This may come as a shocker for most, but believe it or not even the mighty Yankees are having problems selling tickets.
With a wave of injuries to key players–Jeter, Teixeira, Arod, Granderson it’s not really a surprise that numbers are down, but what’s shocking is just how much they’ve slumped, despite the Yankees winning ways.
The Wall Street Journal reported:
Through Wednesday, the average ratings for Yankee games on the YES Network were down 38% compared to the same period last season, according to Nielsen figures.
The drop is even more remarkable when you consider that last year’s ratings were the Yankees’ lowest since 2003.
In the stands, the trend has been similar, if not quite as pronounced. The Yankees are drawing an average home crowd of 39,103, still the fourth highest in baseball but a 6% drop from what it was over the same period in 2012.
Surely there’s teams that would still kill for those kinds of attendance numbers, but by Yankee standards they’re hurting.
What else is the low numbers is a big indictment against Robinson Cano, and proof he can’t carry a team as far as drawing a crowd. This will most likely turn the tables against him when it comes to negotiating his contract in the off season.
Another factor which may explain the drop is the fact NY has a contending NBA and NHL teams again–with the Knicks, Nets, Rangers and Islanders all drawing big crowds as well.
Steinbrenner Sr would be furious, but is this really a bigger problem down the road?