2026 Attendance Predictions

[RobDibblesGhost]

They’re laying another big fat egg at home tonight. Attendance is just going to get worse as the season goes on.

[HalfSmokes]

Does establish a floor though. Like this is the least interested fans have been in the team, and they're still bringing in 22K a game.

The offense is exciting. Wait until they trade away wood in a couple of years

[imref]

The offense is exciting. Wait until they trade away wood in a couple of years

trading away Abrams this year will be another nail.

[varoadking]

19,031 average since the Dodger fans invaded for the opening series

Yanquis fans should pack the Park in July...

[Slateman]

trading away Abrams this year will be another nail.

Yep. Trading away Abrams and Griffin will make this a 100 loss caliber team. But still, they've basically been a 90-100 loss team for five years and fans keep coming. There's just a built in floor with so many non-natives in the DC metro area.

[IanRubbish]

just 13k today, continued progress to the worst franchise attendance record ex-COVID

[Count Walewski]

With how difficult the Nats are to get on TV right now, you'd think in-person attendance would be through the roof.

[varoadking]

With how difficult the Nats are to get on TV right now, you'd think in-person attendance would be through the roof.

Out of sight...out of mind...

[Slateman]

With how difficult the Nats are to get on TV right now, you'd think in-person attendance would be through the roof.

Why would anyone want to see a bad ball team?

Nats are pretty easy to get on TV right now. Pay them their $50 and they're on your TV.

[nobleisthyname]

It's interesting the different perspectives. I went nearly 15 years being unable to watch them on TV since they were only available through cable which I have no use for (other than watching the Nats) and I was never going to pay $150/month just for that. Now I get them for the whole season for only $100 total? And I can watch them from anywhere? And I can still listen to C&D?

Not trying to invalidate any one else's struggles with the new system but I'm very happy with it myself.

[HalfSmokes]

It's interesting the different perspectives. I went nearly 15 years being unable to watch them on TV since they were only available through cable which I have no use for (other than watching the Nats) and I was never going to pay $150/month just for that. Now I get them for the whole season for only $100 total? And I can watch them from anywhere? And I can still listen to C&D?

Not trying to invalidate any one else's struggles with the new system but I'm very happy with it myself.

I would have been all over it a couple of years ago. Now, I’m fine with Charlie and Dave on the radio

[nfotiu]

It's interesting the different perspectives. I went nearly 15 years being unable to watch them on TV since they were only available through cable which I have no use for (other than watching the Nats) and I was never going to pay $150/month just for that. Now I get them for the whole season for only $100 total? And I can watch them from anywhere? And I can still listen to C&D?

Not trying to invalidate any one else's struggles with the new system but I'm very happy with it myself.

Only 1/3 of households have traditional cable/sat now, so we're well past critical mass in terms of streaming.   And agreed, this year is the most accessible it has been for 2/3s of the population.   Although baseball fans and tradional cable subscribers both trend older, so I can see that there are  a good chunk of people still frustrated.

[HalfSmokes]

Only 1/3 of households have traditional cable/sat now, so we're well past critical mass in terms of streaming.   And agreed, this year is the most accessible it has been for 2/3s of the population.   Although baseball fans and tradional cable subscribers both trend older, so I can see that there are  a good chunk of people still frustrated.

They’ve lost fans who would watch if it was on tv, but won’t go out of their way to pay. YouTubetv is on pace to be the third largest by the end of the year. The Nats aren’t on YouTubetv. Other carriers are requiring higher tiers than they did for MASN. The nats will be a great case study on what happens when you make an ambivalent fanbase pay to see games. I’m guessing it won’t be pretty

[nfotiu]

They’ve lost fans who would watch if it was on tv, but won’t go out of their way to pay. YouTubetv is on pace to be the third largest by the end of the year. The Nats aren’t on YouTubetv. Other carriers are requiring higher tiers than they did for MASN. The nats will be a great case study on what happens when you make an ambivalent fanbase pay to see games. I’m guessing it won’t be pretty

This is a problem across MLB, and one that we've been talking about and could see coming years ago.   YTTV has almost no local sports channels, and services like that are probably not the future of TV anyway.   MLB's best bet is to get as many games as the can on a streaming service like ESPN or Netflix without an up charge.   They hurt themselves by caring about the declining carriage fees too long.   You are right though, relying on fans to pay extra is not going to be a good long term strategy for keeping fans and needs to be resolved across the league.

All in all, as consumers we're in a better space.  MASN wasn't free, and it's funny that millions of subscribers (obliviously?) accepted paying $60ish per year for the channel whether they watched it or not.  It's funny that it's a hard sell to get fans to intentionally pay $50/year.

[varoadking]

I get the Nats games on Xfinity...like always.  It's included in my plan...like always.

[imref]

38,912 announced tonight.

[hotshot]

38,912 announced tonight.

Crowd "looked" good in TV panning shots. Wonder what the breakdown pct was of Nats vs O's fans?

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Ovie bobblehead game.

Between Preakness and UMD grad week, I am predicting that today's game will have the highest level of overall visiting fan intoxication since the CBP opening day takeover...lots of folks in Ripken jerseys two-fisting Cutwater moscow mules

[imref]

Fans heading to the Georgetown fountain after the game?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I Already spilled some beer getting up and down from my seats with Os fans going back and forth

[blue911]

I Already spilled some beer getting up and down from my seats with Os fans going back and forth

That’s why you carry a knife in your shoe.

[IanRubbish]

Average is now 22,272, below the Nats franchise low of 22,716 in 2009 ex-COVID years.

[HalfSmokes]

Average is now 22,272, below the Nats franchise low of 22,716 in 2009 ex-COVID years.

With any pitching at all, this team would be competing and selling tickets

[Natsinpwc]

With any pitching at all, this team would be competing and selling tickets

Tickets for any given year are based on fans reaction to the previous season or season.  That’s why sales are slow. If they keep up a decent record then things will pick up a little bit. Casual fans don’t pay attention to records early in the year.

[varoadking]

1,802,250 over 81 games...22,250/game...with an initial interest in the new regime suffering a steep drop in attendance after the All-Star break having posted a 36-63 record in the first half...

Average is now 22,272...currently tracking for 1,804,032...

They need sellouts on concert nights...