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MLB Opening Week attendance is on the rise, and that’s a good thing

By Derek Helling

Apr 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies fans enjoy festivities outside the ballpark before a game between the Phillies and the San Diego Padres on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies fans enjoy festivities outside the ballpark before a game between the Phillies and the San Diego Padres on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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MLB has endeavored to make Opening Week events at all 30 of its ballparks a major event in its markets. Judging from attendance figures, the marketing is successful.

MLB Opening Week attendance represents a modest gain from the same period in 2016 nearly across the board. It’s not by accident.

According to Kelsey Smith of Front Office Sports, the average attendance for games during Opening Week this year was 31,505. In 2016 it was 31,283. 2017 is an increase of 222 fans per game on average, or about seven tenths of a percent.

Seven tenths of a percent doesn’t sound like much, but consider the following to get a better understanding. That’s 222 more people on average whom paid anywhere between $60-$400 just to get in the gate. That doesn’t include the hundreds more they likely spent on concessions, experiences, merchandise and parking/transit at all 21 ballparks that hosted games during the week.

In terms of which teams saw the biggest increase, the Philadelphia Phillies ran away with that distinction. Their three games during Opening Week drew an average of 39,760 fans. That’s a bump of over 16,000 fans from 2016, or about 40 percent. Even the Tampa Bay Rays, who saw the lowest average attendance of the week at 17,980, experienced an increase of about 2,000 fans as compared to 2016.

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Expecting that 40 percent bump at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia or 2,000-fan increase at Tropicana Field in Tampa to continue throughout the regular season would be ridiculously optimistic, however. The attendance figures will wane as the season goes on, which is only further proof that MLB has been successful in marketing Opening Week as a cultural event in the cities that contain MLB franchises.

The strategy includes pomp and fanfare, new concession offerings, renovated facilities, and new tech experiences for fans. The message is that even if your team doesn’t project as a playoff contender, and even if you aren’t a hardcore fan of the game, Opening Week is a destination. It’s a place to see and be seen.

If MLB franchises can find a way to translate that same excitement to all 81 home games throughout the season, baseball could become a money-printing machine on a level unseen. For now, the strategy revolving Opening Week seems to be working.

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