The Danger of Losing the Next Generation for the Minnesota Twins

[Cody Christie]

The Minnesota Twins are facing a generational crisis. With a protracted ownership problem burbling and the on-field product suffering, a wave of young people are passing the team by—or leaving it behind.

 

Image courtesy of Melissa Berman, Twins Daily

Over the last year and a half, the Minnesota Twins have gone from the emotional high of their first postseason series win in 21 years to the uneasy realization that an entire generation of fans may be drifting away. As attendance and engagement plummet, Target Field now feels more like an empty cathedral. Television issues and the offseason payroll retrenchment have only deepened the disconnect between the team and its community. Unless the franchise finds a way to reignite that spark (on the field, on the airwaves, and in the front office), it risks losing young fans forever, imperiling the franchise’s long‑term vitality.

Attendance Crisis at Target Field 
This April, the Twins announced a paid crowd of just 10,240 for a game against the New York Mets. It was the smallest attendance for a non‑COVID season since Target Field opened in 2010. The bleachers in left field were embarrassingly sparse, a stark contrast to the sellouts and energy surrounding the team’s 2023 postseason run. During that run, fans proved they would show up at Target Field if there were something to cheer about.

Perhaps even more alarming is the evaporating core of season‑ticket holders. Based on the attendance for the Mets series, the Twins’ season‑ticket subscriber base sits below 10,000, which is one-fourth of the ballpark’s capacity. Some teams have played poorly in the Target Field era, but this might be the lowest point in Target Field history when it comes to fan morale. Management has kept season ticket renewal figures under wraps, but future attendance will only sink lower without a solid base of committed fans.

Minnesota averaged only 17,995 tickets sold per game through their first nine home dates, ranking 25th out of 30 MLB clubs. This trend threatens the pipeline of tomorrow’s supporters. If children and young adults don’t experience the magic of Target Field now, the Twins will face an even steeper climb in decades to come.

Television Issues and Youth Engagement 
In 2024, a bitter carriage dispute left many Comcast Xfinity subscribers unable to watch Twins games on Bally Sports North. Fans tuning in saw only a “Bally Sports is no longer available” graphic, a fiasco that left households dark for months. During that stretch, the Twins played some of their best baseball of the season, which added insult to injury. That blackout certainly didn’t help cultivate new fans.

Amid the bankruptcy proceedings for Diamond Sports Group, MLB assumed production and distribution of Twins broadcasts in 2025 via its own local media arm. And while MLB’s direct‑to‑consumer approach may broaden availability by getting rid of archaic blackout rules, it also generates far less revenue than traditional RSNs, raising concerns about budget cuts down the line. 

Baseball endures, at its roots, as a game of childhood wonder, but if young fans can’t catch a single pitch on television, they’ll never develop that passion. In an era of on-demand streaming and bundled sports packages, the Twins’ recent broadcast missteps have driven away potential lifelong supporters before they even picked up a glove.

Ownership on the Sidelines 
Coming off the elation of October 2023, the Pohlads stunned fans by trimming payroll by $30 million before the 2024 season. More dollars don’t guarantee on‑field success, but investment signals ambition in the underfunded AL Central. Instead, the payroll rollback whispered that baseball is just another balance sheet line item for ownership.

Dwelling in the middle of the AL Central, the Twins have made remarkably few roster upgrades over the past two seasons. Minnesota stood pat even at the 2024 trade deadline, when a bold swing could have electrified the fanbase. There was no impactful free-agent acquisition or blockbuster trade, just roster inertia that echoed from the front office to the stands.

Fans rally around new faces and renewed hope. Change for its own sake is rarely advisable, but stagnation born of a dearth of better ideas is even worse. Here, the silence of the phones in Derek Falvey’s war room has fostered only apathy. When fans have no reason to pay attention, families choose cheaper, more reliable forms of entertainment, and kids lose interest in the game’s narrative. The team sometimes seems to forget that its fans are awake and hungry for entertainment year-round, rather than only during the season, and that transactions freshen the vibes in both the grandstand and the clubhouse.

