Attendance soars even as economy sags

[ben_meyers]

By Josh Peter, Yahoo! Sports
Apr 30, 11:49 pm EDT

LOS ANGELES – Takashi Saito was on the mound, the fans inside Dodger Stadium were on their feet and, with the home team closing in on victory in the ninth inning, there was a quirky sight in the left-field bleachers.

A middle-aged woman wearing a Dodgers cap and an expression as unflinching as Saito’s reached into her canvas carryall and pulled out a tall kitchen plastic bag. Her timing was as impeccable as Saito’s last pitch.

Arizona’s Mark Reynolds struck out swinging, and before the crowd of 42,590 began filing out the stadium, Dawn Vieyra, aka “The Double Coupon Queen,” went to work scooping recyclables into the bag. Her postgame routine offered insight into the national economy, team loyalty and the financial health of professional sports in the face of a recession.

Gas prices are up. Food prices are up. So, oddly enough, is attendance at Major League Baseball games.

MLB officials say attendance is 2.6 percent ahead of record-breaking figures from last season, when the 30 teams raked in more than $6 billion. The NBA and the NFL also say they see no signs that the economy will cut into attendance or profits. But Bob Dupuy, MLB’s chief operating officer, echoed the sentiment of the three leagues when he said, “We will be closely monitoring ticket sales throughout the season.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Akg3BRT.QSIi6UZBf7C9S3IRvLYF?slug=jo-mlbandrecession043008&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

For all the talk on the "internets" and the MSM, this is what people are really doing. How does anybody break through with their message?

[LisaM]

1. Baseball is a very feel good activity, and you can go for pretty cheap.

I am going to a game in a couple of weeks for $11. I'm not sure I understand your objection. They expect movie attendance to be up this summer also, because it's something that's relatively affordable for people.

[anigbrowl]

2. People always go to the movies, sports etc. more when there's a recession

They want to feel better, and it's some fairly cheap escapism. You might as well ask why people spend time on DU asking 'Why can't people SEEEEE?!?!?!', when they could be looking for a better job or trying to get laid more often. Seriously.

[TheMightyFavog]

3. Remeber, Major Leauge Baseball survived the Depression.

End of Line.