2024 Attendance Predictions

[HalfSmokes]

Neither of these teams have huge season ticket bases

One team is in the middle of a multi year tank, the other has World Series aspirations this year. Maybe Baltimore just isn’t a baseball town anymore?

[IanRubbish]

One team is in the middle of a multi year tank, the other has World Series aspirations this year. Maybe Baltimore just isn’t a baseball town anymore?

I expect Baltimore will ultimately surpass us this year in attendance due to the stark differences in win totals.  But it's a fringe MLB market and simply doesn't have the population or income to support the sport strongly.  Even if they draw more than us, the Nats probably have higher stadium revenue due to higher ticket prices. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I expect Baltimore will ultimately surpass us this year in attendance due to the stark differences in win totals.  But it's a fringe MLB market and simply doesn't have the population or income to support the sport strongly.  Even if they draw more than us, the Nats probably have higher stadium revenue due to higher ticket prices. 

what helps the Os attendance is the ballpark is so big that they can pack it on a big series.

Sometimes smaller capacity creates that shortage and incentivizes buying a season plan, inflating overall attendance; the Nats successful years almost got to that level. This is why the very newest designs and proposals come in closer to 35,000 than 48,000 that used to be OPACY's capacity.  Neither the Os nor the Nats are in a position where you have to buy season plans in order to be assured of getting a big game until the playoffs (for the Os), so the shortage play isn't a factor.

[aspenbubba]

I expect Baltimore will ultimately surpass us this year in attendance due to the stark differences in win totals.  But it's a fringe MLB market and simply doesn't have the population or income to support the sport strongly.  Even if they draw more than us, the Nats probably have higher stadium revenue due to higher ticket prices. 

I'm wondering if the bridge collapse will have an impact on attendance as the economy will be impacted though they have opened two alternate channels.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I'm wondering if the bridge collapse will have an impact on attendance as the economy will be impacted though they have opened two alternate channels.

of course the Fort McHenry Tunnel is the one of more significance for access. In terms of the general economy, there will be a bunch of money coming in from various income sustaining programs for workers, plus a ton of contracts for recovery work. To the extent the money from shipping cars and coal is impacted, that is mostly outside-baltimore corporations. My guess is that it might hurt a bit of walk-up sales from workers watching their spending, but I think team performance is likely to be a bigger factor.

[Five Banners]

Neither of these teams have huge season ticket bases

Robustly earned by ownership and city management in each case, one may observe

[Natsinpwc]

I think lots of Orioles fans soured on the Angelos family and we’re skeptical they would keep this current gang together. I guess they are reserving judgment on the new owners.

[imref]

I think lots of Orioles fans soured on the Angelos family and we’re skeptical they would keep this current gang together. I guess they are reserving judgment on the new owners.

i still argue that the experience of seeing a game in Baltimore is...awful.  Terrible sight lines, no ability to order concession through an app (at least not as of 2022 when I last went to a game at Camden), crappy scoreboard and audio system, and not much around the park anymore until Inner Harbor is rebuilt.

[Natsinpwc]

i still argue that the experience of seeing a game in Baltimore is...awful.  Terrible sight lines, no ability to order concession through an app (at least not as of 2022 when I last went to a game at Camden), crappy scoreboard and audio system, and not much around the park anymore until Inner Harbor is rebuilt.

Are all the restaurants at inner harbor closed? 

Agree on the site lines.  Got a stiff next last time we sat just outside their base. 

[imref]

Are all the restaurants at inner harbor closed? 

Agree on the site lines.  Got a stiff next last time we sat just outside their base. 

I know Harborplace is in the middle of a big redevelopment, it looks like a few places are open now - https://www.ourharborplace.com/tenants

According to Yelp, just Cheesecake Factory and the lobster role place are currently open.

[HalfSmokes]

Are all the restaurants at inner harbor closed? 

Agree on the site lines.  Got a stiff next last time we sat just outside their base. 

