Last year, the Chicago Cubs opened Sloan Park – then Cubs Park – and set all kinds of Cactus League and Spring Training attendance records. The park was new, bright, and shiny. The Cubs always draw well in Arizona, so it was pretty much a cinch, regardless of how people felt about the team.
You wouldn’t necessarily, then, expect the Cubs to top those records this year, since the new-ness has worn off. Except the Cubs are expected to be competitive this year, folks are really excited about the new talent – both imported and young – and the Cubs have played some enjoyable baseball this Spring.
So, you know, the Cubs did this:
Thank you to 222,415 of the world's greatest fans for another spring of record attendance at Sloan Park! #LetsGo pic.twitter.com/qp2KrHzRTw
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 1, 2015
That’s in addition to setting the single-game attendance record at least a couple times this year – it seemed like every game at Sloan was a sellout, and featured twice as much attendance as any other game in the Cactus League.
If the Cubs see a bump in regular season attendance this year, too, revenues will really get some love, and the spending we saw this past offseason could take yet another small step forward next offseason.