Fun in the sun

Cactus League draws record 1.1 million fans this spring

PHOENIX (AP) -- Arizona's Cactus League and Florida's Grapefruit League this month showed baseball's resilience from the nation's economic and travel slump.

A record 1.1 million fans watched the Cactus League's 10 teams and juiced the economy by close to $200 million this month.

"It couldn't come at a better time," said Jerry Geiger, Cactus League Association president. "Two or three months ago we would have been happy to break even but we're up close to 12 percent" in per game attendance. Florida's 20 teams drew 1.6 million fans, boosting the economy by nearly $500 million. Florida's attendance jumped about 5 percent, said David Cardwell, Grapefruit League executive director.

This year's Cactus League attendance eclipsed the 1 million mark for the first time, besting by 10 percent the previous record of 994,106 set in 1999. An average crowd of 7,164 saw 153 games this month.

Spring training ended Thursday except for exhibition games at Bank One Ballpark on Friday and Saturday that are not included in the Cactus League totals.

The top four draws in Arizona were: the Seattle Mariners, 156,047; Chicago Cubs, 154,617; Arizona Diamondbacks, 147,449; and San Francisco Giants, 130,830.

The Giants led in average attendance at 10,064 in 13 games.

A World Series championship helped the Diamondbacks draw 44,322 more fans this spring than last, an increase of 43 percent.

Arizona tourism interests, who were nervous about whether the fans would show up, are applauding the upswing.

About six out of 10 Cactus League fans are from out of state, studies show.

Some economists question, however, the tourism impact of spring training, saying that the leagues overstate how many fans come solely for baseball.

A decade ago, the Sunshine State clearly outshone Arizona's spring training. The Cactus League was in danger of fading away when the Cleveland Indians left Tucson in 1992 for the Grapefruit League. Florida and Las Vegas also were trying to lure other teams, said Robert Brinton, Cactus League Association treasurer.

But new stadiums and three new teams -- the Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox -- have solidified the Cactus League.

Next year, the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals will pull up stakes in Florida to move into a $48 million stadium and training complex in Surprise.

 

Related information
Stories
Cactus and Grapefruit League maps Sports Illustrated's Scouting Reports Statitudes: Opening Day 2002, By the Numbers
Multimedia
Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV.