Menu
Research and Ratings

MLB Sees Best Attendance Since '08; Orioles, Nats See Boost During Playoff Runs

MLB teams averaged 30,895 fans per game this season, marking the league's best attendance mark since the '08 season. The league average was up 1.8% from last year's figure. The Phillies again led all teams with 44,021 fans per game at the gate. The Marlins led the league in gains after the team's move from Sun Life Stadium to new Marlins Park (+44%). Also seeing significant gains were the playoff-bound Nationals (+21%), Orioles (+21%) and Rangers (+17%). Eight clubs in total saw a double-digit percentage increase in average attendance. Sixteen clubs saw some sort of attendance drop off this season. The Astros saw the sharpest drop (-22%). Listed below is team-by-team attendance for all MLB clubs during the '12 season, with comparisons to last year (THE DAILY).

MLB REGULAR-SEASON ATTENDANCE
TEAM
GMS
TOTAL
AVG.
% CAP.
PREV.
% +/-
GMS ('11)
Phillies
81
3,565,718
44,021
100.8%
45,441
-3.1%
81
Yankees
81
3,542,406
43,733
87.0%
45,107
-3.0%
81
Rangers
81
3,460,280
42,720
88.6%
36,382
17.4%
81
Giants
81
3,377,371
41,696
99.5%
41,819
-0.3%
81
Dodgers
81
3,324,246
41,040
73.3%
36,232
13.3%
81
Cardinals
81
3,262,109
40,273
91.6%
38,197
5.4%
81
Angels
81
3,061,770
37,800
82.2%
39,090
-3.3%
81
Red Sox
81
3,043,003
37,568
100.5%
37,704
-0.4%
81
Tigers
81
3,028,033
37,383
90.6%
32,618
14.6%
81
Cubs
81
2,882,756
35,590
86.8%
37,259
-4.5%
81
Brewers
81
2,831,385
34,955
83.4%
37,918
-7.8%
81
Twins
81
2,776,354
34,276
86.8%
39,113
-12.4%
81
Rockies
81
2,630,458
32,475
64.4%
35,766
-9.2%
81
Nationals
79
2,370,794
30,010
72.3%
24,878
20.6%
78
Braves
81
2,420,171
29,879
60.4%
30,037
-0.5%
79
Reds
81
2,347,251
28,978
68.5%
27,327
6.0%
81
Mets
80
2,242,803
28,035
67.1%
30,161
-7.1%
78
Marlins*
81
2,219,444
27,401
73.2%
19,007
44.2%
80
D'Backs
81
2,177,617
26,884
55.3%
25,993
3.4%
81
Orioles
79
2,102,240
26,611
57.9%
21,943
21.3%
80
Padres
81
2,123,721
26,219
61.4%
26,457
-0.9%
81
Pirates
80
2,091,918
26,149
68.2%
24,255
7.8%
80
Blue Jays
81
2,099,663
25,922
52.6%
22,446
15.5%
81
White Sox
81
1,965,955
24,271
59.8%
24,707
-1.8%
81
Royals
80
1,739,859
21,748
57.4%
21,293
2.1%
81
Mariners
81
1,721,920
21,258
44.4%
23,419
-9.2%
81
A's**
81
1,679,013
20,729
58.7%
18,460
12.3%
80
Astros
81
1,607,733
19,849
48.4%
25,519
-22.2%
81
Indians
81
1,603,596
19,797
45.6%
22,726
-12.9%
81
Rays
81
1,559,681
19,255
56.5%
18,879
2.0%
81
MLB TOTALS
2,423
74,859,268
30,895
71.3%
30,362
1.8%
2,418
               

CHART NOTES: All attendance data is based on totals posted immediately following games. Figures do not reflect any subsequent adjustments made by teams or the league. Teams may not have 81 home games listed due to doubleheaders played back-to-back. * = Marlins played last season at Sun Life Stadium. Opened Marlins Park this season. ** = Includes two designated home games against the Mariners in Tokyo in March.

TEAM-BY-TEAM ROUNDUP: The GLOBE & MAIL's Robert MacLeod noted the Blue Jays saw the club's "highest single-season hike in attendance since the first year the Rogers Centre opened in 1989" (GLOBE & MAIL, 10/3). In West Palm Beach, Joe Capozzi noted Marlins Park will have the "smallest first-year attendance" of 11 ballparks that have opened since '01. Team officials "still say they are thrilled by the gate numbers, especially considering the team's dismal record." Last season, the Marlins ranked "28th out of 30 teams" (PALM BEACH POST, 10/2). The DALLAS MORNING NEWS noted the Rangers had "record-setting attendance numbers for the year." The club set team records with "38 sellouts (21 in 1994) and 59 crowds in excess of 40,000, including the season's final 10 dates" (DALLASNEWS.com, 9/30). ESPN.com's Darren Rovell noted for the "third straight season, attendance has declined" at Citi Field. The Mets "only sold 2.2 million tickets, meaning if everyone showed up, the smaller, 4-year-old ballpark would only be filled to 67 percent capacity." The Mets finished this year ranked "17th in the league in attendance, which ties them for the worst ranking they've had in more than a decade" (ESPN.com, 9/29).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2012/10/04/Research-and-Ratings/MLB-gate.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2012/10/04/Research-and-Ratings/MLB-gate.aspx

CLOSE