Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig likes what he sees in his crystal ball for next season.According to Sports Business Journal, Selig is predicting a rebound in 2010 from this year's attendance decline of 6.65 percent to 73.42 million, a season in which 22 of 30 teams posted drop-offs in attendance.
The reason for Selig's optimism is the improvement in the economy, including the 13 percent increase this year in the Dow Jones industrial average. Some experts, though, are arguing that the improvements may be short-lived because unemployment is continuing to rise. Many have argued that the economic recovery in the U.S. will be painfully slow to help many Americans hurt by the recession.
Average major league ticket prices rose 5 percent this year, according to Team Marketing Report while the Fan Cost Index, which measures the cost for a family of four to attend a game, rose 3.2 percent to $196.89. Even so, baseball held up remarkably well, posting its fifth-largest combined crowds in its history, despite posting the lowest figures since 2004.
Many teams posted year-over-year gains in television ratings, underscoring the popularity of all televised sports as a cheap source of entertainment during tough economic times. Single-ticket sales also rose as teams undertook more aggressive promotions to upsell them to season-ticket plans, said Matt Bourne, an MLB spokesman, in an email to FanHouse.
"Sports are normal goods and generally move with the economy," said John-Charles Bradbury, an economist who teaches at the sport management program at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, in an email. "You can see ... some leveling out during past recessions (early-'80s, early-'90s, and early-'00s), though the correlation is imperfect. But, the overall long-run trend is positive, just as it is for the entire economy."
When it came to forecasting how good the good times would get, Selig was less specific. He told the trade publication that baseball was in an "excellent position to rebound next season.
"How much we'll bounce back, I don't know."
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
i think it is that no one has money to TRAVEL and they stayed home and watch the home team. Much cheaper that airline tickets. My opinion, I did it with family.
why so we can watch the same big market teams with huge payrolls play in post season, not much fun watching the same teams every year
Try being a Pirates fan. You see tons of Steelers and Penguins jerseys in the stands. Talk about a prime example of all that is wrong with MLB
phuck philly...i hope the dodgers put a hurt on them. and if not i hope they lose the world series. even to the stupid yankees
MLB More Latin Baseball no thanks i'll say home and keep my money....jackson and sharpton should be screaming as there are less african ameican ballplayers and awe ao many latin players heck david wright is the only Met who can hold a interview..
Good to see Dodgers at the top of the list of highest amount of average fans and over 3,500,000 people coming to the games this year. I've made 3 games this year myself and its both affordable and a great time with the family.
Doesn't hurt that we are winning too ;)