Minor league baseball draws 30.9M, down from 41.5M in 2019
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Minor league baseball teams combined to draw 30.9 million fans this year, down from 41.5 million in 2019, the last season before COVID-19 and prior to Major League Baseball cutting affiliates. Teams averaged 3,910 this season for 7,908 games, down from an average of 4,044 for 10,262 games in 2019. In 2021, when many areas had coronavirus-related restrictions on capacity, teams drew 22.1 million for 6,828 games, an average of 3,235. MLB cut guaranteed affiliations from 160 to 120 after the 2019 season, when there were 176 minor league teams.