Last word on attendance

Change has always been slow to come in baseball. Heck, it took almost 100 years until somebody decided it was OK to wear jerseys colored something other than white or gray.

When the nation's financial meltdown hit several years ago, minor-league baseball -- especially the independent level -- didn't feel the pinch in all markets the following season. Some teams were hit hard, others saw attendance rise slightly, others saw no significant change. Last year, half the teams in the Frontier League logged an increase in attendance over their 2009 figures.

It took some time, but the meltdown has finally trickled down to the Frontier League and all of independent baseball.

This year, every team in the Frontier League saw its average per-game attendance drop from 2010's numbers. And the dwindling turnstile counts were not limited to the Frontier. Only seven independent teams showed an attendance increase this summer, and that number should have an asterisk. The San Angelo (Texas) franchise in the North American Baseball League reported a per-game average increase of one fan. I'd be willing to bet that somebody in the Colts' front office figured out ahead of time just how much attendance he had to report in the season's final home game to get that one-person increase.

Another team that saw an increase was the Yuma Scorpions of the NABL. Yuma brought in Jose Caneseco as its manager this year and probably got a bump from having a household name in the dugout. That bump was an average of 81 fans per game.

Here is a look at how far attendance dropped per game in 2011 for each Frontier League team:

* Figures used from 2010 for Joliet and Rockford were when each of those franchises were in the Northern League.

Drop in Att. = Team
-39 = Traverse City
-77 = Windy City
-111 = Gateway
-201 = Normal
-205 = Washington
-290 = Evansville
-390 = Southern Illinois
-442 = Florence
-449 = Lake Erie
-750 = Rockford*
-799 = River City
-1,135 = Joliet*

Joliet's numbers are staggering, but you have to remember that the Slammers replaced a team called the Jackhammers, who played in the Northern League and left behind a trail of debt, which probably turned off plenty of people.

Those who say on-field success has little or no impact on attendance in minor-league baseball might be correct. In the FL this year, four of the six markets that showed the largest drop in attendance made the playoffs. And what's up in River City? At one time, this was the best-drawing market in the FL. Now, it's the worst despite the Rascals having an opportunity to be back-to-back champions.

In Washington, where attendance hit an all-time low of 2,226 per game, there are many factors that have caused the decline: the economy, three consecutive losing seasons, the 6:35 p.m. start time, the novelty of pro baseball has worn off, many people have been-there, done-that when it comes the Wild Things and Consol Energy Park. Stu Williams, one of the Wild Things' owners, even pointed to Washington having 27 home dates in the first of the season this year and only 21 in the second half as a contributing factor. Games in the first half of the season have more competition from youth baseball leagues.

The reasons for the dwindling attendance is probably all of the above. With baseball slow to change, reversing the trend will be difficult in 2012.