Where do the Cubs stand attendance-wise as we begin the second half of the season?
The Cubs have played 46 games at Wrigley Field so far this year, and announced 1,668,771 tickets sold. That number ranks ninth in MLB. The per-game average of 36,278 ranks seventh, just behind the Cardinals at 36,607.
Thus, 35 dates remain. Of those, 20 are scheduled as day games and 15 as night games, though I would anticipate the Sunday, Sept. 8 game against the Yankees as a likely choice for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, which would change the split to 19/16.
As always in this series, I turn the rest of it over to BCB reader Lifetime Cubs Fan, who has some thoughts about attendance to date, and pricing trends for the rest of the 2024 season. The rest of the post belongs to LCF.
Hello Everybody! It has been an interesting last few months for the Cubs. As expected, with the weather warming up, and school out, attendance has improved. Since my first writeup, the Cubs have finished four more homestands. The average paid attendance at Wrigley thus far in 2024, as Al mentioned, is 36,278 per game. Compare that to the 2023 average attendance after 46 home games of 33,592 and that is a solid eight percent increase in attendance. Look at the chart below comparing 2023 to 2024 running attendance averages through the first 46 home games to see how the Cubs have consistently been above last year’s attendance.
You might recall, in my last writeup I stated that there was a possibility for the Cubs hitting three million in paid attendance in 2024, and to do that they would need to draw 37,882 per game for the last 62 home games. In the 27 home games since that writeup, they averaged 37,683 per game in attendance, so one could argue they held serve, but they now need to average 38.034 per game to reach the three million mark, which I feel that can ONLY happen if the Cubs are in a playoff push after the Yankees series in September concludes.
Here is the secondary market pricing for Bleachers compared to STH prices for each opponent during the last four homestands. I continue to be amazed at how popular (and expensive) the bleachers have been this year compared to what a STH paid.
When the Cubs played their second home game against the White Sox (on an absolutely beautiful night, June 5), soon after the gates opened it was more expensive to get a Bleacher ticket on SeatGeek ($173), compared to what it would have cost to get a seat 13 rows behind home in the Club Box/Home Plate section. Here are screen shots from SeatGeek on that day:
When the Bleachers have sold out on Cubs.com and the weather is beautiful, I have seen ticket prices increase 40-60 percent on the day of the game in some cases. The upcoming Monday, July 22 game against the Brewers has sold out on Cubs.com, but there are tickets available for $61 on Seatgeek and $70 on Stubhub. The weather forecast is favorable at this time. Once people realize the only means to get tickets will be on the Secondary market, prices will likely increase. I will report out what happens at the next writeup.
Now, let’s shift to Bleacher pricing for upcoming games. At the time of this writeup all series are at a premium with the exception of the A’s series in September.
Series involving weekend games are averaging a 50 percent premium compared to STH prices, while weekday series are hovering around a 10 percent premium.
For those curious, only four of the remaining 35 games are cheaper on Seatgeek vs. what a STH paid. (Two of those games are against the A’s in September)
I want to be very clear: Pricing behavior for Bleacher seats highlighted above is not universal throughout Wrigley. Though the cheapest seats are doing well (Upper Deck Reserved, Terrace Reserved Outfield/Corner) the middle tiers (i.e. Upper Deck Box) and some of the more expensive seats (Club Box) are selling at prices much more aligned to the STH price at this time.
Once again, dynamic pricing has proven to be very beneficial for the Cubs this season. As a guideline for purchasing tickets, I would recommend the following pecking order for most games:
1. Social Media groups – Most tickets can be procured near STH prices unless the game is near a sellout)
2. Seatgeek – Usually 5-15 percent cheaper than Stubhub with all other factors the same
3. Stubhub – I won’t go into details as to how far they have fallen in last few years
4. Cubs.com – Note: If you are wanting to procure a targeted promotions (i.e. Cubs’ College Hats, Summer Nights etc.), Cubs.com would be your only option
I have a first-hand experience as to how helpful the social media groups can be. Recently, I needed to assist a friend in procuring six Bleacher tickets to the August 1 game against the Cardinals. Tickets on Cubs.com were $93 per ticket after fees, On Seatgeek they were $75 per ticket, and on Stubhub $83 per ticket. But the social media group on Facebook exceeded expectations as I procured all six of them for the STH price of $55 per ticket (and there is an Ian Happ bobblehead giveaway on that date!).
In summary, the Cubs’ quest for three million fans in 2024 relies on how well the team is doing on the field. If they continue to scratch back and gain ground in the Wild Card race, Wrigley will easily see 36,000+ per game between now and Labor Day. However, if they falter and are eight games out of the Wild Card by the end of this month, the dropoff in attendance will be noticeable, and prices on the secondary market will come down significantly as well.
Always interested to hear your thoughts and until next time, Go Cubs!!!