MLB average attendance drops 6.7 percent in 2009

BadBob wrote - "Red Sox attendance this season will exceed 3 million, a record. The team currently has well over 500 consecutive sellouts. Yet the success at Fenway doesn't get a nod in the MLB attendance story". Hey BadReadingCompBob - Let me guess... reading comprehension was not your best subject in school. The story is 6 tiny paragraphs, maybe only 100 words total. Only 2 of the 30 teams in baseball are even mentioned but BOTH facts you're whining about are clearly presented. Did you even read the story, or are you too fearful of your beloved Red Sox soon to be early exit from the playoffs???

I just love the quote from this AP article, "Part of the drop was due to smaller capacities at two new ballparks in New York." Really? The drop in attendance was nearly 5.3 million fans, those two NY parks must be tiny. I would have to guess that fans stayed away because these @#$% teams continually/annually/unbelievably raise ticket prices. Bleacher tickets to a Reds/Cubs game? How 'bout $150? Bud cares. MLB cares. I could care less, nothing better than the NFL on tv.

Why pay BIG bucks for this FREAK Show. Fans have been robbed blind by bogus stars/stats, rings, awards ... since 1992 by Bud Selig representing PT Barnum type owners with a casual nod to steroid users.

It's still going on today, MLB refuses to investigate new ways to mask old drugs and new drugs on the market.

MLB + Bud Selig = MLBS

This matter should be turned over to the Obama administration--------Hey tax payers-lets bail out the MLB forget putting food on your table---M.Cabara of the Tigers needs an extra $100,000.00 so that he can get drunk during Championship time. I wonder if we can get the players to take a cut in pay, so that the MLB will cut there prices, We the Tax Payers need to wake up.

Anybody wanna bet that POO-Holes gets revealed as a juicer after this season? He can go before congress and say "Hablo Espanol...Solomente...No Hablo Ingles" - - Card fans can cry in their foreign-owned Budweiser over that one...

An $8 hot dog??? That better be a brat, because even at Yankee stadium where a Bud Lite is $9, a hot dog is still $4

Lets all hope that going to your local professional baseball teams stadium doesn't wind up costing an arm and a leg and then some ... like it does now when one goes to an NBA game...despite the city at hand.

Unless you have an income of a CEO or a Hollywood movie-star you had betterjust forget about going to the Staple Center and seeing a Lakers game or for that matter ... a Clippers game.

Go ANGELS!!!!

See ya all there!

Get over yourself poppop. There are tons of legitimate baseball players, its no the players that are the problem, its the agents and selig.

I would not do anything that resulted in these druggies getting money. So, the steroids are replaced by Ritalin. In the latest sign stealing situation, baseball players and management agree that they all are cheaters. Calling baseball a sport is ludicrous.
Try getting athletes to play the sport. The only respectable baseball player is Ichiro.

Baseball players of today are NOT baseball players, just a bunch of whimps that make way too much money. They don't play through their so called injuries. I don't my family to the games anymore as the parking and concessions are way too high. Are you telling me that some of the players are worth 25 to 50 mil to play ball, NOT.Lower the salaries and you might get the seats filled again. I did say might., not me thou. I got better things to spend my money on. Baseball business is going to keep losing fans due the increase of prices that involves baseball.

#47, attendance is counted as tickets sold, not gate. If 20,000 tickets are sold for a game, and say 18,000 actually show up, it's still listed as 20,000 attendance.

The problem is, many of these new stadiums are built with the corporate and high-end attendees in mind. Things like luxury boxes, high priced seats on the lower levels with concierge services, padded seats, and the such. Problem is, most of these "fans" are the fickle fair weather type and are the first to jump off the bandwagon once a team has a loosing season. As a life long Padres fan, (my season long boycott will apparently end at 2pm Saturday.) I was appalled when Petco opened and ticket prices went through the roof. Now, as the Padres suffer through the second in what may be a few bad seasons, those fickle fans have left, the park is empty, and the prices are still high.

And while the Dodgers have affordable prices, the $15 for parking is insane. We park outside and walk in. We hardly ever eat in the stadium, so a $12 seat, is a $12 seat.

RIch Aurilia is still alive???

