2017’s Best Baseball Cities

What does it take to be a true baseball fan? Mostly a lot of patience and sometimes a lot of dough, depending on how closely you want to follow the sport. In this slow-paced ballgame, hits and home runs are less frequent than strikes and misses. Yet more than 52 million U.S. adults are willing to put in the time to watch the drama unfold.

Fans are willing to pay top dollar to see a game, too, especially during the highly anticipated World Series that kicks off every October. Of course, tickets are kinder to the wallet during the regular season. But to see Game 1 of the 113th World Series on Oct. 24, for instance, the cheapest seat at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles would cost $1,060, according to TicketIQ. For Game 7 on Nov. 1 at the same stadium, the damage would range from a starting price of $1,328 all the way to a whopping $139,667, as of Oct. 20. That doesn’t leave much room for peanuts and cracker jacks. And that’s not mentioning the hundreds of millions of dollars wagered by the betting market every year.

But it’s more fun — and cheaper — to love on baseball in certain parts of America, so which cities would fans consider a home run? WalletHub crunched the numbers to find out, comparing more than 360 of the largest U.S. cities with at least one professional or college baseball team, grouped by division. In each city, we looked at 31 key indicators of baseball fan-friendliness. They range from performance level of team(s) to average ticket price per game to stadium accessibility. Read on for the winners, a ranking by city size and a full description of our methodology.

Below the rankings, you’ll find commentary from baseball experts about the challenges facing the sport, advice on enjoying the ballgame on a budget and more. Make sure to also check out WalletHub's 2017 World Series Facts – Dodgers vs. Astros infographic for fun and interesting stats about the matchup.

Main Findings

Best Baseball Cities

Ranking by City Size

Ask the Experts

As baseball grows in popularity in the U.S. and abroad, so will the challenges for those in the industry. For insight into those issues, advice on enjoying the ballgame and more, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. What are the biggest issues facing MLB today?
2. How has fantasy sports affected fans’ enjoyment of MLB?
3. What is your take on the time-based contract structure used by MLB, as well as the various other spending constraints imposed by the league?
4. Who are your picks to win the World Series, MVP and Cy Young Awards?
5. What is the best way to enjoy a baseball game on a budget?

• Michael Mondello Professor of Sport Business Analytics and Sport & Entertainment Finance, and Associate Director for the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program in the Muma College of Business at the University of South Florida
• Sol Gittleman Alice and Nathan Gantcher University Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of German at Tufts University
• Leon Mohan Associate Professor of Sport Business in the School of Business at Saint Leo University
• Karl Lindholm Emeritus Dean of Advising and Assistant Professor of American Studies at Middlebury College
• Joe Cobbs Associate Professor of Sports Business at Northern Kentucky University College of Business
• Michael K. Brady Carl DeSantis Professor of Business Administration and Chair of the Department of Marketing at Florida State University
• Charles Kupfer Associate Professor of American Studies & Humanities and Director of the Center for Holocaust & Jewish Studies at Penn State Harrisburg
• Iva E. Deutchman Professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges
• John McCormack Head Baseball Coach at Florida Atlantic University
• Joel Wolfe Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Alana Seaman Assistant Professor of Recreation, Sport Leadership and Tourism Management in the School of Health and Applied Human Sciences at the University of North Carolina Wilmington

Michael Mondello

Professor of Sport Business Analytics and Sport & Entertainment Finance, and Associate Director for the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program in the Muma College of Business at the University of South Florida

What are the biggest issues facing MLB today?

I think baseball has to face several challenges in the next 3-5 years -- while attendance at the gate for this year was only slightly down, with an average of 201 fewer fans compared to 2016’s season, there are other challenges that will be facing MLB going forward. First is the obvious pace of play -- the games take too long, and are sometimes burdened by too much downtime, making it difficult for people to sit still that long with so much inactivity. The safety of the fans is another issue -- it is hard to believe that so many stadiums lack proper netting to screen foul ball and bats that find their way into the stands.

How has fantasy sports affected fans’ enjoyment of MLB?

If you include eSports as part of fantasy sports, I do think this is a market that is going to impact all other professional sports viewing habits and participation levels going forward.

Ideally, all professional sports leagues would like some semblance of competitive balance; this is what makes the NFL so attractive -- even midway through the typical season, most of the teams still have a relatively decent shot at the postseason. Baseball suffers with just the opposite problem -- more than likely, you can look at the standings at the all-star break and make a pretty good assessment on who has a realistic chance to play in the postseason.

