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Minor league baseball attendance has dropped for the third consecutive season

Posted on 10/14/26 at 2:48 pm
Posted by Paul Allen
Montauk, NY
Member since Nov 2007
79167 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 2:48 pm
LINK

quote:

Minor League Baseball attendance continued its steady decline in 2026, dipping below a significant threshold.

For the first time in decades, fewer than 30 million fans attended MiLB games over a full season. Overall, the 120 MiLB teams drew 29,984,636 fans in announced attendance, down from 30,365,760 fans in 2025.

This is the third consecutive season in which attendance has dropped.


I’ve been to a few midweek Biloxi Shuckers games over the past few years and the attendance has been pretty dismal. Maybe 2,000 people at best.

What’s alarming is ticket prices are dirt cheap and there are plenty of food and drink specials.
This post was edited on 10/14/26 at 2:54 pm
Posted by Mahootney
Lovin' My German Footprint
Member since Sep 2008
12188 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 2:50 pm to
I don't watch MLB, much less attend games.
I surely am not going to go to minor league games.

I spend my baseball time on my own kids and LSU.
I expect that I am not alone.
Posted by Bestbank Tiger
Premium Member
Member since Jan 2005
83607 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 2:52 pm to
Shuckers concessions are expensive. Tickets not too bad, but people on the MS coast aren't going to be passionate about seeing future Brewers.

Parking is hit or miss. I went to a game once where a deaf girl signed the national anthem. I missed the anthem looking for parking. Only empty spot was Bishop Kihneman's. (I actually could have taken it because he was out of town. Too bad I didn't know it when I drove past it.)
Posted by WG_Dawg
Member since Jun 2004
91568 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 3:10 pm to
quote:

I don't watch MLB, much less attend games.
I surely am not going to go to minor league games


I also don't GAF about pro baseball (unless the braves are in the postseason then I'll tune in) and couldn't care less about minor leagues.

However, I have 2 young kids and my wife gets "suite" tickets through work for our local minor league team. We will go to 4 or 5 games in teh summer on Sunday afternoons as a great way to kill half a day. We have the ability to be inside or out so it's not too hot, food/concessions/parking are all dirt cheap and the tickets are free to us.

The actaul baseball itself isn't anything to keep up with but there are definitely worse ways to spend an afternoon, especially with youngins.
Posted by danilo
Member since Nov 2008
26734 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 3:14 pm to
Haven’t been to a Zephyrs game in several years
Posted by cubbynole
Member since Mar 2024
218 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 3:17 pm to
The team in Pensacola has definitely seen a noticeable drop in attendance. The first couple of years, you could get an SRO ticket for like $5, now it’s triple that. Not to mention the ballpark has nowhere to run from the rain (STH lounge and Hancock Club, excepted) except for the small team store or restrooms. I try to go fairly often before it gets hot, but I have no desire to sit out there and sweat on a summer night.
On the flip side, the unaffiliated local hockey team is having a renaissance and averaged close to 6k the past couple of seasons.
I will be curious to see if there is an increase should there be an MLB work stoppage next season
This post was edited on 10/14/26 at 3:19 pm
Posted by TU Rob
Birmingham
Member since Nov 2008
13638 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 3:21 pm to
There was a lot of initial excitement when the Barons moved to their new stadium, and you still have some of the after work crowd from places with corporate offices downtown, but it is a haul from the suburbs to take your family there. I still go to about 4 or 5 a year, but when I worked downtown we'd go a few times a month. I think Tuesday was $1 hot dog night, $2 beers on Thirsty Thursday, and Friday night they always do fireworks after the game. Plenty of value for the money, easy and relatively cheap parking, but its just not going to draw a lot of dedicated fans.
Posted by lsubatman1
Member since Feb 2009
2221 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 3:33 pm to
There to busy watching wnba games
Posted by BuckeyeGoon
Member since Jan 2025
1535 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 3:52 pm to
quote:

Biloxi Shuckers

Looks like a cool stadium. When I was stationed down there 15+ years ago they only had the minor league hockey team.
Posted by BZ504
Texas
Member since Oct 2005
14668 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 3:55 pm to
Give promotional stuff out like jerseys and people will come.
Posted by TexasTiger08
Member since Oct 2006
30831 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 3:58 pm to
Well, MLB took over and immediately cut out rookie leagues. In their place, there are affiliate draft leagues, so the players and franchises are still around to some extent.