So what if a beer costs $10 and a hot dog $8. It's not that difficult to go 4 hours without eating, and with a little discipline 2 beers can last most of the game. Ask yourself how much do you waste on fast food per month? You will find the price of a stadium hot dog and beer is irrelevant!!! Just stop complaining and enjoy the great game of baseball.

Let's see- players with BA's of .234 or ERA's of 5.97 getting 4,5, 6 plus million a year-Check. Parking fees doubled last 10 years-Check. Hot Dogs, soda's, beer, etc prices doubled or tripled last 10 years-Check. Players rarely give of their time or autographs to fans anymore-Check. Ticket prices up 50% last 10 years-Check. GREED up across all sports 100%-BIG CHECK. Fans starting to not show up to be robbed-Priceless. If fans of NASCAR, NFL, MLB, and other pro sports would ban together for just a short while the greed would and could be stopped. These "sports" have held us the fans hostage for years while showing no restraint to cutting any costs at all. In fact right now we have the MLB Players Union and the NFL Players Union getting ready to do battle with the owners to figure out how to raise costs even higher, which means today's prices will seem cheap in coming season's.

#54 - I blame the economics of baseball, namely 'Buy a pennant'. The other major sports leagues actually have something called competitive balance.

Red Sox attendance this season will exceed 3 million, a record. The team currently has well over 500 consecutive sellouts. Yet the success at Fenway doesn't get a nod in the MLB attendance story. Yes, the price of food at ballparks is obscene. Plus, it tastes lousy. Forget the steroid probe. Have the Feds investigate who owns the concessions.

Re: 57 TEM.... I agree with you on the food prices. Something needs to be done about that aspect of the baseball experience. I can go to a store to buy seeds for $1.50 but have to pay $5.75 at the ball park. Doesn't make any sense, why rip off the fans and why jack the prices that high?

The lowly Texas Rangers are putting together a nice little team, mostly developed on the farm, and they are still developing. They are up 14% and they have an owner that is busted so they have to do it in-house.

Unions are bankrupting this country and MLB will very likely go down in flames. Amazing how stupid the owners can be when you consider they are the cream of the crop in the world of business.

I don't care if I am able or not able to afford more games. I love the sport for what it is, America's Pastime! No other can claim they have the rich history that baseball has.

Lower the food costs as well. You pay $5.50 for a hot dog, $4.25 for some fries.. $3.50 for a drink. Thats where all the money is going. Why should people have to go bankrupt to enjoy some food at a ball game? It just makes no sense. They will make more than enough with lower priced food.. if everyone who goes there is buying a lot you make more than enough. But with the way the prices are now people will not always buy things or just one thing and save. It just makes no sense why fans have to be ripped off in food prices. Its just bad business on the parts of baseball clubs to do this. Lower the tickets, lower the food prices, make parking affordable and you will see those stadiums filled up every single game all season long.

...At least the Dodgers have the best average attendance at home (46,174 & 52.2% Capacity) and they still have 3 games to go. Last year they averaged 46,056 & 82.2% last year. With a sellout on all three (56,00) games they will raise their average to 46,537 & 83.1% cap. Yes, I am a Dodger fan, but honestly I don't care if the attendance is lower. I would still go to games. I went to 10 Dodger games, (3 at Dodger Stadium, 4 at Busch Stadium & 3 at Rangers Stadium) and I thought the prices were fair. I do understand some people think the prices can be high, but I would blame it on the (Obama ;), just kidding) economy. They prices are still lower than the NFL. or the NBA.

When you start talking $8 beers and $6 hotdogs, SCREW 'EM! However, GO CARDS!

Maybe some of you don't realize that the Red Sox have the #7 ranked minor league system in all of baseball. You can only get that by investing in player development and having the right human capital in place. How about a homegrown core of Pedroia, Youkilis, Ellsbury, Papelbon, Lester, Buchholz? And how about who we had to make trades for to acquire (Beckett, Lowell, V-Mart, Bay, etc.)? There's a difference between what's going on in Boston and spending 250 million bucks in one offseason to try to land a cy young and MVP (NYY). If you want to blame somebody for ruining baseball point all fingers towards the Bronx.

ROY P is a true idiot....contributing nothing to a discussion.