What is the best way to enjoy a baseball game on a budget?

Many of the major league baseball teams this year have implemented a field pass option, for fans to attend a certain number of games in a given month without an actual ticket assigned for a nominal price -- I think this is the wave of the future, it gets people into the venue and gets ancillary revenue with parking and concessions, even though there is no traditional seat. It may encourage people to come watch part of a baseball game for a short time, rather than go out to a bar or somewhere else for their social interaction.

Sol Gittleman

Alice and Nathan Gantcher University Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of German at Tufts University

What are the biggest issues facing MLB today?

• The length of the games;

• Afro-American participation;

• The authority of the Clark family and Baseball Writers’ Association in determining who gets into Cooperstown;

• The lack of historical memory of the sports writers (no Red Smith, Roger Kahn, Roger Angell, Dave Anderson writing for newspapers);

• The fundamental change in pitching strategies, arm endurance, Frankensurgery (Tommy John is just as devious as steroids and hormones), bullpen overuse.

How has fantasy sports affected fans’ enjoyment of MLB?

No effect on me; my sons and grandsons love it, and only makes them more enthusiastic for the game.

What is your take on the time-based contract structure used by MLB, as well as the various other spending constraints imposed by the league?

After a century of indentured servitude, the players have the upper hand -- good luck to them. The current ability of players to plan whom they want to play with seems fine to me. Smaller market teams can do well if they study the analytics and draft wisely. GMs should be smart, and hire smart managers. I still like Billy Beane.

Who are your picks to win the World Series, MVP and Cy Young Awards?

The Yankees need to win just six more games in this short season of playoffs. They have the hot hand. Altuve is the best in both leagues; Girardi is the Manager of the Year. Otherwise, I have no picks.

I think I’d like to see a Yankees-Dodgers World Series, even though I’m pulling for Houston. It would take me back to 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953, then, after a brief pause, 1955 and 1956. I saw them all.

What is the best way to enjoy a baseball game on a budget?

Go to Cape Cod and watch the 44 free games for each team in the Cape Cod Baseball League, June through August. One out of six or seven ML players played in the CCBL. Many couldn’t at first use a wooden bat. Then, follow your players through the minors to the majors.

Leon Mohan

Associate Professor of Sport Business in the School of Business at Saint Leo University

What are the biggest issues facing MLB today?

There are two major issues facing baseball today. The first is the slow pace of the game. The average time to complete a nine-inning game has increased over this past season. While the Generation X and Baby Boomers may be more apt to take the time to watch an entire game, the millennials have grown up in a very fast-paced environment in which everything is instantaneous. Therefore, I think the future of the sport, especially regular season games, can be an issue. Since every pitch and every at bat has more at stake in the postseason, I do not see much of an effect on those games.

The other issue at stake is the inability to make in-roads on a whole market. Specifically, African Americans are less likely to watch and participate in baseball versus football and basketball. While they are trying, MLB does not do a good enough job of promoting baseball to this group. There needs to be more promotion of the African American star players in MLB that the youth can identify with. Maybe this will entice more participation.

How has fantasy sports affected fans’ enjoyment of MLB?

While fantasy sports are big business, it is clearly more popular in the NFL. I do think that fantasy sports engage the fan with the entire sport, rather than specific teams. However, since there are so many games and factors involved that need to be considered (stadium, weather, opposing pitcher, even the umpire’s strike zone), I do not think it is as enjoyable as the NFL, which is a one- or two-day fantasy football event.

What is your take on the time-based contract structure used by MLB, as well as the various other spending constraints imposed by the league?

I think the time-based contract structure is beneficial to the sport. Needing to acquire six years of service prior to becoming a free agent allows the team to best evaluate their players before making a major investment in them. One of the main reasons the NBA has instituted their rule to disallow high school athletes from jumping straight to the NBA is so that they can better evaluate the players, as opposed to the many that were drafted out of high school and failed in the NBA before the rule. As a fan, I would like to see that these contracts are not guaranteed to the level they are. For example, when a player signs a 10-year, $250 million contract, has a really good first two years and performs poorly the next eight, the fans, as well as the team, are affected. Now, as a fan, your team is stuck with a large contract which can better be utilized for other, more productive players.

Who are your picks to win the World Series, MVP and Cy Young Awards?