Reigniting Hope
Baseball’s beauty lies in the ebb and flow of the season, the promise of a comeback forged out of adversity. The Twins need that narrative again, through meaningful payroll commitments, bold midseason moves, and a broadcast plan that ensures no child is left without a window into the action. It will take more than tactical tweaks. It will require genuine communication, transparency, and a renewed partnership with the community. Right now, the Twins can’t be trusted to do this. 

Many fans have seen firsthand how a game can capture a child’s imagination. The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, and the butterflies before a big pitch are memories that last a lifetime. But without that spark kindled early, baseball becomes just another note on the page of youth’s digital distractions. The Twins must remember that their truest investment isn’t a free agent contract or a broadcast fee. It’s in every first‑time fan who thrills at a homer, who dreams of stealing bases and calling “let’s go!” in a stadium full of strangers.

Target Field has a chance to once again pulse with life. If the organization can reconnect with that emotional core by filling the stands, helping fans with their broadcast coverage, and showing that payroll reflects purpose. If not, new owners will soon look back and see they lost more than games. They'll have lost a generation.

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[Patzky]

It's a shame because by all accounts the stadium experience is bar none. Promotions and concerts are great! But winning is the magic elixir that works wonders quickly. 

[Blyleven2011]

How many generations of fans are they going to continue to lose when they haven't a very good product on the field and their lack of promoting the team is dismal , if the younger generations do go to the game it's not to watch the game but to have a good time in a party atmosphere , not a baseball atmosphere  ...

They have been terrible promoting the team even to the really loyal fans of yesteryear  , giving away souvenirs doesn't draw ticket sales , but if they had more promoting of the twins old greats to honor the history the hall of famers ( killibrew , oliva , carew , puckett , Blyleven,  oliva , kaat and even mauer ) , that might draw some fans to the games to honor their great playing careers  ...

Free hot dogs and a coke to the first 43,000 would help to ...

[BobAzar]

Point of clarification: I am NOT defending how the team has been run, but I was on a season ticket holder advisory board last year. and they changed their season ticket model, so they look less at "full season equivalents" and more on how much money people spend. eg. instead of the flex 40 plan (40 ticket vouchers to use as wanted), then now have different monetary levels (I think its like $300 up to $6000, or something). so sayin that there is fewer than 10,000 season ticket holders is probably factually true, I dont think the team is looking at it this way. 

 

AGAIN, no defending how this team is run or the points made in the article. just trying to give some other info. 

[bean5302]

Pretty sure I could increase attendance without a lot of effort. The problem is balancing ticket sales campaigns with being fair to the few season ticket holders left. I've detailed the campaign more than a couple times around here.

1. Discounted ticket packages for North Loop apartments/condo residents. The larger percentage of the building signs up, the greater the discount.
2. Clear entire sections and give away tickets to entire high school classes. Every single game. The average upper deck section seats about 350-400. Heck, two high schools. Pit them against each other in cheer contests or dance contests or whatever. Have a dedicated Twins player as their representative to cheer them on. Whatever. Get the younger generation to know players.
3. Celebrity mascots. Get celebrities to don a costume and accompany TC Bear. Have the celebrity revealed at the end of the 7th inning or something.
4. For the love of all that is good, make the giveaways more than a fanny pack or company branded tee shirt from Truly seltzer. Giveaways should be awesome. A free jersey you pick out in the store with customization etc.
5. Gamify attendance at Target Field with things like check-ins and discounts. Get people to check-in using a bar code scan at different locations at Target Field. Hrbeks, etc, to get them more familiar with the stadium. Better giveaways to people who play TWINGO, etc. It's so cheap to do these things overall, but so effective at advertising and engagement.
6. Push notification giveaways during the game. "You've won a cap!" whatever. 

Every owner in baseball should understand it's about the event. It's about the experience of attending a game. The more prestige there is around attendance, the more people want to go and the more tickets you'll sell.

