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Relocation and the effect on attendance (March 5, 2004)
Discussion ThreadPosted 11:01 a.m.,
March 5, 2004
(#1) -
Travis M Nelson(e-mail)
(homepage)
This is an interesting point, and probably a valid one, though also one that likely can't be researched in any kind of short order. (10-20 years, as you suggest)
However, the general trend of attendance, for MLB at least, is still upwards. The average attendance in 2003 it was over 28,000/game, while 20 years ago it was 21,593/game. 20 years before that it was 12,648, and in 1943 it was less than half of that.
While I don't honestly think that the MLB average will be 42,000 in 2023, it would seem that this upward trend is enough to help compensate for the availability of a third franchise in a market that already holds far more fans than the next two markets combined.
More fans will still come to watch a team play if they're good, and more lifelong allegiances to teams will be born for a good one than a bad one, regardless of the possible options.