Master Index of Archived Threads


Opening Day Paid Attendance

G-Fafif Dec 21 2005 05:48 PM

Was looking at some Opening Day/Home Opener attendance figures for the Mets and Yanks from the '60s and '70s (essentially because it's December) and noticed there was rarely anything like a sellout. The image we have now is of people lining up in the cold and 55,000 tickets being sold for Game 1 almost immediately, but it's only been like that in New York for no more than the past 30 years, coinciding with the open of new Yankee Stadium. Before that, they didn't draw even when they were flush from Mantle and Maris (Opening Day '62 was like 38,000). The Mets didn't draw particularly well for Opening Day even when they were the big team in town in the '70s. They didn't come close to breaking 30,000 for the raising of their flag in '74. The big makeover of '75 brought out 18,000. When the Mets went into major suck mode, the numbers were even worse. 1980 (amid a transit strike, which is what brought this on) was like 10,000. The first year they began to get a good crowd as a rule was '82, Foster and Bamberger and DiamondVision being the draws. We've had our drops since then -- '95 (post-strike: about 26,000) and '97 (twice rescheduled, eventually a Sunday doubledip for about 21,000; Mets downplayed it partly out of embarrassment that the Skanks were raising a flag at the same time and partly to save themselves for Jackie night) come to mind -- but it's usually a throng that gathers. Incomplete theories: --The game, especially the concept of Opening Day as an event, didn't used to be marketed the way it is now. --There were many more freebies given out for Opening Day by a more social-minded ownership (remember when they used to announce both a total and a paid attendance)? --The adoption of A.L. rules regarding tickets sold as the paid attendance instead of turnstile by the N.L. in '93 (why do you suppose the Mets are always breaking single-game records?) inflates the totals nowadays. --New York didn't view OD as a municipal holiday the way Detroit or Cincinnati did, though I haven't checked their attendance from way back. --We live in a more sports-minded, more mobile society than we used to and we make time to reach for conclusions like the one I just stated. If anybody clearly remembers Opening Days back when they weren't jammed, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Or if anybody has any insights, bring 'em on. It's still December and I'm still curious.

Yancy Street Gang Dec 21 2005 05:52 PM

I attended every Mets home opener from 1978 through 1992. (And haven't been to one since.) It wasn't a big event back in 1978. (It probably was for the World Champion Yankees, but not for the Mets.) It was my idea to go, and I had three friends who loved the idea. (We also got to miss a day of school, which was part of the fun.) Among my circle of friends it became an event, but I don't recall it being seen widely as an "EVENT." There was bunting, and a horseshoe of flowers from Bill Shea, but other than that, I don't think it was a big deal.

Zvon Dec 21 2005 06:24 PM

This is just my opinion. The baseball season was always a slow starting machine when it first started rolling. Not for , say, you and I who were waiting all winter for it, but for the average fan. Opening day would be advertised and promoted more so on WORtv9 to [u:4ad858b8a1]watch[/u:4ad858b8a1] than it was to actually go to the game. They thought it was good P.R. to do so. I dont think they were that concerned with how they did out of the gate, but more so how the numbers would spike on weekends and promotion days over the long season. Most of the 70's they figured Seaver alone would be enough of an advertisment to lure fans. Wonder how bad opening day attendance dropped following the year they delt him.

Frayed Knot Dec 21 2005 08:31 PM

My first question - out of curiosity mostly, not out of doubt for your word - is where are you getting those numbers -- Retrosheet? That there weren't constant sell-outs doesn't surprise me, but I am shocked that some of them are so low. As to your theories: --The game, especially the concept of Opening Day as an event, didn't used to be marketed the way it is now. That's not the way I remember things ... OD always seemed to be a big deal for peeps and for the team, even though is wasn't so for me. I mean, I look forward to it and all because it's baseball but I never felt an urgent need to be there on account of it being BIGGER than other games. --There were many more freebies given out for Opening Day by a more social-minded ownership (remember when they used to announce both a total and a paid attendance)? Possible, but you wouldn't think they'd need freebies on opening day. --The adoption of A.L. rules regarding tickets sold as the paid attendance instead of turnstile by the N.L. in '93 (why do you suppose the Mets are always breaking single-game records?) inflates the totals nowadays. Pretty much the same theory as the previous --New York didn't view OD as a municipal holiday the way Detroit or Cincinnati did, though I haven't checked their attendance from way back. To some extent, yes. --We live in a more sports-minded, more mobile society than we used to and we make time to reach for conclusions like the one I just stated. More sports-minded and more "event" driven I think. Americans simply have more leisure time and disposable income than they did years ago, so despite the rose-colored memories of aging fans and the assumptions of younger ones who often accept everything they're told by those same older ones, the notion about the reduced popularity of baseball as compared to "The Good Old Days" is frequently slanted

G-Fafif Dec 21 2005 09:58 PM

Frayed Knot wrote: My first question - out of curiosity mostly, not out of doubt for your word - is where are you getting those numbers -- Retrosheet? Retrosheet for some, media guide/memory for others. Haven't worked up a grid or anything. I've always thought of OD/HO as an event. Hard to believe 54,999 others (give or take) haven't always looked at it that way.

G-Fafif Dec 21 2005 09:59 PM

Frayed Knot wrote: My first question - out of curiosity mostly, not out of doubt for your word - is where are you getting those numbers -- Retrosheet? Retrosheet for some, media guide/memory for others. Haven't worked up a grid or anything. I've always thought of OD/HO as an event. Hard to believe 54,999 others (give or take) haven't always looked at it that way.