[DJL44]

12 minutes ago, BobAzar said:

Point of clarification: I am NOT defending how the team has been run, but I was on a season ticket holder advisory board last year. and they changed their season ticket model, so they look less at "full season equivalents" and more on how much money people spend. eg. instead of the flex 40 plan (40 ticket vouchers to use as wanted), then now have different monetary levels (I think its like $300 up to $6000, or something). so sayin that there is fewer than 10,000 season ticket holders is probably factually true, I dont think the team is looking at it this way. 

It should be disturbing to the team that I am one of the most avid Twins fans I know and I have no idea how the MyTwins thing works or what the benefits are. 

"Buy a MyTwins, call for details" is an awful marketing pitch.

[BobAzar]

5 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

It should be disturbing to the team that I am one of the most avid Twins fans I know and I have no idea how the MyTwins thing works or what the benefits are. 

"Buy a MyTwins, call for details" is an awful marketing pitch.

We had 4 or 5 meetings of that advisory council last year, and I'm still not super sure how the whole thing works, other than now things that STH got for "free" as perks of being a STH, now we have to use points to get them. 

[Fire Dan Gladden]

This issue is bigger than Minnesota. MLB as a whole is losing this generation. Game speed changes have helped, but they need to find a way to nationalize the youth game more. It is harder and harder for large, densely populated cities to support strong youth baseball programs. Lose the youth, lose everything.

Tack on high prices for everything (do not compare this to football: 8 home games vs 81), a messed up national vs. regional viewing process, priority media coverage of the coasts and Chicago vs the league as a whole.... nothing new here, but still scary for the MLB future.

[DJL44]

22 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

5. Gamify attendance at Target Field with things like check-ins and discounts. Get people to check-in using a bar code scan at different locations at Target Field. Hrbeks, etc, to get them more familiar with the stadium. Better giveaways to people who play TWINGO, etc. It's so cheap to do these things overall, but so effective at advertising and engagement.

It's probably bad for the team that I actively avoid "special" sections of the stadium, assuming that they only allow season ticket holders to enter. I've never entered a Target Field bar or restaurant, partly for that reason (the other reason is my intuition that whatever I buy there will cost twice what I want to pay). I buy my ticket, sit at my seat and go to the nearby concessions. There are like 100 different sections and I don't know what any of them are (What is the difference between a box, terrace, view, patio, legend or porch? WTF is The Cove?). Sometimes I wonder if the crowd is entirely in the restaurants and that's why the seats are completely empty.

Going to a Saints game is a much simpler experience.

[DJL44]

3 minutes ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

This issue is bigger than Minnesota. MLB as a whole is losing this generation. Game speed changes have helped, but they need to find a way to nationalize the youth game more. It is harder and harder for large, densely populated cities to support strong youth baseball programs. Lose the youth, lose everything.

I think they missed on Gen Z already. Their only hope is to market heavily to Millennials to get them and their kids to the ballpark.

[DJL44]

18 minutes ago, BobAzar said:

We had 4 or 5 meetings of that advisory council last year, and I'm still not super sure how the whole thing works, other than now things that STH got for "free" as perks of being a STH, now we have to use points to get them. 

The whole thing sounds like Skee-ball, where you play for a couple hours and realize your 30,000 points are worth a pencil eraser shaped like a frog.

[Whitey333]

Very nice article.  Well done.  I agree.  I've been a long time and loyal Twins fan for over 60 years. I've seen plenty of games at the old Met in Bloomington and a ton at the Dome.  I've seen plenty at beautiful Target Field as well.  I remember very fondly as a kid going to games.  I always cherished those memories.  The past few years have been difficult for me asba Twins fan.  Yes 2023 was fun.  But we haven't made the playoffs 3 of the past 4 years even though Falvey and the Twins tell us they are in a winning window.  They play boring and undisciplined baseball.  They are void of the basic fundamentals.  They are 19-42 in their last 61 games dating back to last years collapse.  No one in the organization seems to take responsibility for this terrible brand of baseball and the continued losing.  The Twins, from ownership on down don't seem to care.

[Nashvilletwin]

15 minutes ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

This issue is bigger than Minnesota. MLB as a whole is losing this generation. Game speed changes have helped, but they need to find a way to nationalize the youth game more. It is harder and harder for large, densely populated cities to support strong youth baseball programs. Lose the youth, lose everything.

