Box-office magic - by G. Scott Thomas

The Colorado Rockies have a profitable formulation.

Not on the sector — undoubtedly not there — however on the field workplace. The Rockies drew greater than 2.5 million followers in 2024, regardless of posting a triple-digit loss whole for the second consecutive 12 months.

That’s an distinctive degree of fan help — one of the best, in reality, within the main leagues.

I’ve devised a formulation that predicts the attendance {that a} membership ought to draw, primarily based on its wins and losses.

Colorado’s depressing 61-101 report translated to a “goal” attendance of 1,791,814. The membership really drew 2,540,195 to Coors Subject, exceeding the goal by 41.8 p.c. No different big-league membership did higher.

Every group’s box-office efficiency has been plotted in opposition to my fan help index (FSI), which establishes 100 factors because the norm. Colorado’s FSI for 2024 was 141.8, matching the share by which it bettered its goal.

Sixteen golf equipment posted constructive indexes throughout the latest season. Right here’s a listing, with house attendance in parentheses, adopted by FSI. Golf equipment that made the playoffs are designated by asterisks:

1. Colorado Rockies (2,540,195), FSI 141.8

2. Los Angeles Angels (2,577,597), FSI 139.3

3. Los Angeles Dodgers* (3,941,251), FSI 136.9

4. Toronto Blue Jays (2,681,236), FSI 123.4

5. San Diego Padres* (3,330,545), FSI 121.9

6. Philadelphia Phillies* (3,363,712), FSI 120.5

7. New York Yankees* (3,309,838), FSI 119.9

8. Chicago Cubs (2,909,755), FSI 119.3

9. St. Louis Cardinals (2,878,115), FSI 118.1

10. Texas Rangers (2,651,553), FSI 115.7

11. Atlanta Braves* (3,011,755), FSI 115.2

12. Chicago White Sox (1,380,733), FSI 114.6

13. San Francisco Giants (2,647,736), FSI 112.7

14. Boston Purple Sox (2,659,949), FSI 111.8

15. Houston Astros* (2,835,234), FSI 109.7

16. Seattle Mariners (2,555,813), FSI 102.4

A brand new installment will arrive in your e mail upon posting

The opposite 14 golf equipment fell under 100 on the FSI scale, indicating that they drew fewer followers than their data warranted.

The Athletics completed useless final of their last season in Oakland. House attendance for the A’s totaled 922,286, which was 54.5 p.c under their goal of two,026,806. The ensuing FSI of 45.5 was simply the worst within the majors.

A parenthetical word: A number of sportswriters issued paeans to Oakland’s followers this 12 months. I perceive how anguishing it may be to lose a ballclub, however let’s get actual. The A’s by no means acquired the backing they deserved. They hadn’t climbed as excessive as 100 factors — the break-even level within the fan help index — since 1991.

Listed below are the 14 groups that ought to have fared higher on the field workplace in 2024:

1. Oakland Athletics (922,286), FSI 45.5

2. Tampa Bay Rays (1,337,739), FSI 56.9

3. Miami Marlins (1,087,455), FSI 59.7

4. Kansas Metropolis Royals* (1,658,347), FSI 65.6

5. Detroit Tigers* (1,858,295), FSI 73.6

6. Cleveland Guardians* (2,056,264), FSI 76.1

7. Pittsburgh Pirates (1,720,361), FSI 77.1

8. Minnesota Twins (1,951,616), FSI 81.0

9. Baltimore Orioles* (2,281,129), FSI 85.3

10. New York Mets* (2,329,299), FSI 89.1

11. Cincinnati Reds (2,024,178), FSI 89.5