Here’s a table showing the change for each team through the same period as last year.
| 2002 | 2003 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Through Same Period | Games | Avg. Attendance | Games | Avg. Attendance | Pct. Change |
| Angels | 45 | 24685 | 43 | 36368 | 47.3 |
| Expos | 39 | 8427 | 40 | 12191 | 44.7 |
| Reds | 44 | 22653 | 42 | 29886 | 31.9 |
| Marlins | 46 | 10778 | 43 | 13390 | 24.2 |
| Royals | 36 | 18137 | 43 | 22221 | 22.5 |
| Phillies | 45 | 20655 | 43 | 25199 | 22.0 |
| Blue Jays | 41 | 18702 | 41 | 22603 | 20.9 |
| Athletics | 47 | 24549 | 45 | 26687 | 8.7 |
| Cubs | 37 | 34324 | 41 | 35503 | 3.4 |
| Twins | 44 | 21433 | 44 | 21975 | 2.5 |
| Devil Rays | 40 | 12804 | 46 | 13009 | 1.6 |
| Dodgers | 42 | 37117 | 45 | 37661 | 1.5 |
| Red Sox | 44 | 32817 | 40 | 32938 | 0.4 |
| Giants | 40 | 39663 | 40 | 39049 | -1.5 |
| Cardinals | 46 | 37572 | 44 | 36416 | -3.1 |
| Yankees | 44 | 42680 | 42 | 40826 | -4.3 |
| White Sox | 46 | 21806 | 44 | 20724 | -5.0 |
| Pirates | 45 | 22930 | 42 | 21396 | -6.7 |
| Tigers | 38 | 18634 | 40 | 17362 | -6.8 |
| Rangers | 45 | 30078 | 43 | 27585 | -8.3 |
| Braves | 47 | 32595 | 41 | 29593 | -9.2 |
| Astros | 40 | 31350 | 43 | 28230 | -10.0 |
| Mariners | 46 | 43155 | 41 | 38350 | -11.1 |
| Diamondbacks | 45 | 39245 | 42 | 33562 | -14.5 |
| Orioles | 39 | 34502 | 44 | 29186 | -15.4 |
| Padres | 43 | 29138 | 44 | 24584 | -15.6 |
| Mets | 39 | 36108 | 38 | 29546 | -18.2 |
| Rockies | 46 | 36373 | 46 | 28799 | -20.8 |
| Brewers | 42 | 24091 | 44 | 18609 | -22.8 |
| Indians | 39 | 31564 | 40 | 20639 | -34.6 |
It seems winning the World Series really helped the Angels, and playing games in San Juan made a difference to the Expos. The new stadium has given Cincinnati a boost. In general, however, winning seems to have helped teams. Seven of the team that are showing a positive gain are either building on last year’s wins or have improved themselves this year. It’s good to see KC and Toronto both gaining in attendance.
I also find Texas interesting. It seems that the lure of Alex Rodriguez alone is not enough to keep fannies in the seats. Texas will have to find a way to win to get the fans back.
Update: I was curious about the Marlins increase, and I wondered how much it had to do with Dontrelle Willis. The Marlins are getting a boost when Willis pitches, but they would still be up without him. The Marlins are drawing 15,542 when Willis pitches, 12,697 otherwise.