Tack on high prices for everything (do not compare this to football: 8 home games vs 81), a messed up national vs. regional viewing process, priority media coverage of the coasts and Chicago vs the league as a whole.... nothing new here, but still scary for the MLB future.

Well said, couldn’t agree more.

Not surprising the Pohlads seem to be having trouble selling, let alone getting top dollar.

[TwinsDr2021]

Don't forgot the streaming issue that had, when people were cutting the cord, and then couldn't watch the Twins. Out of site out of mind.

[Road trip]

47 minutes ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

This issue is bigger than Minnesota. MLB as a whole is losing this generation. Game speed changes have helped, but they need to find a way to nationalize the youth game more. It is harder and harder for large, densely populated cities to support strong youth baseball programs. Lose the youth, lose everything.

Tack on high prices for everything (do not compare this to football: 8 home games vs 81), a messed up national vs. regional viewing process, priority media coverage of the coasts and Chicago vs the league as a whole.... nothing new here, but still scary for the MLB future.

All correct.

I'd add a lack of competitive balance in the league as a significant problem.  In the NFL and NBA, every city knows that even if their team is bad this year, they might just turn it around and be a contender in a year or two (See the Pistons this year for the NBA, or the Commanders for the NFL).  For MLB franchises, does anyone who follows the Reds, Pirates, Marlins, A's, Rockies, etc really think they have a chance to make a playoff run in the next couple of years?  The number of franchises mired in almost hopeless situations due to the league's financial imbalances is leading to substantial fan apathy in many regions.  

[NYCTK]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

It's probably bad for the team that I actively avoid "special" sections of the stadium, assuming that they only allow season ticket holders to enter. I've never entered a Target Field bar or restaurant, partly for that reason (the other reason is my intuition that whatever I buy there will cost twice what I want to pay). I buy my ticket, sit at my seat and go to the nearby concessions. There are like 100 different sections and I don't know what any of them are (What is the difference between a box, terrace, view, patio, legend or porch? WTF is The Cove?). Sometimes I wonder if the crowd is entirely in the restaurants and that's why the seats are completely empty.

Going to a Saints game is a much simpler experience.

I noticed Citi Field opened up two or more of the clubs this season that used to be "exclusive" to certain attendees. It makes the stadium feel more equitable and less like it's a playground for the wealthier population.

A very small thing, but it makes the stadium that much more welcoming to the community. 

[NYCTK]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

I think they missed on Gen Z already. Their only hope is to market heavily to Millennials to get them and their kids to the ballpark.

Not necessarily true. Baseball is uniquely situated to be presented well in vertical video format ie TikTok. 

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

It's probably bad for the team that I actively avoid "special" sections of the stadium, assuming that they only allow season ticket holders to enter. I've never entered a Target Field bar or restaurant, partly for that reason (the other reason is my intuition that whatever I buy there will cost twice what I want to pay). I buy my ticket, sit at my seat and go to the nearby concessions. There are like 100 different sections and I don't know what any of them are (What is the difference between a box, terrace, view, patio, legend or porch? WTF is The Cove?). Sometimes I wonder if the crowd is entirely in the restaurants and that's why the seats are completely empty.

Going to a Saints game is a much simpler experience.

It should be simpler for the Saints. There should be 10x fewer people there. I believe the Twins changed the seating names back in like 2018 to squeeze more dollars out of previously lower class seats. There are generally some people in the bars/restaurants, but they don't hold a ton of folks. If it's a nasty, cold, rainy day, they get a bit more packed. Honestly, last game I went to was more depressingly dead than it has ever been.

[Rosterman]

It sadly, started, waaaay back when the Twins left the clear channel of WCCO to use their own limited appeal station in town, even though they did manage to keep most rural stations involved.

Television has changed, but going to a subscriber base is NOT the way. The key to TV is still advertising, and reaching the largest audience possible, and keeping it free. People watch the games, and then come to the games. If they can't watch it easily, they don't. 

