levels unseen since the early 2000s." MLB is "unsure whether to regard the dip as a blip or something signaling a greater concern." Baseball "tried the proactive approach this offseason." Ten teams "cut ticket prices," but seven of them "still have worse sales than last season -- some significantly worse." Passan wrote the Dodgers' per game drop of 7,144 tickets is "harrowing." The team is averaging 37,868 fans per game, which "plenty of teams dream of." But Passan wrote, "It's about the context. About the massive market and fan base revolting, and about the 85,000-plus fewer tickets sold than last year" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 4/25). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Dave Cameron wrote while teams "may cling to hopes for a rebound once the weather warms and schools let out, the average bump in attendance from May through September is only 2,000 more fans per game than teams draw in April." For the Mariners and Dodgers, who are "each hemorrhaging more than 7,000 fans a game compared with the same number of home dates last season, that will barely make an impact on the bottom line" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/25).
WINNING GAMES, WINNING FANS: In Cleveland, Terry Pluto reported the Indians "have about 7,500 season tickets," the team's "lowest" figure since moving into Progressive Field in '94. The team is averaging 14,391 fans thus far this season, the "lowest in the majors." However, the Indians are in first place in the AL Central with a 13-8 record, and President Mark Shapiro said that TV ratings "are up at least 50 percent from a year ago." Thursday night's Indians-Royals game earned a 20 share in Cleveland, "which is outstanding." Shapiro indicated that "emails, Facebook posts and other forms of social media have shown 'a real uptick' in terms of Tribe talk." The Indians "sold 8,000 tickets in 24 hours before the April 15 game with Baltimore," and they "averaged 2,500-5,000 tickets sold within 24 hours of all three games" of the April 15-17 series against the Orioles (CLEVELAND.com, 4/24).
