Though the recession is having a huge effect on the US economy, it has not yet hit the top teams in baseball. Comparing the 2007 baseball game attendance to the baseball attendance 2008, most of the top teams grew their average to new records, while many of the lower-placed teams took some major losses to their crowd size. Even as paychecks shrunk in 2008 and ticket prices continued to climb, Americans would not give up their favorite viewing pastime (or their beer and hot dogs).

Top 5 Major League teams for baseball game attendance:

New York Yankees, Average 53,069
Leading the majors and breaking baseball attendance records that they had previously set, the Yanks eeked out a .7% gain over their impressive 2007 attendance. This is the highest-ever average baseball game attendance. The Yanks new stadium holds roughly the same capacity as the old one so expect a steady crowd in 2009.

New York Mets, Average 51,165
A Mets record for attendance, the Mets were up a dramatic 7.7% from the 2007 season. This reflects the high expectations for a team loaded with talent and the fact that New York is a pretty big place. The Mets will experience a guaranteed decline in attendance this year in their new stadium. Though the ticket price increase will offset the loss, the new stadium has only 42,000 seats and also some standing room.

Los Angeles Dodgers, Average 46,056
Even though the Boys in Blue put together a great season and brought in Manny for some batting sparks, they may have been hardest hit by the recession, reflecting California’s housing woes, as their attendance actually shrunk by 3.3% from 2007.

St Louis Cardinals, Attendance 42,353
After reaching etherial heights with a World Series title in 2006, St. Louis has gone backwards in performance and attendance with a 3.4% drop from their 2007 baseball attendance.

Philadelphia Phillies, Attendance 42,254
With the Phillies in contention, the eventual World Series champions set new baseball attendance records for their club. Their average soared 10.1% from 2007 levels as Philadelphia showed the team their love by turning out to the park.

Other teams that set club records for season baseball game attendance in 2008 were the Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. Surprisingly, the Tampa Bay Rays, despite making it into the World Series, were not even close to their record attendance with an average of 22,259, up 29.9% from 2007, but well below their record of 30,942 during their inaugural season in 1998.

Perhaps reflecting the hard recessionary times in the Golden State, California teams were, on average, the hardest hit teams in the Major League. The Los Angeles Angels had an excellent season on the field but a so-so attendance result with a .9% loss. The other three Cali teams all took major drops in baseball game attendance 2008: Oakland dropped 13.3%, San Francisco lost 11.1% and San Diego cut 13%. The worst drop in the league from 2007 baseball attendance was the Texas Rangers, which saw its crowd cut a very sizable 18.4% down to an average of 24,320 in 2008.

Here, at Electro-Mech, we are big baseball fans. We not only produce electronic baseball scoreboards but also love to follow all things baseball. Check out more of our articles discussing news, trends and scandals surrounding your favorite sports.