Example. I now pay for streaming the Twins. Haven't even watched half the games this month (and one I wanted to watch was on Apple, which I don't have). I listen on the radio, while driving, working outdoors, working out (where I might set up by a television if they are showing the game). Television was always, in my lifetime, turning it on and if a game was on, I would watch it, even mid-game, rather than search out something else. And the advertising on the MLB channel is pretty much NOT there. I hear a few mumbles during the game, but did they abandon this revenue stream. All I see between innings are lame scoreboard games.

The Twins and season tickets? Starts with the end of the season. But little hype and effort the past couple of seasons. Even the Twins caravan seemed weak this year. Part of the appeal of baseball IS being a part of the copmmunity. You have to make the community parades, or bigger social gatherings. You have to make the general newsscasts and radio programs (not just the sports programs). Hospital visits. Church banquets. School little league games. The Twins have been so lucky in the past to having a strong core of alumni. But you only see them now on television commercials for a certain car dealership.

Yes, you gotta give out tickets to youth groups. You also can't depend on people paying higher prices for some games, especially when you aren't selling out. That only works - team tier tickets - if you are selling out games. Sure, I love the multi-game plans, as well as the vouchers. But it makes one NOT buy a season ticket package. What makes being a season ticket holder so special anymore? Especially with the high cost of parking, concessions, et al.

You gotta make the baseball experience fun, although I disliked when Target Field opened and the first couple seasons was all about coming to the ballpark, NOT about the play product being put on the field. You still need to field a team. But, boy, that was a huge blunder in the 2023 off-season announcing a cut in expenditures. You didn't need to do that. You were already riding a decent payroll with a couple of expensive free agents in the fold. Just shut-up and promote the team and the futrure. Marketing department needs a complete and total overhaul.

And what is happening in St. Paul. 2-3,000 for a team that used to sell out Northern League ball in a wretched stadium during their prime. Talk about a change. The ball play is better these days. "Live" entertainment abounds. Good food. What gives?

 

[mikelink45]

2 hours ago, BobAzar said:

Point of clarification: I am NOT defending how the team has been run, but I was on a season ticket holder advisory board last year. and they changed their season ticket model, so they look less at "full season equivalents" and more on how much money people spend. eg. instead of the flex 40 plan (40 ticket vouchers to use as wanted), then now have different monetary levels (I think its like $300 up to $6000, or something). so sayin that there is fewer than 10,000 season ticket holders is probably factually true, I dont think the team is looking at it this way. 

 

AGAIN, no defending how this team is run or the points made in the article. just trying to give some other info. 

If the article is about drawing a younger generation it is not through season ticket packages - it is about marketing young stars - giving the team an identity the youth can get connected to like Ant on the Timberwolves.  The games have sped up which is good, but the Twins forgot the play exciting ball part of the equation.

[DJL44]

12 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

It should be simpler for the Saints. 

I really like entertainment decisions to be simple. I was quite pleased that the Twins TV package was $99/year. That was a pretty easy yes/no decision to make. It might be the only money I spend on the team this season but I'm not regretting my purchase.

16 minutes ago, Rosterman said:

And what is happening in St. Paul

There are a lot more Saints games now with a AAA schedule. That's like 50% more seats to sell.

[mikelink45]

I have no solution, but like me most season ticket holders are not in the demographic this articles addresses and I am fearful of the sports future as it moved down the spectrum - Vikings, Timberwolves, Lynx, Wild, United and fishing, hunting, lake cabins, boating, concerts, picnics.  Not sure where to put the Twins.  I know that driving 100 miles to a game with the team playing lousy is not motivating - especially when the concessions and parking eat up more money.  

I am not even motivated to listen on the radio anymore.  I just catch the 10 minute MLB.com summary which in this season is too long.  

[DuluthDuke]

I love baseball but MLB as well as the Twins are doing a darn fine job of driving everyone away, not just young potential fans.

I'm outstate, hours away. 4 people, cheapest F-Sun tickets all year would be 79 total for 4. Plus parking. To sit in the 3rd deck. To watch a bad team that has had rainless rainouts. Maybe I'll just go to a Huskies game...

