The first large graph in the article entitled "average ticket sales per game" across MLB clearly shows the effect of recessions following bursting of the dot-com (2001) and housing (2009) bubbles. Attendance quickly rebounded the first time; the second, not so much. I suspect this reflects a fundamental trend toward simple caution with money, as opposed to a "millennial" and/or "digital" explanation. With respect to individual teams, good vs. bad, the smaller graph of the Yankees' attendance shows a monotonic slide (from 50K+ to 40K per game) since the opening of their new stadium in 2009 (with $1.2B in public subsidies), despite 4 division titles and 8 play-off appearances. And Tampa Bay has the second-worst attendance in MLB this year (14.7K per game) despite qualifying for the playoffs. Meanwile, the typically sub-0.500 Royals (0.364 right now) have managed to average a steady 20K (18.5 K this year), with a huge World Series bump in 2015, despite serving a much smaller market (2M vs. 20M). The Royals' payroll and average ticket price are half those of the Yankees. The Royals also play in a half-century-old stadium built for $70M (ca. $400M today, one-fifth the cost of the new Yankee Stadium). All of the above assumes that reported attendance statistics bear some correspondence to reality, which may or may not be true.
Last Edited: 10/1/2019 2:14:17 PM by CafTud