Over the past 10 seasons, attendance across baseball has been dwindling. But, in 2019 it looks like these figures are growing uncomfortably fast. There are three main causes as to why baseball has seen a decrease in the number of butts in the seats. One of those being the fact that there are too many teams that are not competitive, while some of the teams are just not in a baseball-centric market, and the last being when and where games are being played, which is extremely crucial during the summer.
1. Too many uncompetitive teams
In 2019, there are many teams that are "tanking" or have been tanking for a long time, and fans' patience has run thin. Teams, like the Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, San Francisco Giants, and Texas Rangers to name a few, have been trying to lose to get high draft picks in order to build for the future. While teams, like the 2015 Kansas City Royals, 2016 Chicago Cubs, and 2018 Atlanta Braves, have used the rebuilding model, some teams can't be as successful and the number of fans in the seat shows. No fan wants to go to a game to watch their team lose by 10 runs on a night-to-night basis, so people aren't going to buy tickets.
2. Time and date of games
It is Thursday, June 20th at 1:00 EST, what are you wanting to do? Probably go to work, maybe take your significant other on a date. You are not going to sit in 95 plus degree heat to watch your favorite team play for 3 or more hours, and if they are one of the teams mentioned above, then you get to watch them play 3 or more hours and lose the game as well. Baseball has been looking to fix the schedule of when games are being played, which, if done correctly, can help increase attendance. More people are willing to go out to a game that is being played at 7:30 EST, when it might be in the mid-70s at first pitch and in the mid to low 60s by the end of the game. With venues like SunTrust Park trying to increase stadium life, it could help rebuild attendance.
3. Some teams are in bad markets
While cities, like Miami, Tampa, and Kansas City, might be big cities in the United States, they aren't the best markets for Major League Baseball. There are many other markets that, should at least get a chance to prove they can bring in more ticket sales than their previous tenants. Cities like Charlotte, Nashville, San Antonio already have stadiums that with a little modification could be MLB ready, while other markets like Portland, Salt Lake City, and Buffalo would need a stadium built but could bring new fans into the game of baseball.