[Fire Dan Gladden]

1 hour ago, Road trip said:

All correct.

I'd add a lack of competitive balance in the league as a significant problem.  In the NFL and NBA, every city knows that even if their team is bad this year, they might just turn it around and be a contender in a year or two (See the Pistons this year for the NBA, or the Commanders for the NFL).  For MLB franchises, does anyone who follows the Reds, Pirates, Marlins, A's, Rockies, etc really think they have a chance to make a playoff run in the next couple of years?  The number of franchises mired in almost hopeless situations due to the league's financial imbalances is leading to substantial fan apathy in many regions.  

Until they truly give reasons for the big 6 to forego money today for money tomorrow, this will never be fixed. A major problem here is that while teams like the Dodgers are netting hundreds of millions of dollars per year, teams like the Twins are content to make $25-100m  per year. The lower teams are still making money (either through cash or valuation growth) so they are content.

You can blame us sheep for continuing to accept the status quo and shell out money.

[TheLeviathan]

I work with kids that are basically straight out of the age group from The Sandlot.  Prime baseball age.  In a state where you can play baseball year round.  (Arizona)  And I'll repeat what I've been saying here for a decade: MLB has a crisis on their hands.  Kids don't care.  More kids would know the Savannah Bananas logo than their local team.  They'd likely be able to name more players on the Bananas than their local team.

Kids are not invested in MLB.  There are some diehards, sure....but I think MLB's average fan (60, white, male) would be pretty shocked by how irrelevant baseball is for kids.

[CRF]

I don't think current ownership cares about THIS generation...much less the next one. 

[Linus]

28 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

I work with kids that are basically straight out of the age group from The Sandlot.  Prime baseball age.  In a state where you can play baseball year round.  (Arizona)  And I'll repeat what I've been saying here for a decade: MLB has a crisis on their hands.  Kids don't care.  More kids would know the Savannah Bananas logo than their local team.  They'd likely be able to name more players on the Bananas than their local team.

Kids are not invested in MLB.  There are some diehards, sure....but I think MLB's average fan (60, white, male) would be pretty shocked by how irrelevant baseball is for kids.

This. I think baseball overall has little appeal to people less than 30 years old. The three true outcomes have made watching pretty boring even for an older guy like me that grew up with it. You stack these problems on top of the Twins specific blunders (especially the TV debacle) and you have the perfect storm for apathy. 

[Craig Arko]

Good chance that the work stoppage/possible lost season of 2027 will be the final nail for MLB. 

[IndyTwinsFan]

3 hours ago, Whitey333 said:

Very nice article.  Well done.  I agree.  I've been a long time and loyal Twins fan for over 60 years. I've seen plenty of games at the old Met in Bloomington and a ton at the Dome.  I've seen plenty at beautiful Target Field as well.  I remember very fondly as a kid going to games.  I always cherished those memories.  The past few years have been difficult for me asba Twins fan.  Yes 2023 was fun.  But we haven't made the playoffs 3 of the past 4 years even though Falvey and the Twins tell us they are in a winning window.  They play boring and undisciplined baseball.  They are void of the basic fundamentals.  They are 19-42 in their last 61 games dating back to last years collapse.  No one in the organization seems to take responsibility for this terrible brand of baseball and the continued losing.  The Twins, from ownership on down don't seem to care.

I couldn't agree with you more, especially your closing statement.  And I've been a fan of this team for 55+ years.  This is the first season I can recall where the team has basically become unwatchable virtually every game, with the entire organization regularly giving off a "We don't care" vibe to its ever dwindling fan base.  And fans are perceptive enough to notice that and are responding accordingly.  Losing itself isn't the real problem, IMO, it's the not giving your fans a reason to care about your product that is the real deal breaker.

If both of my grandfathers, who I learned to love the game from, could see this, they'd be rolling over in their respective graves.

[IndyTwinsFan]

41 minutes ago, Craig Arko said:

Good chance that the work stoppage/possible lost season of 2027 will be the final nail for MLB. 

That wouldn't surprise me in the least.