When I was in Arizona the weekend games were packed and there were plenty of seats available during the week. Seemed normal, but apparently not so much: according to STATS, Inc., spring training attendance is off 14% so far.
There are several reasons. Games started a week earlier this year. There were a lot of rain delays and rainouts, even in Arizona. The World Baseball Classic games had to have some negative impact as well.
The linked story notes high ticket prices too. This is something I’ve wondered about. Each year I go I make a point to go to at least one game as a ticketed customer as opposed to a credentialed scribe. This year it seemed like the tickets cost a heck of a lot more than usual. Next year: lawn seats and sunscreen.