My picks may be a little biased as a diehard Yankee fan.

• World Series winner: Yankees -- their starting pitching has come on strong during the postseason and they have a very deep and talented bullpen. Starters do not have to go to deep into a game and pitching wins in the postseason.

• MVP: Aaron Judge -- if you take him off the roster, the Yankees do not make the playoffs. If you take Altuve off the roster, the Astros still have a very competitive team.

• Giancarlo Stanton -- he put up monster numbers that no one other than Judge comes close to. I do think Goldschmidt is a close second, who is one of those players that does not get enough attention and had a great year for a playoff team.

• Cy Young: Kershaw and Kluber. Those are pretty easy choices considering how dominant they were this year.

What is the best way to enjoy a baseball game on a budget?

Eat before you go, get there early to watch batting practice, and take an Uber (these days it’s cheaper to Uber than to pay for parking). Do not buy merchandise at the stadium. Purchase tickets in the outfield (still a good view at a more reasonable price).

Karl Lindholm

Emeritus Dean of Advising and Assistant Professor of American Studies at Middlebury College

What are the biggest issues facing MLB today?

Length of games and pace of play. Decline of interest in the game by young people, especially African-Americans. Minority representation in front offices and ownership.

How has fantasy sports affected fans’ enjoyment of MLB?

Fantasy baseball -- positive impact mostly. I do worry about the gambling aspect.

What is your take on the time-based contract structure used by MLB, as well as the various other spending constraints imposed by the league?

I enjoy baseball despite the enormous salaries the best players make and billion-dollar values of teams. The money in sports generally is astonishing and incomprehensible.

Who are your picks to win the World Series, MVP and Cy Young Awards?

• World Series winner -- anyone but the Yankees;

• MVP AL -- Altuve;

• Cy Young AL -- Kluber (don’t follow the NL closely enough to make confident picks).

What is the best way to enjoy a baseball game on a budget?

Go to a high school, college, collegiate amateur, or minor league game. Watch MLB games on TV (I go to 30-40 baseball games a year, 2-3 MLB games).

Joe Cobbs

Associate Professor of Sports Business at Northern Kentucky University College of Business

What are the biggest issues facing MLB today?

Soccer. Our professional sports market in the United States and Canada was already crowded before global television/streaming allowed for North American fans to easily follow European soccer leagues. Now we have become much more fluent in the language of soccer, which was translated to growth in our own elite soccer league, MLS. For baseball, this means more competition for sports fans' attention in terms of attendance, television ratings, and merchandise sales -- and I have not even mentioned sponsors yet.

How has fantasy sports affected fans’ enjoyment of MLB?

Fantasy sports has increased the interest in out-of-market games across professional sports leagues. Fantasy also keeps fans engaged in baseball day-to-day, even when their favorite team is out of contention.

What is your take on the time-based contract structure used by MLB, as well as the various other spending constraints imposed by the league?

While such constraints artificially inhibit the labor market, the time-based structure is not surprising, given the nature of collective bargaining in baseball. A major incentive for the players' union is protecting the careers of their voting members, meanwhile teams want to lower payroll or enact restrictions to manage costs. Furthermore, baseball wants to continue their efforts to manage the payroll gap between big spending teams and those that minimize payroll.

Who are your picks to win the World Series, MVP and Cy Young Awards?

I'm originally from Northeast Ohio, so I'll take Corey Kluber of the Cleveland Indians in the AL, and Max Scherzer of Washington in the NL. For MVP, I live in Cincinnati now, so how about Joey Votto -- give the Reds' fans something to cheer about. Dodgers in the World Series.

What is the best way to enjoy a baseball game on a budget?

The minor leagues or college baseball offer great options for getting close to the game and seeing some very talented players on a small or even non-existent budget (college games are free at some universities). Plus, the promotions and marketing staff tend to have a bit more fun at the minor league level. However, if you want to see the MLB stars, try a weeknight or day game in your area. With most teams adopting dynamic pricing, those games can offer more affordability along with games during the school year (beginning or end of season).

Michael K. Brady

Carl DeSantis Professor of Business Administration and Chair of the Department of Marketing at Florida State University

What are the biggest issues facing MLB today?

Now that the steroid era is officially over, the biggest problem facing MLB has to do with the next generation on both sides of the league's value equation. On the fan side, MLB is faced with an environment where kids have far more options in which to invest their emotional energy. In addition to increased popularity of other sports, like soccer, lacrosse, and a variety of games, there are video games and social media to contend with. Baseball is no longer an obvious choice for millennials.

