After adding in the three sell-out crowds from this weekend, the Cincinnati Reds can rightly celebrate a large jump in home attendance for the 2013 season. In just 80 home dates (remember the Reds had to give away one of their home games to San Francisco), nearly 2.5 million fans passed through the gates at Great American Ball Park. That’s up 144,808 from 2012 (and 2012 was 133,000 over 2011).
Attendance numbers from 2013 average out to 31,151 per game, an increase of more than 2,100 over 2012.
Using an estimate of $60 per fan earned in 2012 [Forbes Magazine] the Reds’ generated $10 million in new in-house revenues. That doesn’t include increases derived from higher prices in 2013 and whatever payoff they presumably received from exporting the Giants game. Other revenues, like their portion of MLB broadcast contracts and digital platforms, local media, and potential postseason games would be in addition to that.
Attendance revenues alone represent a 5% increase in cash available for the Reds to spend however they so Choo-se.