4. Attendance
Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports
The belief goes that not many people attend spring training baseball games. While it varies by location, the Cactus League set an attendance record last as recently as 2011 with over 1.59 million fans filing through the gates in Arizona to take in a ball game.
Every fan has their own reason to attend, but if you find yourself looking for a reason to make the venture, these might be enticing enough for you to finalize planning your trip:
- There’s not a better place to see how your club’s prospects stack up against some of the premier talent already in the game.
- Spring training is a great place to get autographs from your favorite player(s) that you might normally have a slim chance at acquiring during the regular season.
- If money is no object, great ideas for incorporating spring training into a bachelor party trip or conducting your fantasy draft while on-location in the sun with a group of guys are options.
- The price of admission is a huge plus. Seeing a game in a quality seat at a big league park could cost you well over $100, where as $5-$10 is a typical price of admission to take in a spring training game.
- Lastly, if you live in the area and are a fan of baseball, it makes sense to support your community and/or team. Spring training in Arizona generates more than $300 million annually for the greater Phoenix area’s metropolitan economy.