On the player side, MLB has to contend with the fact that baseball in the U.S. is now more expensive than ever, which limits the talent pool to the upper end of the socioeconomic scale. Scouting is done at expensive showcase tournaments that preclude many kids from participating. I fear that the U.S. talent pool will continue to shrink, unless something is done to bring the game to a wider talent base.

How has fantasy sports affected fans’ enjoyment of MLB?

My opinion is that fantasy baseball has done far less than fantasy football. It's unfortunate, really, because the game really needs a wider audience.

What is your take on the time-based contract structure used by MLB, as well as the various other spending constraints imposed by the league?

I think it's the best thing to happen to the game, outside of cleaning up the steroid mess. Teams like Kansas City, Cleveland, and now Houston are relevant for the first time in a long time. This is good for the game, and I believe revenue sharing and some of the salary constraints are very much responsible for it.

Who are your picks to win the World Series, MVP and Cy Young Awards?

I used to play for the Dodgers, so I'm pulling hard for them. I'll take them to win it all. I’d like Arenado and Altuve to win the MVP, and I'm especially thrilled about Altuve. He's great for the game. I think Kluber and Kershaw will win the Cy Young.

What is the best way to enjoy a baseball game on a budget?

I once got a ticket to a Braves game for $1 outside the stadium. It was a midday, midweek game and they were essentially giving away tickets. I recommend looking for those games, if you can afford to take a day off from work or school.

Charles Kupfer

Associate Professor of American Studies & Humanities and Director of the Center for Holocaust & Jewish Studies at Penn State Harrisburg

What are the biggest issues facing MLB today?

Baseball always faces the need to balance demands for modernizing -- changing rules like catchers covering the plate, or runners sliding into second, or not actually pitching for an intentional walk -- with the demands to remain true to the game's past. There are always critics who carp that the game is too slow, needs a clock, has to incorporate more whiz-bang to cater to the fast-moving digital generation. But this is usually only partly true.

The fans who care about being able to compare statistics and performance across eras thanks to the game's consistency over the last century are denigrated by “change-now” types as “purists,” but they are also the people who love the game the most. In business, that's called the core customer base, and anyone who thinks that having millions of customers with discretionary income to spend on a product they care rabidly about is a problem, needs to reconsider. So, finding the way into the future without cutting off from its past is baseball's challenge. The game is pretty good at meeting that challenge.

A second challenge is coming to grips with the limits of quantification. The renaissance in sabermetrics is a great thing for the sport, but it's a truism that not everything in the universe is easily quantifiable; also, that even if something can be rendered statistically, numbers are not always the best measurement. I can describe the level of moonlight and the time of the tidal shift in clinical terms, but the romance of a moonlit evening along the water needs a bit more than number-crunching. Baseball is the same way.

How has fantasy sports affected fans’ enjoyment of MLB?

All it has done is increase fan interest. There are no negatives. I know some fans grumble that fantasy produces fans obsessed with players rather than being loyal to teams, but this is nuts. In a competitive sports market where fans have plenty of options for entertainment, anything that brings people together and immerses them in the game's abundant and seductive details is a major value-added.

What is your take on the time-based contract structure used by MLB, as well as the various other spending constraints imposed by the league?

2018 will tell us a lot. There are plenty of players coming off of contracts, and while most speculation is who will go where and for how much, the question of how long is just as important. There may be chances for teams not accustomed to maxing out to offset a slightly lower salary with added time. I think, for example, of the Orioles with Manny Machado. The Orioles had problems holding on to important free agents in the past, but if they are smart, they will look at a franchise guy and try to sell him not just with money, but with length of time.

Who are your picks to win the World Series, MVP and Cy Young Awards?

Looks to me like the Dodgers have finally figured out this postseason thing. Cory Kluber and Clayton Kershaw for Cy Youngs; Jose Altuve and Giancarlo Stanton for MVPs.

What is the best way to enjoy a baseball game on a budget?

For all the complaints, baseball is the easiest big-league sport to enjoy on a budget. All it takes is two things: planning, and willingness to stop harping on the fact that 30 years ago, you could get in for $3 on a student ticket. There are reasonably priced seats, and some clubs offer lower prices for purchasing online. Peanuts are cheaper outside the park, so are hot dogs and sodas. Drink up, fill up before you go in. As for gear, hit Target before the game and spend $9.99 on a discount T-shirt, instead of $29.99 in the stadium shop.

