The Minnesota Twins finished ninth in attendance among 14 American League teams in 2006. The Twins’ total attendance of 2,285,018 and average of 28,210 per game placed them 20th among the 30 teams in major league baseball. Before baseball’s All-Star game in July the Twins averaged 25,426 fans at home. After the All-Star game the club averaged 30,926.
Interesting attendance figures for a team that was the feel good story of the summer. All the Twins did was completely surprise their fans and all of baseball by overcoming a poor early season performance to win the American League Central Division on the last day of the season. Along the way the Twins had a long stretch where they were winning more games than any team in the big leagues. The Twins also had the best home record in the majors, 54-27.
The 2006 attendance was the Twins’ fourth highest ever and the first time since 1992-93 that the club had consecutive two million-plus seasons. In franchise history (since 1961) the Twins have drawn over three million fans only once in a single season (1988). The Twins have attracted better than two million fans just eight times and only once drew more than 2.5 million. When the Twins played outdoors at Met Stadium they drew under one million fans 11 times.
A Twins executive insists the organization is pleased with interest in the team. Vice president of marketing Patrick Klinger can recite several reasons as to why the Twins don’t draw more fans. Among the explanations offered is one that helped the franchise win approval for the new outdoor ball park: “During our decade long effort to secure a new ball park, the sporting public heard often that the Metrodome is not an ideal place to watch baseball,” Klinger said. “Anyone who has attended a Twins game at the dome knows it was primarily designed for football and baseball.”
While the dome has helped attract fans because of the assurance that regardless of weather games will be played, it has also kept fans away, Klinger said. The dome has the fewest seats between first and third base of any major league baseball stadium. The dome has more upper deck than lower deck seats. Plus, the baseball ambiance in the dome is arguably the worst in baseball (hello, Tropicana Field). Not what a marketer wants.
On warm, sunny days there is the temptation for fans to find other activities rather than watch indoor baseball. And the Twins offer up virtually every game on local TV and Klinger said that while local ratings are among the strongest in major league baseball, the telecasts make it easy for fans to watch the games from home.
A factor, too, in the Twins’ challenge to match attendance accomplishments with their on-field excellence (four division titles in five years) has been season tickets. At about 7,500 season tickets, the Twins have one of the lowest totals in baseball. That means fans can usually wait until game day to decide whether to buy tickets and the decision may be to stay away for various reasons.
Klinger predicts team attendance will be a different dynamic in the new outdoor downtown baseball stadium scheduled to open in 2010. Interest and excitement about the team and the ball park is so significant that season tickets may total 15,000, or about double what the Twins sell now. Klinger expects the fans’ appetite for outdoor baseball to continue indefinitely, long after the honeymoon period of the new ball park is over. And the ball park itself will be an entertainment destination, offering superb sightlines and 21st century luxuries and attractions.
There is little doubt that in the years ahead the Twins’ ranking among other teams in attendance will be better than in the past. The bet in the Twins’ offices is three million or better for several seasons.