MLB finishes 2011 with 5th Highest Attendance Ever

[yankeebiscuitfan]

Press Release Major League Baseball



Major League Baseball announced today that the 30 Clubs eclipsed the attendance of the 2009 and 2010 seasons by drawing 73,425,568 fans in the 2011 regular season, marking the fifth highest attendance in the sport’s history and the most since the 2008 season (78,588,004).

This season’s total attendance was 0.5 percent greater than last year’s total of 73,054,407, which included six more games played (2,424) than this season (2,418). Overall, the last eight years make up the eight best-attended seasons in the history of Major League Baseball, including four record-breaking years. Eighteen of the Major League Clubs finished the 2011 season with an increase over their 2010 attendance. Nine Clubs drew more than three million fans this season, while 13 Clubs topped the 2.5 million mark.

Major League Baseball earned the increase despite unusually inclement weather throughout much of the regular season. The last time a regular season had more rainouts than this year’s 51 was 1997, which had 54.

For the first time ever, the Philadelphia Phillies led all of Major League Baseball in overall and average attendance with franchise records of 3,680,718 total fans and a per-game average of 45,441 at Citizens Bank Park, which has now hosted 204 consecutive regular season sellouts. The New York Yankees paced the American League with 3,653,680 fans, averaging 45,107 fans per game at Yankee Stadium. Many Clubs saw milestones in their markets this season. In addition to the Phillies, three other Clubs – the Milwaukee Brewers, the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers – set franchise records. The Boston Red Sox sold out each of their 81 home games, extending their Major League-record streak of consecutive sellouts at Fenway Park to 712. The Club that saw the largest year-to-year increase was the Cleveland Indians, who drew nearly 450,000 more fans than 2010. The Colorado Rockies and the Pittsburgh Pirates drew their largest season totals since 2001.

The excitement of both the American League and National League Wild Card races and the competition for home-field advantage, which went down to the final day of the season in both Leagues, helped make the season’s last weekend the second-best attended of 2011, with 1,629,105 fans attending from Friday through Sunday. The weekend was highlighted by 626,838 fans attending the 17 games on Saturday, the seventh highest single-day attendance total in MLB history and the best one-day total since May 17, 2008. Last Saturday’s contests drew an average crowd of 36,873 per game. Yesterday, the final day of the regular season brought eight games that impacted the Postseason.

[RickD]

Color me shocked. I mean all the stories early on made it appear this was going to be a down year.

As a baseball fan I am glad to hear this though.

[Old Sweater]

Real good news for us baseball fans. Rockies had a down year competitive wise, so the increase in attendance is real nice. Could be that Denver and Colorado is starting to be more of a baseball town.

BR's total is just a little different but here is the table...........

http://www.baseball-reference.com/le...tendance.shtml

Rk	Tm	2010_Games	2010_Attend	2010_AttendpGm	2011_Games	2011_Attend	2011_AttendpGm	Direction	Difference	DiffPerGame
1	ARI	81	2,057,224	25,398	81	2,105,432	25,993	UP	48,208	595
2	ATL	81	2,510,121	30,989	81	2,372,940	29,296	DOWN	-137,181	-1,694
3	BAL	81	1,733,019	21,395	81	1,755,461	21,672	UP	22,442	277
4	BOS	81	3,046,445	37,610	81	3,054,001	37,704	UP	7,556	93
5	CHC	81	3,062,973	37,814	81	3,017,966	37,259	DOWN	-45,007	-556
6	CHW	81	2,194,378	27,091	81	2,001,117	24,705	DOWN	-193,261	-2,386
7	CIN	81	2,060,550	25,439	81	2,213,588	27,328	UP	153,038	1,889
8	CLE	81	1,391,644	17,181	81	1,840,835	22,726	UP	449,191	5,546
9	COL	81	2,875,245	35,497	81	2,909,777	35,923	UP	34,532	426
10	DET	81	2,461,237	30,386	81	2,642,045	32,618	UP	180,808	2,232
11	FLA	78	1,444,635	18,521	78	1,477,462	18,942	UP	32,827	421
12	HOU	81	2,331,490	28,784	81	2,067,016	25,519	DOWN	-264,474	-3,265
13	KCR	81	1,615,326	19,942	81	1,724,450	21,290	UP	109,124	1,347
14	LAA	81	3,250,754	40,133	81	3,166,321	39,090	DOWN	-84,433	-1,042
15	LAD	81	3,562,318	43,979	81	2,935,139	36,236	DOWN	-627,179	-7,743
16	MIL	81	2,776,531	34,278	81	3,071,373	37,918	UP	294,842	3,640
17	MIN	81	3,223,640	39,798	81	3,168,116	39,113	DOWN	-55,524	-685
18	NYM	81	2,573,077	31,766	81	2,352,596	29,044	DOWN	-220,481	-2,722
19	NYY	81	3,765,807	46,491	81	3,653,680	45,107	DOWN	-112,127	-1,384
20	OAK	81	1,418,391	17,511	81	1,476,791	18,232	UP	58,400	721
21	PHI	81	3,647,249	45,028	81	3,680,718	45,441	UP	33,469	413
22	PIT	81	1,613,399	19,919	81	1,940,429	23,956	UP	327,030	4,037
23	SDP	81	2,131,774	26,318	81	2,143,018	26,457	UP	11,244	139
24	SEA	81	2,085,168	25,743	84	1,939,421	23,088	DOWN	-145,747	-2,654
25	SFG	81	3,037,267	37,497	81	3,387,303	41,819	UP	350,036	4,321
26	STL	81	3,301,218	40,756	81	3,093,954	38,197	DOWN	-207,264	-2,559
27	TBR	81	1,865,002	23,025	81	1,529,188	18,879	DOWN	-335,814	-4,146
28	TEX	81	2,505,171	30,928	81	2,946,949	36,382	UP	441,778	5,454
29	TOR	81	1,625,555	20,069	81	1,818,103	22,446	UP	192,548	2,377
30	WSN	80	1,808,039	22,600	80	1,940,478	24,256	UP	132,439	1,655
	total	2426	72,974,647	30,080	2429	73,425,667	30,229	UP	451,020	186