Iva E. Deutchman

Professor of Political Science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges

What are the biggest issues facing MLB today?

The best city for baseball depends on how you are asking the question. In other words, if you live someplace (or someplace close) to a ballpark, it’s one issue. If you have to travel, it’s another. Frankly, in terms of travels, we loved Minneapolis (the new stadium is wonderful), San Diego (the city itself is what heaven looks like, I’m sure) and Kansas City -- another wonderful city. But the love of those cities has a lot to do with budgets. Obviously, if we have to fly to Cleveland, stay in a hotel, go out to dinner and then go to a game, that’s one budget. When I lived in Philadelphia, a long time ago, we would often go to games any time we wanted, and usually get very inexpensive seats and have a hot dog at the stadium for dinner and that was wonderful. Of course, I was younger than. Now my needs and preferences are different.

I am sure that the number of professional sports makes the whole industry more competitive. So, that has to be a big issue facing baseball -- but then it also faces basketball, football, tennis, you name it. Here’s an interesting question: are fans sports fans in general, or baseball/swimming/basketball fans in particular? I am only a baseball fan (so another long winter is starting today) -- but are most fans also fans of other sports? I think that would matter a lot.

Who are your picks to win the World Series, MVP and Cy Young Awards?

Baseball picks for 2017 -- Dodgers win the World Series, MVP is Altuve for the AL. Not sure about the Nats. Cy Young: anyone who pitches for the Astros.

John McCormack

Head Baseball Coach at Florida Atlantic University

What are the biggest issues facing MLB today?

The biggest issue facing MLB is attracting young fans. The game is in the nuances, and today’s youth seem not to have the attention to detail that would allow them to love the game. Pace of play is also a piece of that same issue. Shorter, quicker games is what the public seems to want.

How has fantasy sports affected fans’ enjoyment of MLB?

I am not a fantasy guy, because people don’t root for teams, they root for players. I guess it creates interest, but not real interest, just numbers. They are learning baseball at the basic, generic level, and not the real essence of the game. On the other side of the coin, I guess you can say they enjoy it as long as they are looking.

What is your take on the time-based contract structure used by MLB, as well as the various other spending constraints imposed by the league?

As you know, the team has a lot of control over the players for the first 4-5 years in the big leagues. The Yankees have Judge, Sanchez, and Bird, three of the best young offensive players in the league, and they are paying league minimum. On the other hand, Ellsbury, who is not an everyday player, makes over 20 million a year. In general, MLB contracts are backloaded, you get paid on what you have done, not what you are going to do. It is almost a payback system. I know they have curbed player acquisition expenses in the draft and international free agent signings as well. The bonus structures are odd from a business standpoint. Giving unproven teenagers millions of dollars, you don’t see it anywhere else.

Who are your picks to win the World Series, MVP and Cy Young Awards?

• World Series -- Los Angeles Dodgers;

• AL MVP -- Jose Altuve;

• AL Cy Young -- Corey Kluber;

• NL MVP -- Nolan Arenado;

• NL Cy Young -- Clayton Kershaw.

What is the best way to enjoy a baseball game on a budget?

Go to college baseball and/or minor league baseball games.

Joel Wolfe

Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst

What are the biggest issues facing MLB today?

Eroding fan base. Football passed baseball as the most popular spectator sport in America a number of years ago. MLB protects itself financially by having so many games. With 80 home games and significant TV contracts, MLB teams are still highly profitable, but they're extracting monopoly rents from established fan bases rather than expanding their market or innovating. Their one real innovation was the creation of MLB Interactive (see below).

How has fantasy sports affected fans’ enjoyment of MLB?

It is said (the dreaded "it is said" qualifier) that fantasy sports broaden a fanbase. I get that with the NFL. People watch Red Zone and really focus on fantasy production over the games themselves. I think that Fantasy Football has done a lot to expand the NFL's popularity. I'm not sure that that's true of MLB. The investment in picking and running a team for a long baseball season is just different. Fantasy rosters' connections to real rosters are more complicated, too. If I had to guess (a relative of "it is said"), I would say that fantasy in MLB speaks to established fans, particularly fans who pay close attention to advanced analytics.

