The Chicago Cubs’ final attendance figure for 2024 was 2,909,755, which was a near 150,000 bump from 2023 (which, itself, was about a 150,000 bump from 2022). Quite a healthy increase, especially without a real playoff push in September.
Normally I can tell you exactly why we’d see such a big swing like that from year to year, and it would almost always have to do with the perceived competitiveness of the club. This time, it’s a little harder, because obviously the 2024 team matched the 2023 team in record, and actually was less in the race for more of the second half. I suppose you’re probably looking at a combination of better weather earlier in the year, a better perception of competitiveness before the season started, a rising tide for attendance league-wide, and then probably some under-the-hood maneuverings the Cubs’ sales group did to sell more tickets (that’s their job, after all!).
If you do some extremely rough and dirty math, operating on the assumption that an additional ticketed fan generates about $150 on average in incremental revenue, then you’re looking at $22.5 million in additional revenue in 2024 over 2023. There are some costs associated with generating that revenue – and, again, the math is just suuuuuper estimated – so you can’t just say the Cubs have an extra $20+ million to spend this offseason compared to last offseason. But an attendance increase is generally good for revenue-generation (especially as broadcast revenues dwindle, relatively speaking), and in the Cubs’ model of allocating revenue, minus expenses, back to baseball operations, this SHOULD mark a bump. They got that uniform patch money now, too.
Overall, the Cubs ranked 6th in attendance, coming in behind the Dodgers, Yankees, Phillies, Padres, and Braves. That’s up from 9th the year before.
Long story short: all things considered, attendance at Wrigley Field this year has to be considered a huge win for the Cubs. Let’s hope it matters when it comes time to sign the checks.