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Grapefruit, Cactus Leagues See Average Spring Training Attendance Drop

MLB Spring Training average attendance was down 5% this season compared to '12, when there was no competition from the World Baseball Classic. An earlier start also led to 27 more Spring Training games this season. The Grapefruit League saw a 3% drop, while the Cactus League. dropped 7%. The Yankees once again led the league in average attendance. The Pirates saw the biggest jump with an increase of over 13%, up to 6,229 fans per game. The Reds, coming off a division title, received a 9.7% increase over last season. The Cubs, in their final season at Mesa's Hohokam Stadium, averaged 8,552 fans. Cactus League parks played host to 13 WBC exhibitions versus MLB teams (THE DAILY).

GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE ATTENDANCE
HOME TEAM
GMS
TOTAL
AVG.
PREV.
% +/-
GMS ('12)
Yankees
16
164,796
10,300
10,855
-5.1%
15
Red Sox
17
164,840
9,696
9,464
2.5%
16
Phillies
16
138,313
8,645
9,593
-9.9%
16
Tigers
17
136,858
8,050
7,935
1.5%
17
Braves
18
134,811
7,490
7,489
0.0%
17
Orioles
17
120,455
7,086
7,093
-0.1%
15
Twins
17
113,845
6,697
7,344
-8.8%
16
Pirates
15
93,433
6,229
5,493
13.4%
15
Cardinals
16
98,715
6,170
6,604
-6.6%
13
Rays
17
90,935
5,349
5,495
-2.7%
16
Nationals
16
85,270
5,329
4,880
9.2%
15
Blue Jays
16
78,509
4,907
4,751
3.3%
16
Mets
17
83,412
4,907
5,358
-8.4%
15
Marlins
15
65,136
4,342
4,843
-10.3%
14
Astros
16
53,602
3,350
4,027
-16.8%
14
GRAPEFRUIT TOTALS
246
1,622,930
6,597
6,799
-3.0%
230
CACTUS LEAGUE ATTENDANCE
HOME TEAM
GMS
TOTAL
AVG.
PREV.
% +/-
GMS ('12)
D'Backs
16
176,336
11,021
11,677
-5.6%
16
Giants
15
161,558
10,771
10,520
2.4%
16
Rockies
14
133,240
9,517
10,143
-6.2%
18
Cubs
17
145,381
8,552
9,580
-10.7%
16
Dodgers
17
138,994
8,176
8,118
0.7%
15
Angels
16
119,924
7,495
8,675
-13.6%
15
Mariners
16
107,894
6,743
7,899
-14.6%
13
Rangers
17
111,728
6,572
7,460
-11.9%
14
White Sox
14
85,958
6,140
6,417
-4.3%
17
A's
16
88,202
5,513
5,798
-4.9%
10
Royals
17
86,029
5,061
5,083
-0.4%
15
Padres
19
92,638
4,876
5,460
-10.7%
17
Brewers
15
72,995
4,866
5,574
-12.7%
16
Indians
17
77,590
4,564
4,677
-2.4%
16
Reds
15
63,640
4,243
3,867
9.7%
16
CACTUS TOTALS
241
1,662,107
6,897
7,444
-7.3%
230
MLB TOTALS
487
3,285,037
6,745
7,121
-5.3%
460
 

NOTE: Does not include games played against World Baseball Classic teams, college teams or games played outside of Spring Training venues.

 

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