What is your take on the time-based contract structure used by MLB, as well as the various other spending constraints imposed by the league?

If you mean that the contracts are guaranteed, then I see MLB as being like the NBA, NHL, and international soccer. Only the NFL has non-guaranteed contracts. In the case of MLB, the contract structure is a direct result of owner stupidity and incompetence as free agency came to the sport in the 1970s and beyond. But, they can "afford" terrible contracts, because their cash flow is crazy high (80 home games, fans flocking to spring training games, multiple TV contracts, etc.).

Spending constraints make a lot of sense, and I think they're having a positive impact on how fans view MLB. You don't need a ton of money to compete. You need super competent management. And, MLB has done a good job of policing clubs that try to cheat.

Who are your picks to win the World Series, MVP and Cy Young Awards?

I'll skip the awards guesses, and even the World Series pick. I taught at Rice University for nine years, so I would love to see the Astros win, especially after the horrible floods.

But, it's also important to get that Houston and Los Angeles represent the two different paths to building an elite club. Houston tanked, and has put together an outstanding roster through the draft and player development, along with a few smart trades and veteran signings. Los Angeles has broken the bank, and is open about being willing to pay the luxury tax. The argument is that at first, they did that to improve their negotiating position as they signed a new TV contract, but they've continued their high spending ways. They've also developed some terrific young players, but they are a prime example of buying a roster in today's environment.

What is the best way to enjoy a baseball game on a budget?

If you don't live in a ML city, I would buy the MLB.tv package. If you're a fan, you get access to every game online, except those considered local (I live in Western Massachusetts, but Red Sox games are local on my cable, so I don't get those). I've had MLB.tv since it was first offered, and it's terrific. MLB Interactive is so good that they do the NHL's online, and I think some stuff for HBO. There have been a couple of great articles about it. I think MLB is going to spin it off, which will bring a windfall to owners, but obviously affects long-term profitability negatively.

The other way to enjoy the sport on a budget, especially if you're close to a MLB stadium, is to find a team's game day ticket policy. The Astros had $5 seats they sold on game days in the high bleachers. That was when I lived in Houston; the policy may have changed.

The other thing to do is to go on StubHub or another similar site a couple of hours before a game. People who haven't been able to sell their tickets usually want to recoup some of their costs, so they dramatically lower their prices as the first pitch approaches. These sites usually have instant downloads, so that's not a problem.

My final bit of advice is to embrace Minor League Baseball. The Hartford Yard Goats have a beautiful new stadium with very inexpensive seats (often only 10 percent of the price of a seat at a Red Sox or Yankee game, 20 percent of the price at most). You're close to the action, and even the concessions and parking are cheaper ($5 for across the street from the stadium).

Alana Seaman

Assistant Professor of Recreation, Sport Leadership and Tourism Management in the School of Health and Applied Human Sciences at the University of North Carolina Wilmington

What are the biggest issues facing MLB today?

One of the biggest issues facing the MLB today is fan experience. While fan experience is an important factor in all professional sports -- as spectators have shorter attention spans, want quick access to wireless networks, and overall, expect a unique and immersive experience -- baseball is different. It’s an old game, and considered distinctly American. And, because of this, the game itself evokes feelings of nostalgia often linked to values of patriotism and memories of childhood. Images of yesteryear strewed across the walls of sport-themed restaurants, and commemorative events celebrated in stadiums across the country heroicize players, coaches, owners, and even announcers; Hollywood films romanticize the game, portraying it as integral to American culture; and selective tellings of improbable athletic feats in the face of adversity in documentary-esque short films aired before, during, and after televised games simplify the sport’s complex and not-always-glamourous past. Needless to say, baseball is seeped in nostalgia.

Thus, MLB baseball is tasked with balancing fans’ expectations in the modern world and maintaining the older nostalgic feel of the game in a way that no other professional sport is -- all while attempting to remain accessible to the “average American family” (whatever that means, but that’s a different story). I think we will continue to see the MLB working to remind fans of the “glory days” of baseball (an undefinable, always just out-of-reach time period that differs for each team) while incorporating unique experiential and modern elements both for the in-stadium and virtual spectator.

