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Thoughout its nearly 120 year history, MLB has generally been played in the top 20-30 cities and metros in the country. But the charmless retractable roof stadiums in places like Houston, Miami and Phoenix underperform their market size, to say nothing of Tampa Bay's dome. Meanwhile, St. Louis is a baseball powerhouse and cities like KC and Cincinnati can still draw when their teams are good.
It seems that as baseball cities like Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, KC, StL, Cleveland, and Milwaukee keep falling in rank, and Austin, San Antonio, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, Las Vegas, and Nashville keep gaining, baseball is going to be increasingly about the largest markets of 20-30 years ago, not the future.
One issue is that hot weather is a real problem everywhere east of California, and south of the 38th parallel, where there isn't a single baseball team that consistently draws where it should given the size of its market. The Texas Rangers do ok, but they're moving into a retractable mallpark in a few years. Would love to see someplace like Austin get an outdoor stadium with a view of the skyline (I know land is getting expensive), and I'd bet it would outdraw Arizona, Houston, and Seattle in spite of the crazy summer heat.
The stadiums with retractable roofs that don't draw are those that are built in a downtown area, as they lack the option of tail gating. The Brewers in Milwaukee are the smallest market in the MLB but is tenth in the league in attendance, this year and average 2 large even when they are a bottom feeder.
The intermissions are too long. I can't deal with TV commercials at home, and they really slow things down at the game.
Seattle's attendance has been below-average lately, but it can be very good when the team is good. I bet the retractable roof is important for this, mostly when there's a chance of rain...Seattle is very dry in the summer but the shoulder seasons have a lot more rainy and uncertain days. They don't close the roof for sun coverage, and it stays open air no matter what...I don't buy tickets on the sunny side anyway as anything over 68 and sunny means it's too hot and sunburny.
It rains in Miami everyday during the baseball season hence the retractable roof.
As for the Marlins under performing we can thank the lousy ownership the team has been saddled with over the years.
It rains in Miami everyday during the baseball season hence the retractable roof. As for the Marlins under performing we can thank the lousy ownership the team has been saddled with over the years.
As well as a bandwagon fan base to start with. As a South Florida native I know all too well how the Dolphins even back when they were much more of a winning franchise, would struggle to fill the Orange Bowl unless playing a big divisional/conference game of importance or having a 12 to 13 win season.
I have been in Phoenix, Houston, and Dallas/Fort Worth during various summers, and you either have oppressive heat or oppressive humidity to deal with. Without a dome or retractable roof stadium, the attendance in these areas would be worse in the summer. That and you would have to play almost all night games.
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