Baseball Crowds Grow For Fourth Year In A Row With Tampa Bay Leading The Way

Crowds Keep Growing

Major League Baseball has seen its attendance rise for the fourth consecutive year. Total attendance reached 71.75 million, which is the highest overall figure for the sport since 2017. This four year growth run is the first of its kind since the period between 2004 and 2007.

Across 2,425 dates, teams averaged 29,589 fans per game. This represents a 0.4 percent increase from last year, when the average was 29,471 and the total stood at 71.4 million. In total, 13 teams saw their attendance numbers go up, while 17 teams experienced a drop in fans.

The Big Gainers

The Tampa Bay Rays provided the biggest boost to the league. Their attendance went up by 628,255 to reach 1,414,975 as they won the American League East for the first time since 2021. The team was able to return to Tropicana Field after spending 2025 at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training ballpark of the New York Yankees, while repairing damage caused by Hurricane Milton. Steinbrenner Field had a capacity of just 10,046, but the Rays drew up to 28,055 fans this year at Tropicana Field.

The Los Angeles Dodgers led the entire sport with a team record of 4,034,219 fans, averaging 49,805 per game. Five clubs managed to top 3 million fans overall.

Other teams also saw big increases. The Chicago White Sox rose by 540,687 to 1,986,425 after securing an American League wild card spot with an 84-78 record. Toronto increased by 488,943 to 3,338,878, and Seattle grew by 345,745 to 2,883,798.

Big Drops and Low Points

On the other hand, some teams struggled to attract fans. The New York Mets had the biggest decline in the league. Despite starting the season with the highest payroll in baseball, their attendance dropped by 472,450 to 2,712,120. The Mets suffered a 12 game losing streak in April and finished last in the National League East for the first time since 2003.

Houston also saw a drop of 255,759 to 2,472,118. This happened even though they won the American League West title with an 81-81 record, which was the poorest record ever for a first place team.

The Athletics drew the lowest attendance in the major leagues at 799,240, averaging 9,867 per game. They played at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California, ahead of their planned move to Las Vegas in 2028.