Major League Baseball’s status as America’s favorite pastime is seriously under threat as attendance problems are not going away any time soon. In fact, the attendance rates continue to drop, and soon it seems as though there are only going to be hardcore fans of the sport left in the arenas. Here’s why attendances are dropping at MLB games.
The Weather
It’s no secret that when the weather is poor, baseball fans and players don’t like to go outside. Those teams that are typically located in cold weather regions of the States will often see postponements during the spring months. It was an issue last season, and season-wide attendances were down 4% which the commissioner solely blamed on the elements.
That excuse was accepted by baseball fans, but this season the attendances are largely the same as they were last year. There have been much fewer incidents of games being called off due to the weather. It seems as though the weather excuse isn’t washing for a second season in a row.
Enduring Losses
A total of 12 teams found a decrease in attendance in recent seasons and with fewer people in the arenas the MLB teams are suffering a loss of revenue. Seven of the sides facing attendance losses discovered their attendances were down by double-digit percentages, with the Blue Jays losing 33% of fans.
The March-April gates are down, despite this being a common problem in MLB, there haven’t been attendance drops quite like this before. More and more teams are finding their gate earnings are down and there’s no sign of them recovering any time soon.
Alternative Revenues
With teams less certain of revenue coming from gate receipts the MLB franchises need to ensure they are smart in other markets to ensure they remain competitive. Some franchises are still experiencing plenty of people flooding through the gates and that difference in revenue could be the difference between success and failure.
The Phillies experienced a boost in attendance by spending lots of money on Bryce Harper, but not every team can pull in a big name. Baseball is facing an uncertain future, and if attendances continue to be down across the league, a revamp is needed of how baseball portrays itself to others.