In a word, the answer is ‘yes.’ MLB’s numbers aren’t good and the trend line is moving in the wrong direction.
In the old days (not that long ago, actually) attendance was the gold standard of a sport’s health. That’s just not true today. TV and an array of online media platforms have changed the formula.
That doesn’t mean game attendance is irrelevant. It’s is especially important for the stewards of a sport, the folks who sweat over dollars and cents. And the MLB stewards are concerned. The numbers aren’t good and the trend line is moving in the wrong direction.
Overall MLB attendance was down 4% in 2018. While that loss won’t turn heads, this number will: MLB experienced the lowest average game attendance in 15 years.
Leading the list of teams with the lowest overall attendance figures were the two Florida teams—the Marlins (at #1) followed by the Rays. Others were the Pirates, A’s, and Orioles. For sure, performance had something to do with the numbers: Miami and Baltimore had bad years on the diamond. But the Rays had a good season and the A’s are in the playoffs.
What’s it all mean?
A handful of teams (the teams you’d expect) are doing well at the turnstiles—the Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, and Cardinals top of that list.
That doesn’t mean fans have turned their backs on the game. And it doesn’t necessarily mean that fans aren’t watching. There are lots of ways to engage as a baseball fan, and going to the park—an expensive, time-consuming proposition—is just one.
Many sports face the same problem.
The competition for fans’ attention and dollars has expanded exponentially. There’s no cheap ticket in pro sports these days. And that’s just one reason why family-oriented, less expensive options, like Minor League Baseball (MiLB), are attractive.
But even MiLB may not be as attractive as we have come to expect. MiLB attendance was also down in 2018, dipping below 40 million total fans for the first time in nearly 15 years. It’s not surprising that attendance leaders were teams located in metro areas that have major pro sports—just not in baseball–Charlotte, Indianapolis, Nashville, and Columbus. But, to their credit, cities like Allentown (Lehigh Valley) and Dayton drew really well, too.
Other clubs and cities, like Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, were able to hold the line. The RailRiders drew 387k in 2018 with per game attendance dropping only about 300 fans year-to-year.
It’s clear, though, that baseball needs to develop new and innovative ways to monetize its brand. Every pro sport needs to do that, but the situation in baseball is particularly challenging. It’s because of the sport itself. Baseball isn’t pro football (at the top of the sports food chain) or pro basketball (a hot property that’s on the rise). And it doesn’t have promise, like soccer. Baseball—truth be told—is in decline.
Baseball is not what it used to be—the nation’s pastime. For too many, it’s past time—not exciting, too slow, less compelling, and no longer possessing magnetic attraction.
But here’s the thing: there’s a yin and yang in sports, just as there is in life.
Marty Brennaman (left) & Joe Nuxhall announcing a Reds game (photo, Pinterest)
When I was a kid, baseball held my rapt attention. My team was the Cincinnati Reds. Just about every night–and almost 500 miles away–I I listened to Marty Brennaman and gravel-voiced Joe Nuxhall announce Reds’ games on the radio.
Then college football and basketball came into my sports life. I literally (I mean literally) forgot about baseball — for decades. I stopped following the Reds. I didn’t pay attention to the game in the daily newspaper.
Now things have changed. Baseball is back in my life.
I’ve found renewed joy in the game—its slower pace, especially. There’s time to think about hitting, pitching, and baserunning strategy. There’s time to ruminate over defensive alignments. Unlike football, you can actually SEE players’ faces; and, unlike basketball, you can sustain a conversation with the person sitting next to you.
Yeah, baseball’s numbers aren’t good. But I think it’s right-sizing to the realities of today’s sports culture. Baseball won’t go away unless we turn away. I don’t think we will. I know I won’t.
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