Dawgs among best draws in N. America

The Okotoks Dawgs have moved up the charts in Ballpark Digest’s 2017 summer collegiate attendance rankings.

Averaging 4,100 fans per game and 94,397 over the course of the season, the Dawgs are listed at No. 3 in North America.

Ranking teams by average attendance is considered the most accurate barometer of the industry, and this year, for the first time, three summer collegiate teams averaged more than 4,000 fans a game.

Leading the pack, per usual, is the Wisconsin’s Madison Mallards of the Northwoods League.

That’s no surprise because the team has paced the summer collegiate attendance ranking since the system was launched.

The rankings have been upended by two additions to the top three: both Georgia’s Savannah Bananas and the Dawgs hit the top three by averaging more than 4,100 fans per game.

That’s quite the accomplishment, and a first in the industry.

The Western Major Baseball League’s Dawgs are one of three Canadian teams in the top-20.

The Victoria HarbourCats of the West Coast League weighed in at No. 14.

The Edmonton Prospects, the Dawgs’ rival in the WMBL, were 19th on the chart.

This list doesn’t cover every summer collegiate team.

There are a few leagues that choose not to report the attendance numbers publicly, and there are some teams that don’t seriously track attendance numbers.

Still, this listing should provide a good idea of the growth in the summer collegiate industry.