Attendance, television ratings tank, too

Declines reflect team’s worst win-loss record in quarter of a century.

Add these to the ugly statistics compiled by the worst Braves team in a quarter-century: the largest drop in the major leagues in local TV ratings and the second-largest drop in home attendance.

The Braves’ TV ratings in the Atlanta market plummeted 36 percent from 2014 levels, the largest percentage decline by any MLB team in its local market, according to a study by Sports Business Journal. And announced attendance fell by an average of 4,048 per home date this year, more than for any team except the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Braves’ total announced attendance of 2,001,392 was their lowest since 1990 and down almost half — 48 percent — from the franchise’s record high of 3.88 million in 1993. This year’s average of 25,017 per home date was down 14 percent from last year and down 20 percent from 2013.

In their next-to-last season in Turner Field, the Braves ranked 24th among the 30 MLB teams in attendance, compared to 18th in 2014 and 13th in 2013.

Per MLB policy, the Braves’ announced attendance represents tickets sold, not the number of people in the stadium. The Braves, like most pro sports franchises, don’t release their actual atten- dance figures. But multiple season-ticket holders have said the crowds appeared noticeably smaller than the announced figures for much of this season.

The Braves drew an average local TV rating of 1.81 on Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast (formerly SportSouth), meaning 1.81 out of 100 households in the Atlanta market watched on average, according to Sports Business Journal’s study of Nielsen ratings. The study didn’t include the final week of the season, when the Braves’ ratings were even lower, ranging from 0.5 to 1.3.

The Kansas City Royals had baseball’s highest local TV rating (12.33), while the Chicago White Sox had the lowest (0.82), according to SBJ. The Royals’ ratings were up 90 percent from last year and the White Sox’s were down 29 percent.

The Los Angeles Dodgers had the highest home attendance (3.76 million) and the Tampa Bay Rays the lowest (1.25 million). The only team with a sharper attendance decline than the Braves in either average per home date or percentage, the Phillies, dropped 6,449 per date from 2014.

The Braves’ declines in attendance and TV ratings came as the team posted a 67-95 record, its worst since 1990, in the wake of trades that shed payroll and star power while mostly bringing future prospects. The Braves ranked lower among MLB teams in player payroll at the start of this season (23rd) than in any season since the 1980s.

The Braves are counting on their 2017 move to SunTrust Park in Cobb County to help boost attendance despite higher ticket prices. The Braves haven’t publicly disclosed all prices in the new stadium, but season-ticket holders have said lower-level seats between the dugouts are tripling in price, albeit with new premium amenities.

The Braves’ announced attendance was 3.46 million in their first season in Turner Field in 1997.