Tampa Yankees 2017 Attendance Review

Welcome to our first 2017 attendance review and our 11th attendance review post on the Tampa Yankees, minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees.

Background:

The Tampa Yankees began play in 1994. After two seasons playing at the University of South Florida, the Tampa Yankees moved to Legends Field, a stadium built across the street from Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Legends Field was renamed Steinbrenner Field in 2008. The current population of Tampa is 352,957.

Tampa Yankees 2017:


Home Games: 69

Total attendance: 93,823 (up 28% from 2016: 73,278)

Average: 1,421 (up 22% from 2016: 1,163)

Highest attended game: 7,157 on Saturday, August 12th vs St Lucie

Lowest attended game: 587 on Thursday, August 31st vs Lakeland

Double headers: 3 (Apr 13, May 20, Aug 30)

Cancellations: 2

Average Time of Game: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Notable rehab assignments: None

Other notable appearances: Tim Tebow with the St Lucie Mets, Aug 10-13

Breakdown:

(red highlight = below annual average of 1,421)

Overall:

By Month:

The following graph depicts the average attendance by month.

By Day:

Tampa Yankees attendance increased 79% on the weekends compared to their average Monday through Thursday attendance.

• Mon-Thurs average attendance: 1,063
• Sat-Sun average attendance: 1,907
• Difference: +79%

The following graph depicts the average attendance by day.

The following chart shows how often each day outdrew the day prior.

Saturdays were a good draw, outdrawing the game prior 88% of the time. No Sundays outdrew Saturdays.

By Opponent:

By Starting Pitcher:

This chart depicts how attendance reacted from one starter to the next. If a pitcher is a great draw, the percentage between he and the prior starter should be higher.

Here are links to past Tampa Yankees seasons since 2007.

• 2016 Tampa Yankees Attendance Review
• 2015 Tampa Yankees Attendance Review
• 2014 Tampa Yankees Attendance Review
• 2013 Tampa Yankees Attendance Review
• 2012 Tampa Yankees Attendance Review
• 2011 Tampa Yankees Attendance Review
• 2010 Tampa Yankees Attendance Review
• 2009 Tampa Yankees Attendance Review
• 2008 Tampa Yankees Attendance Review
• 2007 Tampa Yankees Attendance Review

Tampa Bay Area Minor League Trends 2017 - By Team

As we saw in a previous post, Minor League Baseball attendance in the Tampa Bay area increased 5% from 2016. In 2017, Minor League Baseball in 2017 distributed a total 412,212 tickets between the area's four teams.

The totals of each Tampa Bay area teams:

• Clearwater Threshers: 200,293 total / 2,987 per game
• Tampa Yankees: 93,742 total / 1,420 per game
• Bradenton Marauders: 79,331 total / 1,300 per game
• Dunedin Blue Jays: 38,963 total / 562 per game

Clearwater and Tampa saw increases in attendance, while attendance dropped for Bradenton and Dunedin. The following charts depict each team's trends in attendance (total and per game) since 2005 - and 2010 in Bradenton's case. By team breakdowns will occur in a later post.

Clearwater Threshers

• Total: 200,293 (up 10%)
• Per Game: 2,987 (up 10%)
• Ranking in Minor League Baseball: 116 of 303

Total attendance since 2005:

Per game attendance since 2005:

Tampa Yankees

• Total: 93,792 (up 27%)
• Per Game: 1,420 (up 22%)
• Ranking in Minor League Baseball: 202 of 303

Total attendance since 2005:

Per game attendance since 2005:

Bradenton Marauders

• Total: 79,331 (down 9%)
• Per Game: 1,300 (down 3%)
• Ranking in Minor League Baseball: 214 of 303

Total attendance since 2005:

Per game average attendance 2005-2017:

Dunedin Blue Jays

• Total: 38,963 (down 22%)
• Per Game: 573 (down 26%)
• Ranking in Minor League Baseball: 296 of 303

Total attendance since 2005:

Per game average attendance 2005-2017:

Tampa Bay Area Minor League Baseball Totals 2017

In 2017, total attendance for Minor League Baseball in Tampa Bay was 412,212. In total, 260 Florida State League games were played between Bradenton, Clearwater, Dunedin, and Tampa.

