Crowd Size

The Associated Press reports that MLB attendance was down four percent this season, to its lowest point since 2003, back when steroids saved the game.  Something in that is ever so fitting.

The AP also noted that six teams—Orioles, White Sox, Twins, Marlins, Reds and Pirates—all recorded their lowest attendance ever in their fancy new homes.  And to think of all those times owners said new (and publicly subsidized or owned) facilities would be economic engines for their respective communities.  Yeah, right.  The federal deficit will be eliminated before a publicly funded pro sports’ stadium stops costing more than it’s worth.

No doubt MLB Commissioner Rob Manford will move to address the attendance dip.  He’ll recommend yet more changes to quicken the pace of the game, only they won’t, at which point he’ll whistle past the graveyard by saying things aren’t that bad, after all.  Rob, the attendance numbers don’t lie, just the people interpreting them.

Baseball is addicted to ad revenue, and not one team in thirty wants to stop being a junkie.  So, the TV ads will continue to bloat the time of a game while sabermetrics will continue to dictate one particular style of play—homeruns, strikeouts and bullpens, all of which increases the time of a game even more.  Until someone shows the value of a long bench, contact hitting and stolen bases, the national pastime better get used to shrinking attendance.

It’s not going to get better.