Marist Poll: 53 Percent Of Baseball Fans Won't Attend A Game In 2012
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) - The Major League Baseball season is under way, and thousands headed to Citi Field on Thursday afternoon to see the Mets kick off their 2012 season against the Braves.
The majority of big league stadiums -- if not all -- sell out on the first day of the season, but that trend doesn't continue throughout the entire 162-game season. In fact, many fans say they don't expect to make it to a ballpark this year at all.
A Marist College poll found that 53 percent of baseball fans surveyed say they did not attend any baseball games last season, and do not plan to go to a stadium this season.
The poll released on Wednesday found that 31 percent of baseball fans think they will go to about the same number of games as last year, and 10 percent plan to attend more games. Another 6 percent told pollsters that they will go to fewer games.
The Marist Poll press release revealed that ticket prices at stadiums play a major factor in fans' decisions to stay at home and watch on their sofas, as opposed to heading to the field.
"Nearly six in ten national baseball fans -- 56% -- report the cost of a ticket for a Major League Baseball game is not a good value for the money," the release said.
Marist spoke to 536 baseball fans from March 20 through March 22. The poll's margin of error is 4.5 percentage points.
After the Mets host the Braves on Thursday, they will conclude their home-opening series on Saturday and Sunday against the Braves at Citi Field. The Yankees kick off their season on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, and the home-opener at Yankee Stadium will take place on April 13 against the Angels.
How many ballgames will you attend this season? Let us know...
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