Braves Down Year Sees Surprising Attendance Numbers

Despite the down year, the Atlanta Braves officially saw their attendance remain near the top of the league. They had a small dip this season, but still finished eighth in baseball with 2,903,167 total fans, the fourth-highest seen since they moved to Truist Park in 2017. It officially clocked in as the 11-highest attended season all-time. 

Now, keep in mind this is based on paid attendance. Those who went to games this year may not have seen crowds that represent the full attendance total. The team has also acknowledged its attendance decline in a quarterly report, so it’s publicly out there.  However, basing attendance on any other number is essentially impossible, so this is what we have to work with. 

Even with the down year, it’s still very likely the Braves drew better than most non-playoff teams and even some playoff teams. When comparing teams, we are excluding the Tampa Bay Rays and the Athletics due to playing in temporary stadiums. Those numbers dropped by default. 

The team that saw the biggest dip in attendance was the St. Louis Cardinals, which saw a dip of 7,754 fans on average. Meanwhile, other non-playoff teams, such as the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox, saw modest attendance increases on average (1,117 and 803 fans per game). While both saw increases, their attendance numbers are much lower still by comparison to the Braves. 

Kansas City spent a solid portion of the season in playoff contention and has new upcoming stars, which likely helps. As for the White Sox, they can go nowhere but up. 

Apart from the Seattle Mariners' slight drop of 219 fans per game and the Cleveland Guardians' decline of 378 per game, all other playoff teams experienced increases this season. Only one non-playoff team finished ahead of the Braves in attendance, the San Francisco Giants. 

Like the Braves, the Giants typically have a solid fanbase that turns out regardless. Since the COVID-impacted seasons (2022 onward), they have averaged at least 30,000 fans each season despite zero winning records. Also, like the Braves, the Giants have recent success, which also helps. 

It can be safely assumed that if the Braves turn things around next season, attendance will likely pop back up again. Even when there is a large, dedicated fanbase, winning helps. 

With just one down season after seven years of making the playoffs, it's also reasonable to believe that attendance has held steady. If they linger in the bottom of the standings for a few more seasons, you'll likely start to see more drastic change at the gates.

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