Monday’s home opener for the Texas Rangers had an official attendance of 35,052. The capacity at Globe Life Field in Arlington is 40,300.
For the first time since 1996, the regular season home opener was not a sellout for the Rangers. More fans attended the home opener in 2021 despite COVID restrictions than in 2022, with all restrictions removed.
There are many possible reasons for the lack of a sellout. The most probable cause is the lockout that delayed the start of the season. The delay kept teams from putting tickets on sale past the expected date as teams did not know their schedule or when their first home game would be.
Another possibility could be that MLB is losing popularity, and the probability that a baseball game will sell 40,000+ tickets is becoming ever less likely.
A December 2021 poll by Seton Hall University found that 44% of people who identify as avid sports fans said they are less interested in MLB games this season. Moreover, 54% of the general population said they had no interest in MLB.
MLB attendance hit a 37-year low in 2021, with the average per-game attendance falling for the fifth straight season (not counting the 2020 season in which games were played without fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Last year, one could blame the drop in attendance on COVID restrictions that were still enforced at the beginning of the season, but home TV viewership is also down 12% from 2019.
Another possibility is that cost is keeping fans away from ballparks. Tickets to Globe Life Field start as low as $10 on StubHub, but those are few and far between. The average price to get into the Rangers’ home park is around $90 per ticket, while the most expensive reserved seats near the dugouts can get up to $300 per seat.
When you add in the cost of parking and concessions, the total cost of attending a game in Arlington could get close to $1,000 for a family.
Parking at Globe Life Field can cost as much as $40, a large draft beer is $12, bottled water is $7, a personal pizza is $12, a mixed drink in a Rangers’ Opening Day cup is $24, a “beer bat” is $25, and nachos are $8.50.
If you want to buy some merchandise to take home with you, a Texas Rangers hat will cost you $35, and a T-shirt will run you $50.
Prices are even higher at ballparks in Los Angeles and New York but lower in places like Tampa and Milwaukee. Still, what fans pay in Arlington for a ticket, a beer, and a hot dog is close to what they would pay at the other twenty-nine MLB parks.
Higher prices do not explain all the empty seats at Globe Life Field on Monday, but they certainly explain some.