[Old Sweater]

My gosh, the wheeling dealing Billy Beane has drove the A's into the basement below the Florida clubs.

[Old Sweater]

Here is a table with the correct rankings relative to attendance............

Rk	Tm	2010_Games	2010_Attend	2010_AttendpGm	2011_Games	2011_Attend ▾	2011_AttendpGm	Direction	Difference	DiffPerGame
1	PHI	81	3,647,249	45,028	81	3,680,718	45,441	UP	33,469	413
2	NYY	81	3,765,807	46,491	81	3,653,680	45,107	DOWN	-112,127	-1,384
3	SFG	81	3,037,267	37,497	81	3,387,303	41,819	UP	350,036	4,321
4	MIN	81	3,223,640	39,798	81	3,168,116	39,113	DOWN	-55,524	-685
5	LAA	81	3,250,754	40,133	81	3,166,321	39,090	DOWN	-84,433	-1,042
6	STL	81	3,301,218	40,756	81	3,093,954	38,197	DOWN	-207,264	-2,559
7	MIL	81	2,776,531	34,278	81	3,071,373	37,918	UP	294,842	3,640
8	BOS	81	3,046,445	37,610	81	3,054,001	37,704	UP	7,556	93
9	CHC	81	3,062,973	37,814	81	3,017,966	37,259	DOWN	-45,007	-556
10	TEX	81	2,505,171	30,928	81	2,946,949	36,382	UP	441,778	5,454
11	LAD	81	3,562,318	43,979	81	2,935,139	36,236	DOWN	-627,179	-7,743
12	COL	81	2,875,245	35,497	81	2,909,777	35,923	UP	34,532	426
13	DET	81	2,461,237	30,386	81	2,642,045	32,618	UP	180,808	2,232
14	ATL	81	2,510,121	30,989	81	2,372,940	29,296	DOWN	-137,181	-1,694
15	NYM	81	2,573,077	31,766	81	2,352,596	29,044	DOWN	-220,481	-2,722
16	CIN	81	2,060,550	25,439	81	2,213,588	27,328	UP	153,038	1,889
17	SDP	81	2,131,774	26,318	81	2,143,018	26,457	UP	11,244	139
18	ARI	81	2,057,224	25,398	81	2,105,432	25,993	UP	48,208	595
19	HOU	81	2,331,490	28,784	81	2,067,016	25,519	DOWN	-264,474	-3,265
20	CHW	81	2,194,378	27,091	81	2,001,117	24,705	DOWN	-193,261	-2,386
21	WSN	80	1,808,039	22,600	80	1,940,478	24,256	UP	132,439	1,655
22	PIT	81	1,613,399	19,919	81	1,940,429	23,956	UP	327,030	4,037
23	SEA	81	2,085,168	25,743	84	1,939,421	23,088	DOWN	-145,747	-2,654
24	CLE	81	1,391,644	17,181	81	1,840,835	22,726	UP	449,191	5,546
25	TOR	81	1,625,555	20,069	81	1,818,103	22,446	UP	192,548	2,377
26	BAL	81	1,733,019	21,395	81	1,755,461	21,672	UP	22,442	277
27	KCR	81	1,615,326	19,942	81	1,724,450	21,290	UP	109,124	1,347
28	TBR	81	1,865,002	23,025	81	1,529,188	18,879	DOWN	-335,814	-4,146
29	FLA	78	1,444,635	18,521	78	1,477,462	18,942	UP	32,827	421
30	OAK	81	1,418,391	17,511	81	1,476,791	18,232	UP	58,400	721
	total	2426	72,974,647	30,080	2429	73,425,667	30,229	UP	451,020	186

http://www.baseball-reference.com/le...tendance.shtml


^ here is the BR link again where you can click of the header for other sortable rankings.

[Mr. Baseball]

This certainly caught me by surprise also. I remember earlier in the season, we were talking about how this was a down year for baseball due too the economy. How's that for a turn-around?

[EazyMack]

Pleasantly surprised, after the dismal start this year.