Randy White, of the White Hutchinson Leisure and Learning Group, blogged in February about the decline in attendance at NASCAR races but how this is just an example of the decline in attendance at all sporting events in general. While some people attribute the 22% decline of annual attendance at races to “the declining popularity to an aging fan base and to the improved safety… i.e. racing has become less appealing as it is now perceived as less dangerous and less edgy,” the bigger issue is the fact that people are less willing to go to out-of-town games with more and more families becoming lower income households. From 1997 to 2008, the percentage of adults that went to at least one sporting event during the prior year declined by nearly 25%, showing that this issue is broader than just NASCAR racing.
According to AOL Sports, USA Today reported of the attendance woes throughout Major League Baseball. The report showed “that six teams have already had the worst single-game attendance in their stadiums’ history. It was 13,000 in Atlanta, 12,000 in Seattle, fewer than 9,000 in Pittsburgh. The Yankees and Cubs have had uncharacteristically huge expanses of empty seats. And in Cleveland, where the team has been surprisingly hot and hopeful, six games have already drawn fewer than 10,000 fans.”
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Some seem to think that the drop in baseball attendance is due to something that relates specifically to baseball since the NBA and NFL aren’t seeing as drastic declines in attendance. Perhaps it can be tied to the fact that baseball starts when the temperature is still a little chilly to be sitting through a three hour game. But more so, could it be that the fact that the MLB season is a relatively long season compared to other sports? With 165 games to be played before anything really exciting happens (the postseason), perhaps people are waiting for the excitement to begin. With the economy being the way it has been, families have had to limit excessive spending and follow a stricter budget. So possibly, people are waiting to go to their one baseball game when the weather is nicer and the race for the divisional title is more prevalent.
These are just two examples of the attendance dilemma on our hands in the world of sports, both professional and collegiate. Some claim the decline is related to the economy, while others say it is due to the set up of the sport, and some even believe it has to do with the increase in social networks, internet and electronic communications, and time being spent on video games. It is hard to say which is the real cause of the problem, but it is an unfortunate problem that I hope will disappear over time.
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