You know what would be fun to talk about while the Yankees storm into first place?
Attendance figures:
"If early-season baseball attendance in New York is a referendum on just how far our teams can push their fan bases, the fans in Flushing and the Bronx have voted, and the results appear to be pretty definitive.
The answer is, not much further."
I know a lot of people who've been to Yankee Stadium and Citifield and everybody has loved the new stadiums and their overall experience.
"So far, the Yankees are averaging 44,636 in their new crib, the Mets 38,806."
Whoa! That's a lot!
"If baseball is so popular in this town and Yankees and Mets games truly are must-see events, as both clubs insisted throughout the offseason, why aren't there 10,000 people milling around outside their ballparks every game night, trying to buy up every last ticket in the house, and the rest going home empty-handed and disappointed?"
Yankes games are not must-see events unless it's the playoffs or it's a regular-season game vs. the Red Sox or the Mets.
I can guarantee that 10,000 people never milled around old Yankee Stadium looking for mid-May tickets vs. Baltimore.
If they did this in 2009, they are fools: They could have just gone to stubhub.
"But in a metropolitan area that certainly has more than 83,442 people - the combined average attendance at both parks - wealthy enough to buy their way into these exclusive clubs dressed as ballparks, there has to be something more to it.
It just might be that the remarkably deep-pocketed, thick-skinned and resilient sports fans of this town finally have reached their limit."
83,000 people per day is a lot of people. Your observation is quite contradictory and ignorant.
By the way, yes, the New York Metropolitan area definitely has more than 83,442 people. Tens of millions of people. So, good job with the demographic analysis.
"Clearly, people are opting out of spending exorbitant amounts to witness baseball games in the flesh, especially when it is much more economical, not to mention fan-friendly, to simply plop down in the recliner in front of the HDTV, crack a beer, pop your own corn and not have to contend with traffic, or shell out $19 for parking and $10 for tolls, and heaven knows how much else at the concession stands.
It's simply no longer worth it, no matter how good the team is or how deeply ingrained in your DNA the ritual of going to the ballpark on a summer night really is."
Except for those 83,000 people per day.
3 comments:
What about the fact that the Yankees still have the highest average attendance in 2009? Talk about twisting the facts to make your point. Irresponsible.
In 1927, the average attendance at YS was 14,371. I checked the census records and, sure enough, New York City had more than 14,371 people.
In 1954, after the Yankees had won their fifth Championship in a row, the average attendance was 18,212.
In 1961, the average attendance was 21,577.
In 2001, as the Yankees were going for four straight titles, the average attendance was 40,307.
I have been to Yankee Stadium many times over the decades. Sometimes, the team was bad and sometimes the team was good. I never remember 10,000 people clamoring outside the ballpark, fighting for tickets, going home disappointed and empty-handed. Maybe baseball has never been popular in the New York Metroplitan area after all.
I have been a fan of your blog for a while and this post was great because for the first time I had actually read the article you were responding to before I read your response.
What absolute asshats. It'll be interesting seeing all of these "journalists" kiss the Yanks ass when we get to 27.
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