412,212 was an increase of 20,128 over 2016's attendance of 392,084. While attendance increased, 2017's attendance was still the second lowest Tampa Bay area Minor League total since the Bradenton Marauders began play in 2010.

The following shows Tampa Bay area Minor League attendance totals since 2005:

Since 2005, almost 5 million tickets have been sold for Minor League Baseball in Tampa Bay.

Returning to 2017, here is how Minor League attendance fared throughout the season. Local Florida State League regular season games started on April 6th and ended on September 2nd.

The large attendance spike in the middle is the July 3-5th weekend. Each local team had a fireworks display that was among their highest draws of the year. The attendance spike on the right in mid-August was when St Lucie Met Tim Tebow visited the Tampa Yankees and Clearwater Threshers. Each team saw an influx of fans hoping to see the ex-NFL quarterback in action.

I'll break down each team later on this week, but here is the overall trends for each of the four local Florida State League teams:

Total Attendance

The following graph depicts the above chart:

Attendance Per Game

The following graph depicts the above chart.

A few things we will discuss in a later post:

• Clearwater's increase
• Dunedin's decrease
• Bradenton's missing games
• The Tebow Effect
• Where the four Tampa Bay Minor League teams rank nationally

The Tebow Effect on Tampa Bay Minor League Attendance

One of the biggest, if not THE BIGGEST, story in Minor League Baseball this season is the play of former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow. Years ago, I wrote for a Minor League Baseball site, and I guarantee I would have been all over this story in every location he played. But as this website is focused strictly on Tampa Bay area baseball, I am keeping my Tebow writing to only his appearances here.

Prior to his arrival in the Florida State League, Tebow boosted attendance throughout the South Atlantic League Columbia Fireflies, the Mets Low-A Minor League affiliate. Baseball America had a very good article stating Tebow was worth approximately 2,000 fans per game.

For the lowest rungs of Minor League Baseball, that's very significant.

Although he has played for the St Lucie Mets since early July, Tebow visited Tampa Bay teams for the first time in early August, when the Mets played the Tampa Yankees and Clearwater Threshers. The Mets played their scheduled games against Dunedin and Bradenton prior to Tebow's arrival.

While it is easy to say "Tebow drew X fans", the true measure is looking how many he drew above the average per day. Weekends of course draw more than weekdays and heavily promoted days draw more than non-promoted days. The below chart shows the effect Tim Tebow had on attendance at Steinbrenner Field and Spectrum Field.

Clearly, Tebow had a huge impact on attendance, from 170% above daily average to 362% above daily average. Even the Threshers $1 Tuesdays saw a huge bump in attendance. While total attendance for Tebow's games in Tampa Bay was 40,351, these games drew 24,336 above average. That's 252% or 2.5x the average attendance, every game.

Should Tim Tebow be playing in Minor Leagues? Maybe, maybe not. Is he taking up the spot a younger prospect should have? Maybe, maybe not. Is he a feel-good story when our world is lacking in them? Perhaps. Is he good for the business of Minor League Baseball in Tampa Bay? Absolutely.

Additionally, for those curious, here is how the Tampa Bay Rays fared in ticket sales while Tebow played the Yankees across the bay.

There isn't much here. Rays attendance on weekdays did worse, but that could also be attributed to the team's worse play of late. Rays attendance on Saturday did better, but attendance on Sunday was almost exactly the average. There is almost no way to attribute the effect of Tim Tebow to any of these four games.

Tim Tebow will continue to be a story as long as he continues to play Minor League Baseball. While he might play for the Mets as they visit Tampa Bay during Spring Training, his Minor League experiences against Tampa Bay area teams is likely over, as he will probably move up to the Mets AA Minor League affiliate next season.

