Attendance

[nsacpi]

The crowds this year have struck me as being very enthusiastic. Early in the year it was the Upton brothers, then Gattis, then being in first place. The home record probably helps, but the causality runs both ways there. Big enthusiastic crowds certainly can help the home team.

Anyhow the numbers show we are averaging 32,412, up 2,462 per game from last year. We are one of the bigger attendance gainers this year. Washington is up even more, though it will be interesting to see if having a below .500 team starts having an effect. The Mets, Phillies and Marlins are down. The Marlins decline (11,011 per game) is the biggest in the majors, no surprise there.

The Phillies are down 5,960, the second biggest drop in baseball, but still have the best average attendance in the NL East. I think this is a franchise that hasn't used its financial muscle very wisely and could be in trouble the next few years. They have a tough choice to make between trying to squeeze one more competitive season out of an aging and expensive crew or going the rebuilding route.

Circling back to the Braves, I've been struck by the buzz and enthusiasm of the home crowds. They seem to get behind the team when it is down and expect some sort of rally. And the team has rewarded them with some dramatic comebacks. I'm struck by the divergence between what I'm sensing at the stadium and what seems to be more than usual whining and frustration expressed on message boards. Maybe someone in Atlanta can say more about whether there is a lot of buzz about this team in the city.

[ProbationDeac]

The crowds (especially on the weekend) have been pretty good even when we've had significant amounts of away team fans (see Cardinal fans this weekend). I actually think that makes fans that normally might not be as enthuastic clap and cheer a little louder.

[thethe]

Hopefully the addtional butts in the seats translate to several million more dollars in operating revenues and that money is put back into the team.

[jsebe10]

The crowds (especially on the weekend) have been pretty good even when we've had significant amounts of away team fans (see Cardinal fans this weekend). I actually think that makes fans that normally might not be as enthuastic clap and cheer a little louder.

A lot of that is due in part to the front office offering better deals or packages making the game much more affordable for people. I was dissapointed once this year only when they made parking permit only the very last minute. Outside traffic by the stadium was a complete abortion.

[jpx7]

I've been to three away games this season (one at Miller Park, two at US Cellular), and honestly even the Braves crowds at those games were more ample and energized than what I've customarily seen the past few seasons.

I'll see if that holds for the three-game series at Wrigley in late September.