The Braves completed their final homestand of July on Wednesday night, drawing more than 228,000 fans in the past six games and surpassing 1.7 million in attendance for the season.
The Braves’ average attendance of 32,706 per game through 53 home dates is up ever-so-slightly from 32,540 at the same point last season. The Braves currently rank 12th among the 30 MLB teams in attendance.
Crowds normally peak for the Braves when schools are out of session, and this month was an example of that. The Braves averaged 38,187 for 12 July home games, up from averages of 32,463 in June, 30,247 in May and 30,659 in March/April.
The teams ahead of the Braves this season in attendance (defined by MLB as tickets sold) are the Dodgers, Cardinals, Yankees, Cubs, Angels, Rockies, Red Sox, Phillies, Astros, Brewers and Giants, in that order.
In another metric of fan engagement, the AJC previously reported that Braves telecasts on Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast averaged a 3.21 rating in the Atlanta TV market before the All-Star break, up 6% from the same point last year. A study this week by Sports Business Journal of all 29 U.S.-based MLB teams' TV ratings in their local markets showed that the Braves' rating puts them in the middle of the pack at No. 14.
The teams with higher local TV ratings in the first half of this season than the Braves were the Brewers, Cardinals, Twins, Indians, Reds, Pirates, Red Sox, Royals, Astros, Phillies, Padres, Cubs and Rockies, in that order.
The Brewers had MLB’s highest local TV rating in the first half of the season at 6.34, followed by the Cardinals at 6.22 and the Twins at 6.12.
The rating is the percentage of households in a market watching the telecasts on average.
The Braves are off Thursday before embarking on an important six-game road trip to the other two NL East contenders. They open a three-game series at third-place Philadelphia on Friday, then play a three-game set at second-place Washington starting Monday. The Braves return home for the start of a four-game series against Cincinnati on Aug. 1, the day after the trade deadline.
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Leadoff links
> In this clip from an interview during the telecast of Wednesday night's game, Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos said "as we sit here today" his team's focus at the trade deadline likely would be more on the bullpen than on the starting rotation:
> Former Georgia Tech women's basketball coach MaChelle Joseph filed a lawsuit against the Tech athletic association and school and state officials, alleging sex discrimination against her and her team. See Ken Sugiura's report here.
> All eyes were on the Falcons' rebuilt offensive line – specifically first-round picks Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary -- in the first padded practice of training camp. Read D. Orlando Ledbetter's report here.