But for one week during one season, Tim Tebow fans in Tampa Bay came out in droves* to see their favorite player.

(*droves = a completely arbitrary term of measurement not often used on this website)

Tampa Bay area Minor League Baseball April Attendance Trends 2007-2017

We looked at the Rays April attendance trends last week. This week I want to look at the other four professional baseball teams playing in Tampa Bay. These teams are all members of the Florida State League and play in Spring Training stadiums. Attendance for the Florida State League is never overwhelming, but these teams often have a few games a month that draw very well.

As I have said before, April and May are among the best attended months for Tampa Bay minor league teams. The weather in Tampa Bay is optimal for outside baseball - it is not yet too hot and humid.

Here are the average April attendance for each of the four area Minor League teams from 2007 to 2017. Also listed is the Rays April average and the total amount of Minor League games played in the area that year.

The bottom rows of this chart depict the difference between April 2016 and April 2017. While the Rays and Clearwater Threshers increased, the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Marauders saw significant decreases April over April.

The following graph shows the April average attendance for the four Minor League teams since 2007.

Here we see the Threshers above and beyond the other three teams. The Yankees and Marauders are too far distance-wise from the Threshers for us to estimate any correlation. Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin however is only 10 minutes from Clearwater, so it is possible an increase in Threshers attendance could cause a decrease in Blue Jays attendance.

We will now look at each individual team and their April averages since 2007.

Clearwater Threshers

The following graph shows Threshers April attendance since 2007:

Since 2013, Threshers April attendance has increased by over 1,000 fans per game.

Here are the Threshers attendance numbers and percentage increase or decrease since 2007.

Tampa Yankees

The following graph shows the Yankees April average attendance since 2007:

Since 2012, Tampa Yankees April average attendance has declined 810 fans per game. The following are the Yankees attendance numbers and percentage increase or decrease since 2007.

Bradenton Marauders

The following graph shows the Marauders April average attendance since 2010:

Since 2015, Bradenton Marauders April average attendance has declined 540 fans per game, to a similar level they saw in 2012-2014. The following are the Marauders attendance numbers and percentage increase or decrease since 2010.

Dunedin Blue Jays

The following graph shows the Dunedin Blue Jays April average attendance since 2007:

In 2017, the Dunedin Blue Jays had their worst April average attendance since 2007. The following are the Dunedin Blue Jays attendance numbers and percentage increase or decrease since 2007.

Conclusion

Before we judge each team's attendance in 2017 based on April, we have figure where April usually stands in regards to each team's monthly ranking.

• For the Threshers, April is usually their third busiest month.
• For the Yankees, April has been their third busiest month.
• For the Marauders, April is their fourth busiest month.
• For the Blue Jays, April is typically their 2nd best month for attendance.

We will continue to post Tampa Bay area Minor League attendance trends as the season continues.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Report - April 10, 2017

Tampa Bay baseball attendance for Monday, April 10, 2017:

Total Attendance: 770

Tampa Yankees:

• Team Home Game #: 3


• Attendance: 770


• Starting Pitcher: Zack Littell


• Opponent: Fort Myers Miracle


• Opponent Starting Pitcher: Randy LeBlanc


• Avg Attendance to Date: 972


• Avg Attendance vs Opponent:770


• Avg Attendance per Day of the Week: 770


• Avg Attendance for Starting Pitcher: 770


• Promotions (if any): $1 hot dog Monday


• Other local events: None

No other local games scheduled.

Accepting Jameis Winston: Yankees fan

For the last two years, since he was initially predicted as the first round pick of the Buccaneers, I have written about Jameis Winston's relationship with professional baseball teams in Tampa Bay. I've often wondered when he will ever support the local Major League team instead of a team that only spends two months in Tampa.

The answer is probably "never".

Last week, there were two Jameis sightings. In both, he openly supported the New York Yankees.

On February 8th, Yankees pitcher James Kaprielian tweeted thanks to Jameis for visiting the Yankees training facilities, apparently for the 2017 Yankees Captain Camp.

