Author Topic: 2012 attendence and fans  (Read 5617 times)

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Offline Baseball is Life

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Re: 2012 attendence and fans
« Reply #125: June 19, 2012, 05:48:18 PM »
Note: back in the '50s and '60s, 1 million was great attendance. The target, the mark every team aimed for.

Of course, the population of the US was about half of what it is today.

That's why I always laugh when the talking heads talk about the dilution of pitching talent due to expansion. I'm no math genius but even I can figure out but adding a few more teams while doubling the US population (and not to mention the influx of international talent) kind of makes that a transparent argument.     

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: 2012 attendence and fans
« Reply #126: June 19, 2012, 06:35:32 PM »
Yes, but a smaller percentage of kids play baseball at advanced levels due to football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, other sports diverting athletes away from baseball.  there has been nearly a doubling of the number of teams since 1960, staffs have gone from 10 to 12 pitchers, and rotations have added an extra pitcher.  There really is a dilution.  Some of it is compensated for by more international players, but that still does not make up for the lack of urban american baseball.   

Offline Baseball is Life

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Re: 2012 attendence and fans
« Reply #127: June 19, 2012, 06:53:08 PM »
Yes, but a smaller percentage of kids play baseball at advanced levels due to football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, other sports diverting athletes away from baseball.  there has been nearly a doubling of the number of teams since 1960, staffs have gone from 10 to 12 pitchers, and rotations have added an extra pitcher.  There really is a dilution.  Some of it is compensated for by more international players, but that still does not make up for the lack of urban american baseball.   

Interesting...would love to see more data. Did I just say that? I need to take a break from this board.

Offline aspenbubba

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Re: 2012 attendence and fans
« Reply #128: June 19, 2012, 07:05:19 PM »
Using 917,525 attendance figures for 31 games this year  would give us an average attendance of 29,597. Extrapolated out for 81 games gives us 2.4 mil for the season without accounting for an upsurge due to summer games, play-off run and heated divisional rivalries.

Offline tomterp

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Re: 2012 attendence and fans
« Reply #129: June 19, 2012, 10:41:00 PM »
27,835 tonight, damn good for a Tuesday night.

Offline tomterp

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Re: 2012 attendence and fans
« Reply #130: June 19, 2012, 10:42:15 PM »
Yes, but a smaller percentage of kids play baseball at advanced levels due to football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, other sports diverting athletes away from baseball.  there has been nearly a doubling of the number of teams since 1960, staffs have gone from 10 to 12 pitchers, and rotations have added an extra pitcher.  There really is a dilution.  Some of it is compensated for by more international players, but that still does not make up for the lack of urban american baseball.

This is on the mark.  Baseball was once the clearly dominant sport among kids growing up, now it's more the exception.

Offline Baseball is Life

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Re: 2012 attendence and fans
« Reply #131: June 20, 2012, 08:22:37 AM »
This is on the mark.  Baseball was once the clearly dominant sport among kids growing up, now it's more the exception.

It's a smaller percentage of kids playing it, yes, but the pie is bigger, so to speak.

And what exactly are the number of international players compared to, say, the 1950s?

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: 2012 attendence and fans
« Reply #132: June 20, 2012, 08:40:10 AM »
this is just my impresson from what I've read but what you are missing now is the urban component that always was a main source of talent.  In the late 1800s through the middle of the last century, there was a heavy urban Irish-American presence and by the 20s through the 50s and 60s, there were other Americans of European decent coming out of the cities.  We are all familiar with the decline of African-Americans in baseball and the establishment of the RBI program to pick that up.  Out of urban areas, I think you now get some Hispanic-heritage players, but, other than that, my impression is that the feed to minors and majors is more rural and suburban.

The feed from the Carribean and Central and South America has expanded, but there always was a presence.  We've more or less swapped Cuba for the Dominican, and while the number of Puerto Rican players has probably declined, Venezuela has picked up. 

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: 2012 attendence and fans
« Reply #133: June 20, 2012, 08:55:48 AM »
It's a smaller percentage of kids playing it, yes, but the pie is bigger, so to speak.

And what exactly are the number of international players compared to, say, the 1950s?


Is the pie really that much bigger? If the stellar atheletes are being diverted to football and basketball, a higher percentage of suburbanite dilettantes will yield future fans, but probably not the same level of talent on the field, I think the real counter point to JCA is better medical techniques- 30 years ago Zimmermann and Strasburg would both have retired or been relegated to mop up due to dead arm

Offline Baseball is Life

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Re: 2012 attendence and fans
« Reply #134: June 20, 2012, 05:25:06 PM »

Is the pie really that much bigger? If the stellar atheletes are being diverted to football and basketball, a higher percentage of suburbanite dilettantes will yield future fans, but probably not the same level of talent on the field, I think the real counter point to JCA is better medical techniques- 30 years ago Zimmermann and Strasburg would both have retired or been relegated to mop up due to dead arm


The pie (population) is bigger. The percentage is the number of players. JCA is right that there's less percentage of the athletes playing.

I really do think the international component is much bigger. Think of Asia if nothing else.

I didn't even think about improved medical techniques. Good point.