Wild Blue Jays attendance numbers show fans are ready for another World Series run

The Toronto Blue Jays are the hottest ticket in town - perhaps in the entire country. With hockey winding down and only one Canadian team left in the race (for now, sorry Habs fans!) almost the entire country is focusing on the Blue Jays. Even as a couple of major cities get set to host FIFA World Cup games for the first time ever, the Blue Jays are continuing to ride the wave of momentum that soared during their World Series run last season.

This was one of the goals for President Mark Shapiro when he took over that role with the club. Coming into the fold in 2015, the Blue Jays were on the verge of getting to the post season for the first time in 22 years. They eclipsed 2.7 million in attendance that year for the first time since 1995 and they broke the 3 million attendance plateau the following two seasons.

But the long term plan of having a better product on the field and a better stadium to enjoy ball games in has seemingly come together perfectly, with 2026 being the apex of that forward thinking. The renovations over the last few years have allowed Rogers Centre to be a more modern and inviting place to watch games. That has allowed the Blue Jays to draw 1.2 million fans to their first 30 home games, an average of 40,491 which is the best attendance in all of baseball.

Right now the Blue Jays are doing a great job of drawing on the hearstrings of nostalgia, but marketing this season as the Blue Jays' 50th anniversary. And the give aways on game days have certainly contributed to the attraction of a ticket on an almost daily basis. But they are coming in droves to the stadium in ways they haven't done for a long time.

The latest series perfectly encapsulates how much people want to see the Blue Jays live right now. It's the end of May. Kids are still in school. The Blue Jays are below .500. The Miami Marlins are in town - a team that's as far from being a rival team as you can get (although Eury Perez is trying to change that narrative by playing the heel in Wednesday's game). One of the games was at 1pm in the middle of a work week. And yet, 126,364 fans filed in through the turnstiles of Rogers Centre over the course of those three games. And they were treated to a win on Wednesday to make the whole deal even sweeter.

Blue Jays could set their highest attendance in a decade

The Blue Jays have been a top three team in average attendance in the American League since 2022, ranking third out of 15 teams three straight years (2022-2024) and second last year. With 52 home games remaining and drawing an average of 40,491 fans, they should bring in another 2.1 million fans, giving them a full season attendance total of 3.32 million fans - which would be their highest attendance since 3.39 million fans attended Blue Jays games in 2016.

There is the caveat though that the attendance may hinge on the on-field success of this years group. Although in 2024, they finished below .500 and still managed to bring in 2.6 million fans. But that's what a World Series appearance will do for a club and it's fan base. There is an excitement and reinvigoration for people who want to see their team live. The Blue Jays are also drawing people from acrosst the entire country.

Tune in to any broadcast and you'll see signs in the crowd of people who say, "Drove 3,000 KM to from Saskatoon to watch the Blue Jays" or "Just flew in from B.C. to watch the Blue Jays take flight!" B.C. is about a five hour plane trip from the very West Coast of Canada. They also draw people from the Maritimes as well as getting people from the artic circle to travel down from Yukon and Nunavut. They have really dug in to being "Canada's Team" and that marketing was exposed to the highest level during last years trip to the World Series.

So while they may still draw well, they will also have to play well for that sentiment to continue from this year forward. It's been 30 years since the Blue Jays were World Series champions and there is an entire new generation of fans who are looking for a championship to claim as their own.

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