The next day, on February 9th, Jameis made an appearance at an Orlando Magic game decked out in Yankees gear.

Neither of these should matter. After all, LeBron James was a Yankees fan for years before being seen at Indians games wearing Indians gear. But LeBron leaned on his localness to be accepted as an Indians fan. If Jameis were to don a Rays jersey, it would not have an ounce of authenticity or credibility.

He is a Yankees fan. He is always will be.

The quarterback of Tampa Bay's football team openly roots for a team that plays against and in the same division of Tampa Bay's baseball team. This would be similar to Evan Longoria publicly being a Atlanta Falcons fan or Chris Archer publicly being a Carolina Panthers fan.

The big word here is "publicly". As with the Sternberg-Mets fandom, it is absolutely acceptable if a player, owner, or whomever roots for a team outside of Tampa Bay. But when that fandom is publicly flaunted or discussed, Tampa Bay fans have every right to be upset. Because if the opinion makers believe the local teams aren't good enough to root for, why should the fans?

If I was the Rays, I would write Jameis off. I would not invite him to throw out a first pitch nor be a special guest at any games or outside charity events. I wouldn't even invite him to the FSU Chop at the Trop. If any fans ask (and FSU fans probably have), the Rays should politely inform them that Jameis's fandom is somewhere else besides Tampa Bay. Jameis is not persona non grata, nor he is not barred from Tropicana Field, but if he wants to see a Rays game, he will have to buy a ticket.

That's not to say the Rays shouldn't engage Jameis. They should absolutely make Jameis's Yankees fandom an issue. But they should do it through Raymond.

I have often said Raymond is an under-utilized marketing tool for the Rays. Raymond can go to local events and engage fans at Tropicana Field as any mascot would. But he should also create videos for Rays fans to share on social media.

Raymond should create a series of short online videos - either on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, or YouTube - playing up that Jameis doesn't want to hang out with him. These videos would show Raymond wanting to be friends with Jameis, but Jameis not responding.

Raymond could try to play catch with the Bucs mascot only to fail every throw, he could try to call Jameis, tweet Jameis, or cry after after looking at pictures of other Bucs and Rays relationships and then a picture of Jameis in pinstripes. This could be an ongoing saga throughout the season - maybe once a month. Momentum it could build if done right.

Currently, Jameis Winston has shown little interest in the "Team Tampa Bay" concept. He is a Yankees fan and expresses that openly. It is probably not the smartest move, but then again, Tampa's politicians play both sides of the Yankees-Rays local dynamic as well. As long as the Yankees have such a large presence in Tampa, there is no incentive for Jameis to root for the Rays, just like any other Yankees fan in Tampa Bay.

Using Raymond could get Jameis's attention. The skits should be very careful not to annoy Jameis, only to poke fun at his fandom. That's why the videos need to posted sparingly.

As much excitement as Jameis Winston has brought to the Bucs fanbase, it is a shame he can't bring any of that to the Rays.

Rays and Yankees fans in Tampa Bay and distance to stadiums

During the last few weeks, I have analyzed Tampa Bay zip codes containing the most amounts of Rays and Yankees fans. I also looked at how far these zip codes are to Tropicana Field and Steinbrenner Field.

What I did not look at was the percentage of each teams' fans among baseball fans in respect to the distance from each stadium. Since not all zip codes have the same population, it is erroneous to use the total amount of fans to judge the impact of the team's location on the fanbase.

(Note: this entire post assumes baseball fans are 50% of the population. For example, if 50% of those fans are Rays fans, then 25% of the total population are Rays fans.)

A better measure is the percentage of population claiming to be fans of the respective team in that zip code.

Let's look first at the percentage of Yankees fans among baseball fans per zip code compared to proximity to Steinbrenner Field.

Again, most Yankees fans are within 30 miles of Steinbrenner Field. But there does not seem to be any correlation between proximity to Steinbrenner Field and Yankees fandom in the Tampa Bay area.

