MLB Draws Over 70 Million Fans in a Season, First Time Since 2017

Major League Baseball has witnessed a significant uptick in attendance, with more than 70 million fans attending games this season. This marks the first time the league has crossed the 70-million mark since 2017.

The total attendance of 70.75 million represents a 9.6% increase from the previous year's 64.56 million, while the average attendance per game surged by 9.1% from 26,843 to 29,295, according to the commissioner's office.

Commissioner Rob Manfred attributed this boost in attendance to several factors, including the implementation of a pitch clock, a balanced schedule, and an expanded postseason. The increase is the largest in a single season since the league's expansion in 1993.

MLB attendance had dipped to 68.49 million in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a fan-less 2020 season. In 2021, attendance began to recover as pandemic restrictions eased, with only Texas starting the season at full capacity. However, all 30 teams didn't reach full capacity until July.

Eight MLB teams welcomed over 3 million fans for the first time since 2013, while 17 teams drew crowds of 2.5 million or more, matching a league record. Twenty-six teams experienced increases in attendance, with only the Chicago White Sox, Washington Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals, and Los Angeles Dodgers seeing decreases. The Dodgers maintained the highest attendance in the league at 3.84 million, and their decrease was relatively modest, less than 25,000 fans.

San Diego ranked second with an attendance of 3.27 million, narrowly edging out the New York Yankees (3.27 million) and the St. Louis Cardinals (3.24 million). On the other end of the spectrum, the Oakland Athletics, who have considered relocating to Las Vegas, had the lowest attendance in the league, drawing only 832,000 fans.

The popularity of streaming MLB games also surged, with games on MLB.TV totaling 12.7 billion streaming minutes, an increase of 9% from the previous year's 11.7 billion. The number of games watched in their entirety increased by 17%, indicating a strong fan engagement with the sport.

SportsLigue