# How Is Attendance Figured at MLB Games? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 16, 2006, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-attendance-figured-at-mlb-games/352875 "2006-04-16T13:14:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-attendance-figured-at-mlb-games/352875/1 "2006-04-16T13:14:22Z")
When the stadium announcer says “Tonight’s attendance is 44,201,” what criterion is he using? Tickets sold? People through the gates (butts in the seats)? Do these figures count the people who work there, like press people and stadium employees? TIA ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-attendance-figured-at-mlb-games/352875/2 "2006-04-16T15:15:37Z")
Don’t you pass through turnstiles at games? I’ve only been to one in the past couple years (unfortunately) so I don’t remember. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-attendance-figured-at-mlb-games/352875/3 "2006-04-16T16:00:30Z")
I’m pretty sure that it’s tickets sold. I can remember games in the first month at old Cleveland Stadium, when the attendance in the paper the next day would say 13,000 but the announcers the night of the game, when the attendance was announced, would say “There couldn’t be 3,000 people” there as the weather was so cold and miserable. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-attendance-figured-at-mlb-games/352875/4 "2006-04-16T16:08:54Z")
It is definitely tickets sold. The AL had that criteria for many years before it was adopted by the NL. The Dodgers reported an attendance of over 44,000 for Friday night’s game against the Giants, but it was delayed by rain and started at nearly 9:40 pm and the people in attendance were a fraction of that. College sports tend to count every person in the building. I think they even count staff working. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-attendance-figured-at-mlb-games/352875/5 "2006-04-16T16:55:51Z")
Yep, tickets sold. When the Dukes used to have a contest for guessing the correct paid attendance, the announcer would always state that the total included all season-ticket no-shows. ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-attendance-figured-at-mlb-games/352875/6 "2006-04-16T21:08:54Z")
Third vote for tickets sold. That’s why teams love season ticket holders (like me). Regardless of no-shows, season ticket holders are always “in atendance” at the games. ---
**Author:** ![mike1dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mike1dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike1dog)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2006, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-attendance-figured-at-mlb-games/352875/7 "2006-04-16T21:18:05Z")
Tickets sold. I saw a Braves game earlier this month when they were playing the Dodgers, and the announcers said the game would be a sell-out despite the fact that there were about three thousand people there because nobody thought the game would be played due to a rainout. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-attendance-figured-at-mlb-games/352875/8 "2006-04-17T00:03:04Z")
What’s the purpose of the turnstyles then? ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-attendance-figured-at-mlb-games/352875/9 "2006-04-17T00:40:34Z")
Teams probably keep track of “butts-in-the-seats” attendance internally, which means the count generated by the turnstiles is still important. This number will almost always be less than the “tickets sold” number, so why not publicize the higher one? Turnstiles have other uses as well… At PacBell/SBC/AT&T park in particular, the turnstiles are unlocked when you scan a barcode on your ticket. This keeps people from “recycling” used tickets and keeps out counterfeit tickets as well. I’m guessing many other ballparks have a similar system. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-attendance-figured-at-mlb-games/352875/10 "2006-04-17T02:25:48Z")
The turnstile helps make it easier for the ticket-takers to make sure that just one person per ticket enters. It also lets the ballclub audit the number of people who entered versus the number of tickets collected / scanned. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-attendance-figured-at-mlb-games/352875/11 "2006-04-17T05:01:05Z")
I agree with everyone else who had said that the answer is based on number of tickets sold. In addition to the reasons stated, I know that, at least at Dodger Stadium, the announcer always states “Tonight’s **paid** attendance…” Frankly, I think it’s misleading to use the word “attendence” at all if you’re counting tickets sold. I’d be curious to know whether stadiums release the actual attendance numbers to the public, or if they are just held internally (or perhaps only shared with the MLB for some purpose). ---
**Author:** ![Melkor28](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Melkor28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melkor28)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-attendance-figured-at-mlb-games/352875/12 "2006-04-17T13:19:20Z")
I thought AL was turnstile count, and NL was tickets sold. I’ll have to research it.