July 2, 2019
Baseball in America, July 2019
Marist National Poll
Major League Baseball continues to struggle to bring fans to its ballparks. A plurality of baseball fans nationally (46%) report that they did not attend any ballgames last year and do not plan to head out to the stadium this year. A little more than three in ten (31%) say they plan to go to about the same number of games as last year while 17% say they will attend more. Six percent of fans say they will go to fewer games than last year. This is not a new phenomenon. When last asked in March 2017, similar proportions of fans had these views.
Nearly half of baseball fans suffer sticker shock when it comes to the price of a Major League Baseball game ticket. 47% consider the cost to not be a good value while 41% say it is. 12% are unsure. These findings closely reflect those released two years ago.
Not only is ballgame attendance lackluster, but Major League Baseball’s overall fan base is not rallying. A majority of Americans (56%), identical to 2018, report they do not watch or follow professional baseball at all. 44% say they follow the game a great deal (10%), a good amount (7%), or a little (27%). Last year, the same proportion (44%) reported they watched, at least, a little of the sport.
Men (54%) are far more likely than women (35%) to identify as baseball fans.
Complete July 2, 2019 Marist Poll Release of the United States
Complete July 2, 2019 Marist Poll of the United States (Tables of Adults)