MLB attendance may be declining, but people still love baseball
We examine what makes Minor League Baseball so darn lovable, and how baseball fans can continue supporting their favorite minor league clubs during the pandemic.
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
. . . The Boston Red Sox hold the record for the longest sellout streak in MLB history, officially selling out 820 consecutive home games from May 15, 2003, through April 10, 2013. During that time, they broke their famous “Curse of the Bambino” in 2004, and won another World Series title in 2007.
. . . The San Francisco Giants had the second-longest sellout streak, selling out 530 consecutive home games from 2010 to 2017. Coincidence that they won three World Series titles, in 2010, 2012, and 2014, in that period? I think not.
Leading Off
‘Baseball' Isn't Dying
By Jason Takefman
Baseball fans have been hearing this line forever in various capacities, from how the NBA has surpassed them in popularity, to the various reasons why baseball popularity is dwindling, to “it’s possible MLB Head Office may not have the internet,” to “Baseball is not a national sport anymore.”
We have heard and read it all.
Look, there is no denying that Major League Baseball has an attendance problem. Total MLB attendance has gone down more than 11 million fans– from 79 million to 67.5 million - since 2007. I don’t care how you slice that decrease or how much cable companies pay for regional broadcast rights so fans can enjoy the game from home, or any other perfectly reasonable excuses.
That decrease is enormous, and telling, and enormously telling.
I italicized the Major above because this is NOT the case with ALL of baseball. Minor League Baseball, pre-COVID, experienced 15 consecutive seasons of 40 million fans in attendance. In 2019, that total number was 41 million.
Yes, I know, comparing the average of an MLB to an MiLB game isn’t the same. The big guys win by almost 9x.
But think about that.
Imagine going to a restaurant that is far inferior in glitz and glamour, with way fewer ads than its highbrow competitors. It is way less talked about online and on sports talk radio and on fantasy sites, but it still does well.
Why?
It is, after all, your restaurant.
Because you grew up at your stadium, where your grandparents took you or maybe now you take your grandchildren. Maybe the ballpark is newer, just like you and your family, to that city, and it is a great place to meet people, or feel among friends.
You may remember players, but more importantly, you remember moments.
The giveaways. The mascot. The friendly usher. The parking attendant who has been there forever. You love the customer service, that these people appreciate your time and money and know you by name.
THAT is Minor League Baseball, a full-on competitor to Major League Baseball where fans GO to enjoy baseball live.
When people talk about ‘Baseball,’ they talk about MLB, which is going through some changes and will continue to do so. Its average fan age is 57.
MLB will incorporate gambling, uniform ads, and expanded playoffs, among other rules, in the next few years. Of that there is no doubt.
Meanwhile, I will bet you a beer at the next IBWAA meetup that you can’t go seven home games on ANY MiLB team’s 2019 promotional schedule without seeing a kids giveaway, or a “kids run the bases after the game,” or kids getting in free on a certain day, or a kids menu item.
You get the point.
Minor League Baseball is a warm hug, a needed community hub, and a place to get joyously sunburnt.
Ironically, and sadly, MiLB is needed now more than ever during this time of despair, loss, uncertainty, and lack of community touchpoints.
Now, we all know MiLB is contracting. Cities and communities are going to lose teams, and THEIR central hubs.
Pundits talk about players losing jobs and having their wages suppressed, That is true and a serious issue, but forgotten are the MANY people about to lose, or who already lost, their job due to their teams shutting down.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars in local charitable funds won’t be raised. Think of all the indirect jobs lost, from the beer and food vendors, stadium cleaners, ushers, giveaway manufacturers, etc...
Factor in COVID cancelling the 2020 season and spawning an uncertain future, and it is an awful economic calamity to an iconic sport that is traditionally an economic savior and driver.
So, I ask you this.
To support baseball, consider buying your local minor league team’s hat as a birthday present, supporting its charity or partner charity found on its website, or engaging with its social media posts.
Listen to its radio show, see what it is doing now to make ends meet during this pandemic, and patronize its sponsors that ensure the lights stay on during the off-season.
Don’t despair about the sport when ratings for MLB’s hyper-expanded playoffs are not up to expectations, player salaries decrease again this off-season, or another city gets bilked to pay for a massive stadium that will cost taxpayer dollars for generations.
Do not take out the frustration, that loud sigh and head shake, on Capital B, Baseball. There are plenty of other places to go and ways to enjoy the sport.
Extra Innings
“Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand.” - Leo Durocher
Jason Takefman is a former MiLB GM and FC/NHL Exec, and a current sports consultant. You can follow him on Twitter @jasonbtakefman.