It wasn’t supposed to be this way. A consultant’s study used by county officials to justify spending $64 million on the stadium said Gwinnett’s demographics and economy made it “one of the strongest markets in the country to support a minor league baseball team.” Conventions, Sports & Leisure International estimated the team would average 6,000 to 6,500 fans a game after an initial “honeymoon” period in which attendance might be higher.
In 2009 the team drew an average of 5,858 fans a game – up from 4,455 the previous year when the team played in Richmond, Va.
But the average fell to 4,818 last year and has rebounded slightly to 5,084 this year, with just two home games left.
The Gwinnett Braves rank 24th out of 30 AAA teams in average attendance this year.
Story here. And it was unexpected! I’m not familiar with the area per-se where the Gwinnett Braves play, but having been to numerous minor league games around the midwest in the past 20+ years and having watched a few minor league games on the internet, predicting an average of 6,000-6,500 fans after the honeymoon seems a wee bit high.
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