That said, when one corporation owns almost half of MiLB franchises, you could probably look to them. I’m sure this has absolutely nothing to do with a slight hike in ticket sales and parking, costly concessions, and merch prices that are through the roof. Locally, I’ve noticed the giveaways aren’t as good, and other ballpark entertainment lacks.

A staple of minor league games was good giveaways and promos and some appearances by name entertainment.

You can also point to people having the attention span of a gnat, so baseball doesn’t appeal to them. I’ve heard complaints about the 6-game series and fans seeing the same teams over and over. I get that.

Fact is, minor league baseball is one of the last frontiers of family-friendly entertainment that is affordable, but I’m afraid that last part is becoming an issue. Personally, I will go to a game and get a beer and I’m $20 in. There’s free parking nearby, so that’s a plus. I’ve been to about 70 minor league parks, and I realize I’m lucky. I visited about 10 parks across the southeast this year, and tickets were noticeably higher, and free parking didn’t exist. Not to mention, “we’ve gone cashless and there will be a convenience charge on this item”
Posted by The Third Leg
Idiot Out Wandering Around
Member since May 2014
12977 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 4:03 pm to
quote:

There to busy

Definitely and instance where 2 is not better than 1.
Posted by TheWalrus
Land of the Hogs
Member since Dec 2012
48729 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 4:08 pm to
Minor league baseball is boring as hell once you’re over the age of 12. Before that, I was at least excited about the prospect of catching a foul ball.
Posted by armytiger96
Member since Sep 2007
3243 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 4:11 pm to
quote:

Haven’t been to a Zephyrs game in several years


You and pretty much everyone else on this board! They haven't been called the Zephyrs in a decade and left NOLA before Covid.
Posted by BevoBucks
H-town
Member since Dec 2022
7120 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 4:28 pm to
quote:

This is the third consecutive season in which attendance has dropped.
Bet you could add up the growth in 9-12U travel ball attendance over those three years and it'd be an eerily similar number.

Because we all know that paying $50 for you and your kid to watch pros playing the game doesn't do as much for his development as traveling 6 hours, paying $500 for hotels and going 1-5 does.
Posted by Pedro
Geaux Hawks
Member since Jul 2008
39379 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 4:29 pm to
quote:

You and pretty much everyone else on this board! They haven't been called the Zephyrs in a decade and left NOLA before Covid.
I’ve been to multiple “zephyrs” games! (I live in Wichita, where they moved to). Fun fact: Manfred screwed them in the realignment and they got sent down to double a (as the twins affiliate)
This post was edited on 10/14/26 at 4:29 pm
Posted by AtlantaLSUfan
Baton Rouge
Member since Mar 2009
27823 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 4:40 pm to
Clickbait. MLB eliminated dozens of teams. Attendance is up at the remaining locations.

People don’t travel in for minor leagues. It’s always a great experience but it’s for locals and tourists visiting the town. Less teams = less attendance
Posted by Horsemeat
2025 Contributor Of The Year
Member since Dec 2014
15819 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 4:52 pm to
I've missed out on Shuckers games because I'm usually gone most of spring - fall. Winter is when I'm home the most.

Also, one corporation is buying up all of the minor league teams and killing the fun of everything as they always do.
Posted by Cleathecat
Houston
Member since Feb 2021
2123 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 4:54 pm to
We have the Astros AAA team about 20 minutes away, tickets are cheap and it's always empty
Posted by GoShoughYourself
Member since May 2026
410 posts
Posted on 10/14/26 at 4:56 pm to
I haven’t watched an MLB game in 5 years

I completely ceased to care about minor league baseball when MLB destroyed it with greed in 2020.

Great to hear that minor league baseball is dying a slow death.
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