Major League Baseball (MLB) is experiencing its worst attendance figures in almost 15 years as the regular season comes to a close.
Attendance league-wide is down overall year-on-year and the lowest it has been since 2003. With an average gate of 29,886, it is the first time the figure has dropped below 30,000 since the 27,831 recorded in 2003.
According to data collected by ESPN, some 70,082,929 tickets have been sold during the 2017 season, which is down 483,000 or 0.7 per cent on 2016.
The average gate during 2017, with just a few days of games to go, is 29,886, compared to 30,105 last year.
Leading the majors in average attendance is the L.A. Dodgers with 46,428, followed by St. Louis with 42,519, San Francisco with 40,828, the New York Yankees with 40,283 and Chicago with 39,497. Several clubs still have home games this year, so these figures could change before the end of the season.
The Atlanta Braves moved into the new SunTrust Park this season, but despite a 41,000 capacity, the team has an average gate of 30,800.
MLB attendance is measured by the number of tickets sold, not the number of tickets scanned at the gates.
ESPN ran a poll at the beginning of the regular season, which included the question: “How do you rate the state of the games popularity?”
While 21 per cent of the 70,000+ polled said baseball is gaining popularity, 34 per cent said it is declining and fewer than half the respondents (45 per cent) feel baseball is maintaining its fan base and popularity in American sports culture.
NFL attendances have been in the spotlight this week following a spat involving President Trump.
IMAGE: RWelborn
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