MLB Drops 6.6% In Overall Attendance, But Still Fifth Best Ever
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With Tigers-Twins' Sellout Last Night, MLB
Regular Season Attendance Totals 73.42M |
With last night’s sellout in Minneapolis for the Tigers-Twins tiebreaker game, MLB announced it ended the '09 regular season with a total attendance of 73.42 million, down 6.6% from a year ago and the lowest league total since '04. The drop, while among the largest year-over-year declines in recent memory, was largely expected as many league execs had braced for a mid-single-digit percentage reduction prior to the season’s start due to the economic recession, and projected a year-end attendance of around 75 million. Twenty-two of 30 teams posted year-over-year declines in total attendance in '09, up from 15 a year ago and just seven clubs in '07. The Phillies and Red Sox each set new franchise records, while the Orioles, Mariners, Reds, Pirates, Cardinals, Padres, Giants and Nationals each set new all-time season lows for their current facilities. The Cardinals’ new low for the four-year-old Busch Stadium, however, is a bit misleading as the club still drew in excess of 3.3 million, down 2.6% from a year ago and third among NL teams. The overall total represents the fifth largest in MLB history and a 5.2% decline when factoring out the sharply reduced seating capacities for both Citi Field and the new Yankee Stadium. Among the factors helping lift the numbers against possible further declines was an unprecedented wave of discount offers and promotions that allowed many clubs to post larger-than-expected sales in walk-up and single-game advance ticket sales. “We did really well with value-based offers that fit the times and the economy we’re all dealing with,” said Rangers Exec VP/Sales Andy Silverman. “We obviously played a lot better this year, which was huge for us, but we were ready to take advantage of that and had a plan" (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).
THE COMMISSIONER SPEAKS: MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said, "To say I'm proud of these numbers and proud of what the clubs did this year to be responsive in this economy is an understatement. Compared to so many other businesses that are down by such heavy percentages, for us to be down only 6.5% is remarkable. It really speaks to the appeal of our game. The more I break these numbers down and take everything into consideration, the happier I get" (Fisher). More Selig: "As we wind up, we're not only having one of our best years -- I think our fourth or fifth best year -- but our gross revenues are very respectable. We're not certain, but they're certainly what they were last year, which is remarkable. ... We had a conference call yesterday to approve the Cubs sale and I had all 30 clubs. When I gave them the attendance number, they said this is the greatest testament of all to the popularity of this sport" ("Mike & Mike in the Morning," ESPN2, 10/7). He added, “This sport has never been this popular, and if it wasn’t, our numbers this year would have been a disaster” ("Mike Francesa," YES Network, 10/6).
TEAM-BY-TEAM BREAKDOWNS: THE DAILY today offers a team-by-team breakdown for all AL clubs. Please see yesterday's issue for a similar breakdown for NL teams.
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