MLB Is Thriving, Attendance Numbers Grow Around The League

Baseball and MLB felt like it might have joined the category of slowly dying sports over the last few years. Attendance numbers were down, games were lasting too long, and there seemed to be a general lack of interest in the game compared to other North American sports.

Attendance Numbers Are Up Around The League

MLB says yesterday was the league’s most well-attended Saturday in 8 years.

The average crowd size was 37,995, and eight games had crowds of 40,000+.

Baseball is in a great spot right now.

The games are quicker, with more hits, runs, and stolen bases — and fans are loving it. pic.twitter.com/hrXyTPrUsq

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 25, 2023

A change was desperately needed. It has been difficult to implement any drastic shifts in the way that the game of baseball is played, as there are so many baseball purists who believe that the game and rules should remain untouched. But in a world of fast-paced entertainment and shortened attention spans, 4-hour games that drug on from Wednesday night into Thursday morning were no longer benefitting the league.

So the new rules were set in place. In order to help the pace of play, the pitch clock was developed, which has the ability to penalize both pitchers and hitters for taking too long. In order to help the excitement of the game itself, the league banned the defensive shift and enlarged the actual bases, giving teams more on-base opportunities while steal numbers have sky rocketed.

It has worked out just the way that the MLB has hoped.

A glorious scene in London! ⚾️

The @Cardinals and @Cubs take the field!

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/AhICMKCf6v

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 24, 2023

According to Joe Pompliano on Twitter, baseball had its most well-attended Saturday in 8 years this past weekend. The average crowd size was 37,995, and there were eight games that had a crowd of 40,000+. Not bad for a league that has the Oakland A’s and Kansas City Royals.

The reason for the increase in interest and attendance is thanks in large part to the new rules, but there are also some hot teams around the league that people want to see. Unexpected success stories like the Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins have local fans engaged. The Reds just had their 12-game win streak snapped, and the Giants reached a double-digit last week as well.

The game is looking to expand, too. The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals played over the weekend in the latest iteration of MLB’s London Series. The Yankees and Red Sox were the first two teams to participate back in 2019.

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