MLB attendances continue on upward curve

Major League Baseball (MLB) has pointed to the continued impact of new rules that have helped to shorten game duration, as its 2024 regular season recorded the largest attendance in seven years.

MLB made the announcement yesterday (Tuesday) as the league headed into its postseason, with total regular season attendance of 71,348,366 representing a 1% increase over last year’s total. The growth marks the first time MLB attendance has registered back-to-back gains in 12 years. Since the institution of the new rules last year, attendance has grown by nearly 6.8 million marking a 11% increase since 2022.

MLB said the shorter game times, 2:36 in 2024, have driven increases in weekday attendance allowing fans to get home earlier on traditional work and school nights. Weekday average attendance has increased by 13% since the 2022 season prior to the institution of the new rules. Twenty-four clubs have increased their average attendance since the adoption of the new rules.

The Los Angeles Dodgers topped attendances for the 11^th year in a row, with the 3.94 million fans attending Dodger Stadium representing a 100,000 increase on 2023. The Philadelphia Phillies came in second at 3.36 million, followed by San Diego Padres at 3.33 million, the New York Yankees at 3.31 million and Atlanta Braves at 3.01 million.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Oakland Athletics, who last week played their final home game in the city before relocation to Sacramento, and ultimately Las Vegas, drew a league-low attendance of 922,286.

Miami Marlins pulled in 1.09 million fans, Tampa Bay Rays 1.34 million and the Chicago White Sox 1.38 million during a season in which the team lost a post-1900 record 121 games.

MLB also noted that its percentage of ticket buyers aged 18-35 has jumped 8.5% in the last five years, while the median age of ticket purchasers has decreased five years since 2019, from 51 to 46.

“The increased enthusiasm baseball fans of all ages have shown the last two seasons is evident in all of the ways we track fan engagement,” said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.

“Building off last year’s momentum, the 2024 season was memorable with historic performances, emerging young stars, a series of successful special events, and tight pennant races.  We thank all the fans for their outstanding support and look forward to an exciting postseason.”