The two zip codes with the highest percentage of Yankees fans (21% of baseball fans) are 33615, 6.4 miles to Steinbrenner Field, and 34667, which is 40.7 miles from Steinbrenner Field.

Now let's look at the percentage of Rays fans by zip code.

While in most zip codes in Tampa Bay 45% or more of baseball fans are Rays fans, the only zip codes where close to or above 60% of baseball fans are Rays are within 10 miles of Tropicana Field.

That the three zip codes closest to Tropicana Field have the highest percentage of Rays fans is interesting. As I continue with zip code analyses, I am curious whether other zip codes in Pinellas County share a high percentage of Rays fans.

I wonder if most of Pinellas is near 60% and most of Hillsborough County is closer to 50% Rays fans among baseball fans.

Also interesting is that the three zip codes closest to the Trop (33702, 33712, 33710) have very low percentage of Yankees fans (6%, 9%, 8%, respectively).

There is still a lot of work to be done in regards to zip code analysis. Initial analysis however proves a link between closeness to the Rays stadium and a higher percentage of Rays fans and a lower percentage of Yankees fans.

Initial analysis also shows that proximity to Steinbrenner Field is not a strong factor in Yankee fandom in Tampa Bay. As I have mentioned before, the Yankees are a global brand and are popular everywhere.

Yankees fandom in Tampa Bay's top 25 most populated zip codes

Over the past year, I have explored many Tampa Bay area zip codes. I have looked at these regions by population, determining how many baseball fans live in each and how many of these fans are teams of what team. Then I determined how far each of these fans are to each of Tampa Bay's baseball stadiums.

This post is the second of several to combine zip code demographics and look for patterns and trends.

Again we will start with a list of the top 25 most populated zip codes in Tampa Bay per the 2010 census database on census.gov.

Of the top 25 most populated zip codes in Tampa Bay, 12 are in Hillsborough County, 5 are in Pinellas County, 5 are in Manatee County, and 3 are in Pasco County.

Now let's look at the amount of Yankees fans per zip code by using data from Facebook/New York Times. This is calculated by assuming 50% of the total population is baseball fans. For example, if 50% of Zip Code 33511 are baseball fans, and 20% of those are Yankees fans, then 5,200 people in zip code 33511 are Yankees fans.

The biggest difference is that the three St Petersburg zip codes in the first chart (33710, 33713, 33702) are not in the second chart. However, 5 more Hillsborough County zip codes are among the most populated with Yankees fans.

These 25 zip codes have a population of 909,553. The total amount of Yankees fans in these zip codes is 81,295, or 9% of the population. Now let's look at how far each of these Yankees fan-heavy zip codes are from Steinbrenner Field.

These zip codes average less than 21 miles from Steinbrenner Field. This is 7 miles closer than the 28 miles Rays-heavy zip codes were from Tropicana Field. So Tampa Bay area Yankees fans live closer to Steinbrenner Field than Tampa Bay area Rays fans live to Tropicana Field.

Now let's plot Yankees fans per distance. The following graph depicts the amount of Yankees fans per distance.

A few observations:

• The two zip codes with the most Yankees fans are under 30 miles from Steinbrenner Field.
• Proximity to Steinbrenner Field does not seem to have an effect on the amount of Yankees fans per zip code.
• Only 6 of the most Yankees-fan heavy zip codes are beyond 30 miles from Steinbrenner Field.
• Most Tampa Bay area Yankees fans live within 30 miles of Steinbrenner Field.

There are many Yankees fans in Tampa Bay. Many have moved into the area from New York. Others are children of Yankees fans. Yet others root for the Yankees as they have been spring training in Tampa since 1994. The Yankees presence in the area is undeniable.

That 9% of the population of Tampa Bay roots for the Yankees poses a problem for the Rays. It also poses a dilemma for Tampa politicians. These are the fans attending Yankees Spring Training, Tampa Yankees games, and supplementing Rays attendance in games versus the Yankees. Based on recent attendance trends, we can guess local Yankees fans are no longer making the drive to Tropicana Field as Yankees vs Rays attendance has dropped severely in recent years.

