New York, NY, United States (AHN Sports) – Spurred by a number of pictures showing empty stadiums throughout the first few weeks of the 2011 Major League Baseball season, a study by a major media outlet recently revealed MLB attendance has decreased by an average of 304 fans per game (less than 1 percent).
According to CNBC’s Darren Rovell, 16 of the 30 Major Leaguie teams have seen their attendance decline compared to the same time period last season.
That 2010 season saw MLB’s attendance figures drop for the third-straight year after a record high in 2007 that was the culmination of several years of atttendance increasing.
However, some teams like the 8-10 Toronto Blue Jays (+41.7 percent) and 9-9 Oakland A’s (+25.9) have enjoyed a significant increase despite middling records.
Though not much of a surprise, defending AL and NL champs the Texas Rangers (+22.0) and San Francisco Giants (+21.1) are also enjoying a significant increase in attendance.
Meanwhile, teams with traditionally strong attendance records like the Chicago Cubs (-16.0) and Los Angeles Dodgers have seen their ticket sales plummet.
The Tampa Bay Rays (-25.6) and Seattle Mariners (-23.1) have gotten the absolute worst of declining ticket sales.
Not even a large market or new stadium has stopped the economy from taking a bite out of attendance figures. The New York Mets are having trouble filling up CitiField, drawing a 7.8 percent decrease and the Yankees aren’t doing much better, drawing an average of 5.9 percent less fans per game.
In addition to a poor economy, high ticket prices for premium seats and the inclination of fans to enjoy the game on their warm, confortable couch are also believed to be reasons for the attendance decline.
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