Week 11: Guardians Attendance Bounce

And notes on how they got there

The Cleveland sports landscape is weird, there’s really no other way to put it. The region salivates over the Browns all year, every year, no matter the record. The Browns remained the city’s favorite team through thick and thin: even when the team went 1-15 and 0-16 in back-to-back years. Recently the Browns showed a streak of competence unseen in decades: they have made the playoffs twice in three years, and legitimately fielded fun teams to watch. When Cleveland beat the Stealers in the playoffs two years ago, the city was as excited as I have ever witnessed. The Cavaliers seem to fall second in Cleveland fans minds, ever since LeBron brought the city its first championship since 1964 (before the NFL started calling it the Super Bowl) in 2016. The Cavs have also shown some excellence, making the playoffs twice. 

But the best run team in Cleveland is the Indians/Guardians, and this isn’t really a debate. Since 1999 (when the Browns returned) the Browns have made the playoffs three times, and never won their division (the AFC North), the Cavs have made the playoffs 11 times and won their division six times; without LeBron James the Cavs have never won their division and made the playoffs twice. The Cleveland Indians/Guardians have won their division seven times, and made the playoffs nine times.

Yes, the Cavs won an NBA Championship in 2016, I do not intend to diminish the significance of that event, but I do think when evaluating how well a team is run: recognizing that LeBron returning to Cleveland was an act of personal convictions, and not competence, is important. Without LeBron James the Cavaliers have not been particularly successful. Meanwhile the Guardians have (since Hank Peters took over in the late ‘80s) found ways to foster talent and weather the storms of modern baseball. 

But if you follow the local sports scene you may hardly notice. It is not uncommon for Cleveland sports news to discuss the Browns and the Cavs, as their primary focus, in the middle of the Major League Baseball season, with such vital topics like whether DeShaun Watson should have played in a celebrity softball game (not a joke). Furthermore, since 2002 (the end of the Indians ‘90s renaissance) the Cleveland Indians/Guardians have drawn 2 million fans just four times and have never ranked higher than 9th in the American League in attendance. From 1996-2001 the Guardians averaged over 3 million fans a year, the attention gap is stark.

This season will not dramatically change this dynamic: but the Guardians have seen improvements.

Attendance Growth

Like most teams the Indians struggled with attendance in 2021 following the pandemic. The Guardians posted the 2nd highest growth in attendance in 2023 going from 1.3M fans in ‘22 to 1.8M fans in ‘23, despite the team underperforming. This year the team is on pace for over 2 million fans, which would be the first time the team has drawn 2 million since 2017 (when they won 102 games and came off an AL Pennant winning season). Clearly team performance has a huge impact on attendance, but I want to highlight that the team has adapted to a different sports market as well: they have upgraded Progressive Field nicely, and they are aggressively discounting seats to get more fans in the ballpark as well as new kinds of promotions. A few of the things they have done well on the marketing side which I think make a big difference:

Stadium Upgrades 

Several years ago the addition of the Corner Bar and the Home Plate Club helped attract fans to the game. I know many people who are not huge baseball fans who like standing, or sitting, in these areas where they can socialize without being glued to the game. The new additions of similar areas in Right Field and Left Field certainly make Progressive Field a more attractive place for a variety of fans. 

While they have not made their way to the entire park yet: the new seats in the inner bowl are a vast improvement from the older ones. As more fans get to sit in them, I think they will be pleasantly surprised.

Social Media Presence

This is a difficult thing to analyze, but from my perspective the Guardians have upped their social media game. Terry Pluto reported that Cleveland Guardians social media interactions are up over 200%. Certainly a big part of this is a hot start, but I also think the team is just doing a much better job highlighting their players and their team. 

Ticket Promotions

As a season ticket holder I rarely buy single tickets, but the team is doing a great job offering discounts on their tickets, highlighting player performances and special events. This year after Emmanuel Clase won the AL Relief Pitcher of the Month award the team immediately marketed that, and announced a discount for the month (eliminating fees). They did the same thing last year, and I specifically remember them offering discounted tickets to pack the stadium for Francona’s last home series. 

I think this is a shrewd move on the part of the Guardians. The reality is most fans who want to buy a premium ticket are not going to be swayed by discounts to change their purchase. On the flip side, there are plenty of fans who may not be interested in attending at regular prices, who may change their minds if they can buy a cheaper ticket. Economically, the marginal cost for Cleveland to sell a marginal ticket is almost nothing, making every ticket purchase incredibly lucrative. Terry Pluto recently reported that Cleveland’s attendance is up…and so is premium ticket revenue. 

One final note: I think the team’s promotions have also improved. The Steven Kwan Star Wars bobblehead was a stroke of genius on the part of the team. Their aggressive promotion of the City Connect gear was both well done, on a technical level, and a smart use of a given resource. I think they played the Eclipse quite well on Opening Day. Overall, the tenor of how the team is promoting itself feels far more on point this year (and last year) compared to how they did from 2016-19. 

Fixing a Weak Link

I have long felt that the Guardians have done a poor job marketing themselves for years, and have done a terrible job recognizing their place in the Cleveland sports landscape. This is not something that the other teams ignored. The Browns, in particular, cleverly find ways to draw attention away from the Guardians whenever possible. This year, for instance, the Cleveland Guardians announced their City Connect jerseys on May 13th, then the same day the Browns leaked their Week 1 opponent. In the past the Browns have done similar things; announcing small details in the press to raise their own news profile, after the Guardians/Indians made announcements of their own. 

Cleveland is not a large market, especially for a region with three major sports teams. The Browns and Cavaliers are competitors of the Guardians for a limited amount of entertainment dollars. The Browns and Cavs have long recognized this, and it’s good to see the Guardians up their game to fight back. 

The Vital Importance of a Hot Start

But the most important piece for me is the Guardians played well at the perfect time of the year. The Cleveland Guardians only have a limited time to hog the sports calendar. The NFL season begins in September (with pre-season games starting in August), so unless the Guardians are in the postseason (or fighting for a playoff spot): they will struggle with the Browns for fan attention late in the year. The NBA season ends in April, but the playoffs can stretch into June. This year the Cavs season ended in May. With Browns’ minicamp now starting: the Guardians had precious little time to capture the city’s attention.

Thankfully the Guardians were playing exceedingly well in May, going 19-9 (their best full month), and they’re ahead in a relatively tight division. This was the one time during the year the Guardians really had the sports calendar all to themselves, and they took advantage of it. I think that’s vital for the Guards since they’re currently on the bottom of the totem pole in Cleveland sports: they caught the attention of the city when they had the spotlight to themselves. 

It’s Not Just One Thing

Overall I think the story of 2024 attendance wise will be the combination of factors. It’s not one thing, it’s never just one thing. The Cleveland Indians of the ‘90s drew well because the Browns left and the new stadium was built and the ‘90s Indians were filled with superstars and played well. The 2024 Guardians will improve their attendance because they started hot and they’re marketing the team better and they have some stars of their own now in Jose Ramirez & Steven Kwan (and they’re leading their division). 

According to Pluto: the team expects continued attendance boosts as the summer continues. It’s great to see, and I hope that they improve on their current 20% bump from 2023. 

Happy Father’s Day!

Benjamin, J