Off to their best start in decade, Royals attendance remains below league average

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The Royals are off to their best start in years, but fans are not showing up for home games. The Royals average less than 15,000 fans per game in 2024, the third-lowest total in Major League Baseball.

“I’m very surprised by that, especially with the team talking about relocating the stadium,” said one Royals fan on Friday night. “I think that we should keep it here and I think that attendance should be up because it’s here.”

Friday night’s game at Kauffman Stadium drew more than 25,000 fans to the ballpark. Fans at Friday’s game against the Texas Rangers think more fans should come out to support the team at the K – after Jackson County voted “no” to a Royals’ move downtown.

“I’d say come here because you can get good seats for really cheap because attendance is down,” said one fan.

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“It has a lot of space, and you can come tailgate and spend time with family and friends,” added another. “It’s a nice atmosphere.”

Friday night, a 7-1 win over the defending World Series champions gave Kansas City its 20th win of the season before the calendar had even reached Cinco de Mayo. Last year, the 20th win of the Royals season didn’t arrive until June 20.

KCTV5 talked to 610 Sports Radio Host Cody Tapp about the issue. He says the team is delivering -- as evidenced by their MLB-best +56 run differential -- so fans should, too.

“Sports fandom is very simple. They owe it to you to make it an entertaining product that you want to go to. They’re doing that,” Tapp said. “This team is good. It’s performing well. It’s near the top of the division. This is the first time in years they’ve performed to a level that made them worth watching every day.

“So it makes sense – go see a game. If you love Kauffman so much, go to it, because the Royals have made it clear they are not going to stay there for the long haul.”

If you’d like to see a game at Kauffman Stadium, the Royals play every night at home through Wednesday.

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