By Joiner Martínez
For the first time in six years, more than 70 million fans will attend Major League stadiums, bolstered by the biggest changes to the field in decades.
A shot clock to speed up play, limits on defensive shifts to increase offense, new social spaces at ballparks and technological innovations to speed up entry have contributed to a 9.2% increase in average attendance to 29,176. spectators.
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred boasted of the figures achieved, to which he said: “To exceed 70 million again is an achievement for us. “I think it’s the playoff format, the balanced schedule, the rule changes this year in terms of product, the things that clubs have done locally in terms of seating options.”
“We want to be a business with more than 70 million fans year after year. We want that to become routine for us,” Manfred said. “I think we have to be a little realistic about the effect of, particularly in some of our larger markets, smaller ballparks limiting your ability to reach the absolute peak that you saw a few years ago.”
Average attendance remains below the all-time high of 32,785 in 2007 and MLB has not reached 30,000 since 2017.
24 teams increased their attendance
Attendance is based on tickets sold, not fans passing through the turnstiles. MLB registered 68.55 million fans as of Wednesday and advance sales for the weekend series guarantee 70 million.
Twenty-four teams rose, led by National League champion Philadelphia and Cincinnati. Of the six clubs with relegations, only two dropped six figures: the Chicago White Sox and Washington.
Combined with the minor leagues, baseball will exceed 100 million fans. The minor leagues attracted about 32.1 million in 7,884 games, an average of 4,076 and an increase of 3.9%.
MLB says 92% of tickets were digital this year, up from 86% last season. The trend began before the pandemic, with 14% digital in 2017 and 41% in 2019.
Teams have also put a lot of thought into food in stadiums. All 30 clubs have mobile food ordering, 25 of them through the MLB Ballpark application, four through Uber Eats and Seattle through a website. Twelve clubs offer takeout.
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