By countering contemporary fan gear -- sleek and dark, with colorful throwback jerseys; building new stadiums with vintage architecture and high-speed wireless infrastructure, enormous good-quality video scoreboards, and gourmet food and local micro-brew stands; and implementing new rules to speed up the game while continuing to invoke the traditional “seventh inning stretch,” the MLB is hoping that people will continue to follow their favorite team or player despite a 107-year World Series drought, an unflattering story about a particular athlete or franchise, or increased competition from other types of entertainment. However, this may become difficult in the coming years, as consumer trends continue to change at an increasingly rapid rate and fans expect better and better in-person and viewing experiences.

Best ways to enjoy a ballgame on a budget?

Embrace the throwback feeling that even the newest stadiums are trying to capture -- sit in the cheap seats, get a bag of peanuts, and enjoy the pace and tradition of the old game. Appreciate it as a break from the modern world. Or, support your local minor league team. Many offer great venues, fun and unique events, and affordable tickets, and you might even be able to say “I was there when that player was still in the minors.”

Methodology

In order to determine the best cities for baseball fans, WalletHub’s analysts compared 363 of the most populated U.S. cities based on 31 key metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for baseball fans. For our sample, we chose cities with at least one Major League Baseball (MLB), Minor League Baseball (MiLB) or college baseball (NCAA) team.

We then grouped the cities by division and assigned weights to each divisional category according to its popularity among fans. Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its total score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

For the ranking by city size, we grouped and ranked the cities based on the following population-size guidelines:

• Large cities: More than 300,000 people
• Midsize cities: 100,000 to 300,000 people
• Small cities: Fewer than 100,000 people

MLB – Total Points = 70

• Number of Teams: Full Weight (~8.24 Points)
• Performance Level of Team(s): Full Weight (~8.24 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated by dividing the number of wins by the total number of games played.
• Number of Championships Wins: Full Weight (~8.24 Points)
• Number of Division Championship Wins: Half Weight (~4.12 Points)
• Number of Hall of Fame Head Coaches: Half Weight (~4.12 Points)
• Franchise Value: Half Weight (~4.12 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the team(s) estimated value in dollars.
• Average Ticket Price per Game: Full Weight (~8.24 Points)
• Fan Engagement: Full Weight (~8.24 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the number of Twitter followers and Facebook “Likes” per capita.
• Number of Coaches in Past 10 Seasons: Half Weight (~4.12 Points)
  Note: “Past 10 Seasons” include seasons 2007–2008 to 2016–2017.
• Stadium Capacity: Half Weight (~4.12 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated using the following formula: Stadium Capacity / City Population.
• Attendance: Half Weight (~4.12 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated using the following formula: Average Home-Fan Attendance / Arena Capacity.
• Popularity Index: Half Weight (~4.12 Points)

MiLB – Total Points = 10

• Number of Teams: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
• Performance Level of Team(s): Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated by dividing the number of wins by the total number of games played.
• Number of Championship Wins: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
• Number of Regular Season Championship Wins: Half Weight (~0.67 Points)
• Number of Hall of Fame Head Coaches: Half Weight (~0.67 Points)
• Minimum Season Ticket Price: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
• Fan Engagement: Full Weight (~1.33 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the number of Twitter followers and Facebook “Likes” per capita.
• Number of Coaches in Past 10 Seasons: Half Weight (~0.67 Points)
  Note: “Past 10 Seasons” include seasons 2007–2008 to 2016–2017.
• Attendance: Half Weight (~0.67 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated using the following formula: Average Home-Fan Attendance / Arena Capacity.
• Stadium Capacity: Half Weight (~0.67 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated using the following formula: Stadium Capacity / City Population.

NCAA Baseball – Total Points = 20

• Number of Teams: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
• Performance Level of Team(s): Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated by dividing the number of wins by the total number of games played.
• Number of Championship Wins: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
• Number of Regular Season Championship Wins: Half Weight (~1.43 Points)
• Number of Hall of Fame Head Coaches: Half Weight (~1.43 Points)
• Minimum Season Ticket Price for a Game: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
• Fan Engagement: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the number of Twitter followers and Facebook “Likes” per capita.
• Number of Coaches in Past 10 Seasons: Half Weight (~1.43 Points)
  Note: “Past 10 Seasons” include seasons 2007–2008 to 2016–2017.
• Stadium Capacity: Half Weight (~1.43 Points)
  Note: This metric was calculated using the following formula: Stadium Capacity / City Population.

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Team Marketing Report, ESPN, MLB, Minor League Baseball, The Harris Poll, Sports Reference, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, The National Collegiate Athletic Association and each team’s website.