MLB spring training attendance surpasses record 4 million
Increase of 3.8 percent on average attendance, and 11.7 percent better on gross attendance; Cubs drew the most -- 222,415 fans -- to Sloan Park;
By
Dave Brown
•
1 min read
Major League Baseball attendance is doing quite well, thank you, even before opening day happens. The league announced Tuesday that it set records for average attendance and overall attendance in 2015 with 4,034,708 fans seeing games in the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues, respectively. A year before, MLB spring games drew 3,610,738 fans for a total increase of 11.7 percent, and a per-game increase of 3.8 percent.
Commissioner Rob Manfred thanked fans in a statement, which also included nuggets of information for 17 clubs. Most notably, the Chicago Cubs had a turnout of 222,415 at Sloan Park, their new facility in Mesa, Ariz., including 15,342 on March 27 against the Chicago White Sox, which set a single-game spring training record.
What's driving the attendance surge, other than the awesomeness of baseball in general? The games don't count, after all, and there's never a guarantee you'll see your favorite players take swings in the games that don't count. For one, many teams have moved into new or renovated facilities that mirror (or even improve upon, in some cases) what the major leaguers use during the regular season.
This also is worth noting, from a Twitter conversation between Dodgers blogger Roberto Baly and Los Angeles Times ball writer Bill Shaikin:
@BillShaikin Geez. There many other factors. Weather, atmosphere, seeing prospects, easy access to players, autographs, etc.
— Roberto Baly (@rbaly79) April 7, 2015
It's true that many spring training games feature only brief appearances by star players, and frequently a team won't take many of its starting pitchers. But at many spring parks, fans get access and proximity to players and activities that almost never happens at major league parks. As Roberto said, the spring training experience is a different way to consume the product. MLB recognizes this, putting premium prices on many tickets, as Bill said. Fans might not get a nine-inning pennant-race kind of game for their money, but they will get MLB up close and personal in a different way than they'll experience the rest of the season.
Here's a tip to file away if you're wanting to visit spring training someday. Go just before the games start in late February/early March for practice. It's even more laid back, and many teams (if not all) don't charge for admission. It might get boring after two or three days, but it's eye-opening at first and fun.