Last year, we went to national aquarium and stopped in one of the pavilions on the harbor so my daughter could use the bathroom. I remembered them as upscale malls. There was an addict throwing up all over the hallway. The chick fil a accross the street has armed guards. That was the last time we will ever go to Baltimore

[Count Walewski]

You could make the argument that between who is currently on the roster, who is in the minors ready to be added to the roster, and the ownership change that just happened, the O's are the most exciting team in baseball this year. How embarrassing for them if they get outdrawn by the rebuilding Nats.

[imref]

Last year, we went to national aquarium and stopped in one of the pavilions on the harbor so my daughter could use the bathroom. I remembered them as upscale malls. There was an addict throwing up all over the hallway. The chick fil a accross the street has armed guards. That was the last time we will ever go to Baltimore

After our last game we went to Fells Point, walked around a bit, and had dinner. The area was packed with locals and tourists. There are still some great areas of Baltimore but the area around Inner Harbor, sadly, is not one of them. Hopefully the redevelopment brings things back to life.

[Senatorswin]

After our last game we went to Fells Point, walked around a bit, and had dinner. The area was packed with locals and tourists. There are still some great areas of Baltimore but the area around Inner Harbor, sadly, is not one of them. Hopefully the redevelopment brings things back to life.

Since I live in Anne Arundel County just south of Baltimore I watch the Baltimore news most evenings. Lately Fells Point has had it's fair share of issues.

[PowerBoater69]

11,135 not too good.

[Five Banners]

11,135 not too good.

They set a low bar in the off-season as far as adding another starter and didn’t even do that. Cause is meeting effect and figures to do so until something changes.

[Natsinpwc]

11,135 not too good.

All the Pittsburgh fans went to the hockey game. 

[Senatorswin]

The philly fans will be invading this weekend.

[IanRubbish]

I know he would hate to part ways with one dollar, but Mini Me should pay that amount to get in, as should his family members, so they could be counted in the official attendance numbers

[imref]

I walked by the stadium at about 3 PM yesterday on my way to Audi Field for the Defenders home opener. The ballpark looked to be about 30-40% full (announced was 24,765).

The Defenders announced crowd was about 15k.

I know it was a full sports day with the Caps also playing in the evening, and the Defenders game probably hurt Nats attendance a bit, but if the Nats aren't drawing on a Sunday afternoon against Philly, they are in trouble. Seems chickens are coming home to roost with the poor on field product. The game experience at Audi Field absolutely blew away the experience at Nats Park in terms of crowd engagement and excitement (maybe Nats park needs a beer snake and lemons?)

BTW, the Navy Yard area was pretty crowded as we walked from the Navy Yard metro. Most of the restaurants were full with a lot of people cheering for the women's basketball final.

[Five Banners]

I know it was a full sports day with the Caps also playing in the evening, and the Defenders game probably hurt Nats attendance a bit, but if the Nats aren't drawing on a Sunday afternoon against Philly, they are in trouble.

They’re in trouble.

[Senatorswin]

BTW, the Navy Yard area was pretty crowded as we walked from the Navy Yard metro. Most of the restaurants were full with a lot of people cheering for the women's basketball final.

It's so cool to see that whole area come alive after being such a toilet before the stadium was built.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I was at the Caps game and it looked like there were several thousand Ottawa fans in visiting white jerseys due to the "John Carlson 1000 NHL games" t-shirts draped over empty seats...they probably should have made the t-shirts red 

[Natsinpwc]

I was at the Caps game and it looked like there were several thousand Ottawa fans in visiting white jerseys due to the "John Carlson 1000 NHL games" t-shirts draped over empty seats...they probably should have made the t-shirts red 

Big year for 1000 game milestones.  Have seen at least three. 

[PowerBoater69]

A good number of fans were wearing Defenders gear at the Nats game. At the Defenders game it seemed like half the people in our section left right before the Caps game started. The Defenders games are definitely more high energy than the Nats, but that's football vs baseball.

What I like about the Defenders is that the cheers come from the crowd ("Houston sucks", "Hey, we want the beer snake"). The Nats Park sound guy seems to have a mandate to eliminate crowd participation with a wall of noise.