But that these fans buy Spring Training tickets hurts the assumption that Spring Training is only for tourists. These fans are spending their local dollars on the Yankees product. To believe that they are not is dishonest.

Even if the Yankees moved their Spring Training from Tampa (where they are contracted until 2046), there would still be Yankees fans in Tampa. There are Yankees fans everywhere. The Yankees are a global brand.

That the Rays have to compete in their own market against a global brand is a problem Major League Baseball has created and shows no intention of solving.

Tampa Bay Baseball Attendance Changes Since 2007

Over the last few weeks, I have been exploring monthly attendance averages for baseball teams in the Tampa Bay area. I used 2007 as a start date for my research as 2007 was the Rays last year of being the Devil Rays and it was the first year of the Stu Sternberg ownership.

Before we dig into attendance, let's look at two major factors driving attendance: possible people and money available.

For possible people, we'll use the metro population of Tampa Bay from 2007 to 2016:

• 2007: 2,733,678
• 2015: 2,975,225

Difference: +8%

For money available, we'll use Adjusted Median Household Income.

Overall difference between Tampa Bay area median household income 2007 to 2015: -8.2%

The following chart shows the change in average monthly attendance from 2007 to 2016 attendance.

The Marauders had not yet begun play in 2007, so hence the N/As.

Let's explore month by month:

April:

Rays average April attendance in 2007 was 10% higher than it was in 2016. The Rays had 1,937 less fans per game in 2016 than they did in 2007. In 2007, the team started 5-6 and they started 8-7 in 2016. There is also increased awareness in the team and a record of success from 2008-2013.

Meanwhile, every Minor League team in the Tampa Bay area has seen an April attendance increase since 2007. Minor League attendance has increased an average of 1,134 total in April.

• Threshers: +660
• Yankees: +276
• Blue Jays: +198

It is possible some fans opted to go to Minor League Baseball games in the nice Florida April weather than to go to the domed Tropicana Field.

May:

Rays attendance in May 2016 was 38% more than it was in May 2007. The Rays drew 3,000 more on weekdays and nearly 4,000 more per game on weekends in 2016 than they did in 2007. Rays average May attendance in 2015 was actually lower than it was in 2007, so much of the gain was due to something done for 2016.

Minor League average attendance differences were varied between 2007 and 2016.

• Blue Jays: 111
• Threshers: 72
• Yankees: -1,824

Again, a bit misleading in regards to the Yankees since May 2007 Yankees attendance was highlighted by a Roger Clemens rehab assignment that drew 10,000 fans.

June:

Again, the Rays saw a large increase in June average attendance compared to their June 2007 average attendance, drawing over 3,700 more fans per game. This was not only due to the sellout for Pride Night either. Without Pride Night, the Rays still had over 1,000 more fans per game in June 2016 than they did in June 2007.

Minor League June average attendance increased in the case of the Threshers, saw little variance in Dunedin, and decreased in Tampa.

• Threshers: 106
• Blue Jays: 6
• Yankees: -689

July:

A second month where Rays average attendance was lower in 2016 than it was in 2007. We can probably attribute this to lower attendance in games versus the Yankees and Red Sox, neither of whom are the draw they used to be.

July attendance for Threshers increased the most (534 per game), followed by the Blue Jays with 252 per game. We might assume these July increases are mostly because of increased 4th of July extravaganzas.

Meanwhile, Tampa Yankees attendance in July 2016 was 366 fans less per game than Tampa Yankees attendance in July 2007.

August:

The Rays struggled through attendance in August 2016. August 2007 wasn't great, but it was consistently higher with attendance ranging from 23,000 to 10,000.

While Threshers attendance marginally increased, August attendance for both the Blue Jays and the Yankees plummeted.

