With the regular season finished, Major League Baseball has announced its combined attendance for 2016 season. As we can see, attendance dropped from 2015.
According to the league, all 30 teams combined to average 30,169 fans per game during the 2016 regular season, down 1.1 percent from last year. However, the 73,159,044 fans who attended MLB games this season is the 11th-most in league history.
Last year, all 30 teams combined for 73.76 million. That is still below the all-time record of 73.76 million, which was set in 2007.
When it came to the teams with the highest total attendance, the National League led the way. The Los Angeles Dodgers led all MLB teams with 3.7 million fans. That was followed by the St. Louis Cardinals, who drew 3.44 million.
The next highest team came from the American League. The Toronto Blue Jays led all AL teams with 3.39 million fans. No word on how many of them threw items onto the field during the season.
For the most part, the teams that finished with the least total attendance were near the bottom of the standings. The Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics had the two worst total attendances with 1.29 million fans and 1.52 million fans, respectively.
The shocking surprises were the Cleveland Indians, who drew the third fewest fans despite winning the AL Central, and the Miami Marlins, who were in contention for the NL Wild Card and only drew 1.71 million fans.
Obviously, the league doesn’t like to see its attendance numbers drop. But with the amount of money the league is making on TV, it’s hard to feel sorry for the league, its teams, and its pocketbooks.
