Major League Baseball is not in an attendance crisis.
Not yet, anyway.
Three weeks into the 2010 season, however, 19 of the 30 big league teams are reporting attendance drop offs.
Could it be weather-related? Maybe, but there were nine rainouts at big-league parks last year at this time and there have been only three this year.
Could it be competition from basketball and hockey? Maybe, but there is always competition from basketball and hockey in April and May.
Could it be just a couple of teams dragging the numbers down? Maybe, but it's hard to see, not with six different clubs having established new all-time lows for the facilities they call home -- the Orioles, the Mets, the Mariners, the Indians, the Nationals and the Blue Jays have all set new single-game attendance lows at home this season.
Could it be big-market teams doing well and small market teams struggling? Maybe, but the small-market Pittsburgh Pirates are up an average of 1,659 fans per game in statistics compiled by FanHouse, and the big-market New York Mets are down 6,690. The last-place Rangers are up 5,530 per game and the first-place A's are down 4,624.
Could it be a matter of fans not supporting teams who haven't won in a while? Maybe, but the Pirates are up significantly after having not won in 18 years and the Rays are down 3,216 despite a first-place record and a first-rate roster.
..snip
For more:
http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/04/27/is-lagging-attendance-crisis-or-fluke/?ncid=txtlnkusspor00000002