September:

With Minor League Baseball season complete, the Rays no longer face any regional baseball competition for eyes, butts, or dollars. The Rays drew 27% worse per game in September 2016 than they did in September 2007.

Perhaps this is due to expectations. Perhaps it is due to games against the Yankees and the Red Sox not drawing as well. Perhaps it is because household income has decreased and people are going to games in the summer when the kids are out of school, but not in April or August/September.

While 240,000 more people live in Tampa Bay since 2007, we are seeing only limited increases in baseball attendance. If 50% of the 240,000 are baseball fans (national average), then there is the potential for gains across the board. So far we are not seeing that.

Average difference per game 2007 to 2016:

• Threshers: +230
• Blue Jays: +49
• Yankees: -680
• Rays: -1,587

Are these people not baseball fans? Do they live near any stadium? I could assume they are going to Spring Training only, but total Spring Training attendance in 2016 is 50,000 less than total Spring Training attendance in 2007, albeit with the relocation of the Rays from Al Lang Field in St. Pete to Port Charlotte.

Perhaps a growing economy, more jobs, and an increased population will boost baseball attendance in Tampa Bay. But with increasing market competition from the Lightning, Bucs, Rowdies, and USF sports, baseball in Tampa Bay has a tough road to travel.

Tampa Bay Minor League Baseball Monthly Attendance Averages: 2007-2016

A few weeks ago, I looked at the monthly averages of each minor league team in the Tampa Bay area. I looked at the trends from 2007 to 2016. Some teams had increased, others had decreased. But I analyzed each team individually.

Now I want to combine the charts and see if there are any patterns or any relationship in Minor League attendance trends.

Tampa Bay Minor League Baseball Average Attendance

April:

Here we see the Threshers average attendance climbing, the Yankees dropping, the Marauders increasing then decreasing, and the Blue Jays staying level.

I explored April average attendance earlier in 2016 and came to the following conclusions:

Every Minor League team has seen their April attendance increase since 2007.

• Marauders: +976 per game
• Threshers: +660 per game
• Yankees: +276 per game
• Blue Jays: +198 per game

However, since 2013 the Tampa Yankees April attendance has dropped 21%. It is possible this could be because of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

May:

As I mentioned in the Tampa Yankees trend analysis, 2007 was an anomaly due to a Roger Clemens rehab start. Because of a Yankees steep drop - possibly due to Lightning playoff runs - and Marauders steady increase, the Marauders have caught the Tampa Yankees in average May attendance. The Blue Jays and Threshers have slightly increased.

June:

In the last 10 years, the Threshers attendance has increased less 100 per game and the Blue Jays average June attendance has increased by six. After a huge gain, the Marauders have only increased 200 per game. Meanwhile, the Yankees have decreased almost 700 fans per game in June since 2007.

July:

Since 2007, Threshers average July attendance has increased over 500 fans per game. Blue Jays average attendance has increased over 250 and Marauders attendance increased over 600. Adversely, Tampa Yankees average July attendance has dropped over 300 per game in the last 10 years. Yankees average attendance in 2016 was below Marauders attendance and slightly above Blue Jays attendance.

August/September:

Over the last 10 years, the Threshers an average August increase of 25 fans per game. Marauders attendance has increased nearly 300 fans per August game. On the other hand, Blue Jays average August attendance decreased over 300 fans per game and Tampa Yankees has decreased 800 fans per game in August.

Conclusion:

We don't see much, if any, correlation between Minor League team attendance. According to these charts, even Dunedin and Clearwater do not have much of a relationship. The Tampa Yankees attendance decline needs to be explored. The Marauders have also seen increases early in the season and decreases in the later months.

In my Rays analysis, I broke down average attendance by weekend and weekday attendance. I may want to see if Minor League trends follow the Rays trends in regards to average difference between weekend and weekday attendance in each month. By comparing the difference between weekend and weekday attendance, we can start analyzing local fan behavior.

Perhaps fans are more likely to go to Minor League Baseball during the week. Perhaps there is no correlation between the Rays and each Minor League team.