The D-backs this past weekend "drew 100,384 fans for the first three games of their series against the Phillies, its highest attendance for any weekend so far this season," according to Sarah McLellan of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. Saturday's game, which featured Star Wars Day and a bobblehead giveaway at Chase Field, drew an announced crowd of 40,557, which is the ballpark's second-largest crowd this season to date. Only the season opener (49,016) drew more. During the team’s previous homestand, it "had 95,574 in attendance for a Friday through Sunday set against the Brewers." D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall said the club, currently 20 games over .500, has "seen a nice lift over the last two homestands.” Hall: “A contributing factor has been the 4,000 sold for the ballpark pass. But beyond that, we have seen a steady climb and a great deal of excitement." Hall added that almost 50% of those who "purchased the sold-out Ballpark Summer Pass, which allows fans to attend every home game in June and July for $50, were first-time buyers." Hall: "This was a part of the strategy -- get younger, first-time visitors, and it is happening. Hope they make it a habit" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 6/26).
SUCCESSFUL MODEL: SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Eric Fisher cited data from MLBAM as showing that across the league, "more than 500,000 tickets have been sold through Ballpark Pass products so far this year, roughly five times the amount at a comparable point last year," and 2 1/2 times last season's final tally. The "most popular age range for a Ballpark Pass buyer this season is 26-27" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 6/26 issue).
