Thursday, October 21, 2010

MLS/NBA/NHL Attendance

The Wall Street Journal opened the door to comparing attendance figures of MLS and their city counterparts in the NBA and NHL, so I figured I'd peak in a little deeper. The numbers for the NBA and NHL are for the last completed season. For MLS, they are for this season.

A few caveats. I've used 22,500 as the capacity for DC United, Houston, and the Revs, as they play in American football stadiums. Yes, I know the new Houston stadium will have more seats, but until I see the actual number, I'm sticking with 22,500. San Jose is obviously at a disadvantage by playing in Buck Shaw Stadium, with a capacity of just over 10,000. And of course, the caveats in the WSJ article about capacities should be factored in when examining these numbers.
The MLS figures in BOLD indicate where they are outdrawing their counterpart.

NBA and MLS
 Rank  NBA  AVG   % of CAP  MLS  AVG   % of CAP 
 7  Lakers  18,997  99.7  Galaxy  21,183  78.5 
 14  Raptors  17,897  90.4  TFC  20,453  93.1 
 26  76ers  14,224  70.0  Union  19,252  91.2 
 30  Nets  13,103  69.1  RBNY  18,625  73.9 
 6  Jazz  19,378  97.3  RSL  17,095  88.4 
 19  Rockets  16,528  91.6  Dynamo  16,833  74.8 
 1  Bulls  20,725  99.1  Fire  15,814  79.1 
 20  Clippers  16,343  85.7  Chivas USA  14,557  53.9 
 21  Wizards  16,204  80.3  DCU  14,279  63.5 
 13  Nuggets  17,995  93.9  Rapids  13,014  72.0 
 9  Celtics  18,169  97.6  Revs  12,987  57.7 
 4  Mavericks  19,994  104.1  FCD  10,815  51.0 
NHL and MLS
 Rank  NHL  AVG   % of CAP  MLS  AVG   % of CAP 
 16  Kings  17,313  93.6  Galaxy  21,183  78.5 
 6  Maple Leafs  19,260  102.5  TFC  20,453  93.1 
 4  Flyers  19,535  100.2  Union  19,252  91.2 
 20  Devils  15,535  88.1  RBNY  18,625  73.9 
 1  Blackhawks  21,356  108.3  Fire  15,814  79.1 
 22  Blue Jackets  15,416  85.0  Crew  14,330  71.7 
 11  Capitals  18,277  100.0  DCU  14,279  63.5 
 27  Avalanche  13,947  77.5  Rapids  13,014  72.0 
 15  Bruins  17,388  99.0  Revs  12,987  57.7 
 17  Stars  17,215  92.9  FCD  10,815  51.0 
 14  Sharks  17,558  100.4  Quakes  9,593  93.8 


1 comment:

  1. Too bad Seattle doesn't have NBA/NHL teams to compare with the Sounders FC :)

    ReplyDelete