MLB Attendance Down 4.7%; Tigers, Blue Jays Off Despite Strong Play
MLB teams are averaging 29,047 fans per game through May 10, down 4.7% from the same period a year ago, and American League teams are seeing a decline at the gate of 4.2%. The Yankees opened their new ballpark this season with smaller capacity and higher ticket prices, and attendance has dropped 12.6% from the same period last year. The Tigers have the AL's biggest drop of 29.4% despite being tied for the lead in the AL Central standings with the Royals, who are seeing a 9.2% bump at a renovated Kauffman Stadium. Also seeing a sharp drop are the Blue Jays (-21.5%), who are surprisingly in command of the AL East standings. Six AL teams are seeing gains thus far, with the Rays, building off their World Series appearance last year, showing a 40.1% gains in average attendance. The chart below lists team-by-team attendance for the AL, with comparisons to the same period from '08. Seeing tomorrow's issue of THE DAILY for NL attendance (THE DAILY).
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MLB: AL ATTENDANCE THROUGH MAY 10
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|
HOME TEAM
|
GMS
|
TOTAL
|
AVG.
|
% CAP.
|
PREV.
|
% +/-
|
GMS ('08)
|
|
Yankees*
|
13
|
579,020
|
44,540
|
85.1%
|
50,982
|
-12.6%
|
18
|
|
Angels
|
17
|
708,993
|
41,705
|
92.2%
|
39,471
|
5.7%
|
18
|
|
Red Sox
|
17
|
641,776
|
37,752
|
101.5%
|
37,594
|
0.4%
|
19
|
|
Tigers
|
13
|
346,296
|
26,638
|
64.6%
|
37,726
|
-29.4%
|
20
|
|
White Sox
|
15
|
398,804
|
26,587
|
65.5%
|
25,789
|
3.1%
|
16
|
| Rays |
13
|
343,365
|
26,413
|
71.4%
|
18,857
|
40.1%
|
19
|
| Mariners |
14
|
356,377
|
25,456
|
53.2%
|
25,823
|
-1.4%
|
20
|
| Twins |
20
|
496,956
|
24,848
|
53.3%
|
25,743
|
-3.5%
|
19
|
| Rangers |
14
|
317,583
|
22,685
|
46.1%
|
22,955
|
-1.2%
|
15
|
| Orioles |
20
|
449,956
|
22,498
|
46.7%
|
21,172
|
6.3%
|
16
|
| Indians |
15
|
323,150
|
21,543
|
47.7%
|
23,798
|
-9.5%
|
21
|
| Royals |
17
|
340,625
|
20,037
|
52.5%
|
18,342
|
9.2%
|
17
|
| Blue Jays |
15
|
300,217
|
20,014
|
40.4%
|
25,485
|
-21.5%
|
19
|
| A's |
16
|
298,330
|
18,646
|
53.2%
|
19,955
|
-6.6%
|
21
|
| AL TOTALS |
219
|
5,901,448
|
26,947
|
62.4%
|
28,121
|
-4.2%
|
258
|
| MLB TOTALS |
468
|
13,593,840
|
29,047
|
69.0%
|
30,469
|
-4.7%
|
550
|
NOTES: Teams can exceed 100% capacity because of standing-room only ticket sales. All attendance figures are based on totals posted immediately following games. It may not reflect any subsequent adjustments made by teams or leagues. * = The Yankees played the '08 season at old Yankee Stadium, which had a greater capacity than their current stadium.
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