Target Field's Attendance Problem Goes Beyond the Organization's Inflated Numbers

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The Twins have spent much of the season trying to convince fans to come back to Target Field. The problem is that the numbers and 

Through 41 home games, Minnesota has announced ticket sales of 825,361, a 0.11% decline from the 826.296 tickets reported at the same point a year ago. That works out to an average of 23 fans per game, ranking 15th among the 30 major league clubs. On the surface, that small of a drop may not seem dramatic. The context makes it more concerning.

Last season was already the lowest-attended full season in Target Field history. Excluding the pandemic-disrupted years of 2020 and 2021, the Twins' 1.769 million fans in 2025 represented their smallest crowd total since 2001, when the club still played in the Metrodome. Falling below that pace raises questions about both fan engagement and the organization's relationship with its customer base.

A Predictable Decline

The warning signs were obvious long before Opening Day. Fans entered the season frustrated after last summer's deadline selloff saw Minnesota move a significant portion of its major league roster. The winter brought little relief. Ownership cut payroll dramatically, leaving the Twins with a $105.7 million Opening Day payroll, their lowest figure in more than a decade.

For a fan base already skeptical about ownership's commitment to winning, there was little reason to rush out and buy tickets. The schedule didn't help either. Minnesota played 17 home games in April, two more than it did during the same stretch last season. Cold weather has never been a friend of attendance figures in Minnesota, and several early-season crowds reflected that reality. Still, weather only explains part of the story.

Promotions Can Help, But Only So Much

The Twins have tried a variety of methods to generate interest. Friday and Saturday games now feature pregame $2 beers, one of several promotions designed to lower the barrier for fans considering a trip to the ballpark. The organization has also leaned heavily into ticket giveaways and special-event nights.

Those efforts may help announced attendance figures, but they don't necessarily translate into meaningful revenue or sustained fan interest. That's part of why the 0.11% decline could actually understate the issue. A ticket given away counts the same as a ticket sold when attendance is announced publicly, even though the financial impact is obviously different.

The Twins can improve optics by filling seats on paper. Rebuilding trust with paying customers is a much harder challenge.

The Bigger Picture Around Baseball

What's happening in Minneapolis stands out even more when viewed against the rest of the league. Major League Baseball is experiencing another attendance increase this season, with average crowds rising by more than 640 fans per game across the sport. Summer weather and pennant-race excitement could push that number even higher as the season progresses.

Some clubs have seen massive jumps. The Blue Jays have enjoyed the largest increase after their World Series appearance, adding more than 10,000 fans per game. Tampa Bay's return to its home ballpark has also produced a significant attendance boost (+6,747).

The Twins, meanwhile, are moving in the opposite direction. Their average crowd has dropped by roughly 23 fans per game compared to last season. Half the league has experienced larger declines, but many of those teams started from much stronger attendance positions.

Even within the AL Central, the Twins aren't standing out in a positive way. The White Sox, despite entering the season with low expectations, have posted one of baseball's largest attendance increases (+6,115). However, the rest of the AL Central ranks below the Twins in decreased average attendance, but that might have to do with how low Minnesota was in 2025. 

Empty Seats Have Become Common

Perhaps the most telling statistic is how rarely Target Field has hosted a truly large crowd. Minnesota has surpassed 30,000 announced fans only five times this season:

• April 3: The Home Opener.
• April 17: When the club offered complimentary tickets to fans affected by the Home Opener power outage.
• May 16: A Saturday matchup against Milwaukee.
• June 22-23: Dodgers series

Outside of those dates, large crowds have been difficult to find. The contrast was particularly striking in mid-May. Two days after announcing a crowd of 33,115 against the Brewers, the Twins reported a season-low attendance of just 11,488 for a game against Houston. That's a swing of more than 21,000 people in the span of a single series.

Can a Minnesota Summer Save The Numbers?

There is still time for attendance to improve. The weather is getting warmer, and the Twins have several attractive home dates remaining, and a postgame Ludacris concert scheduled for June 26.

Winning would help, too. Minnesota has  a 38-43 record and sitting just outside the playoff picture. The American League remains crowded enough that a sustained hot streak could quickly put the Twins back in the postseason conversation. Fans have shown throughout the Target Field era that they'll support a contender. The challenge for the organization is convincing them that this team (and this ownership group) is worth investing in again.

The Twins expected some attendance fallout after last year's deadline teardown and payroll reduction. What they probably didn't expect was to be tracking below a season that already represented a historic low point for Target Field.

Promotions, giveaways, and concerts can provide temporary boosts, but they don't address the underlying issue. Fans respond to belief. They buy tickets when they trust the organization is committed to putting a competitive product on the field.

Right now, the attendance numbers suggest many Twins fans are still waiting to be convinced. With half the home schedule remaining, there is time to change the story. Whether the club can do enough on the field (and off it) to bring fans back through the gates may be one of the most important questions facing the franchise during the second half.

What stands out about the team’s attendance so far this year? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Whitey333]

Interesting article.  No real surprises however.  Pundits were speaking of this attendance decline most of this past off season.  Ownership dug this problem themselves with a series of public relations blunders the past couple of seasons.  It's not going to change overnight if at all until and unless the team is sold to new owners.  While there is time to get it back during the second half it will be interesting to see attendance figures once late August and September come around.  It could get worse.

[FlyingFinn]

Fans don't think the Twins ownership is trying to win. Worse yet, they think that ownership is just trying to -make money off of us with the low payroll. For both, a great example is the Twins bullpen. Thus, low attendance.

[Peter]

Attendance will get better and crowds bigger!!! Last night was most important win of season as twins are must watch every game!!! Especially now as we are only 1.5 back of wild card and 4.5 back in division!!! It’s going to be intense action packed 2nd half!!! Buckle up!!! 

[nclahammer]

This season is my first since 2010 that I have NOT been a Twins season ticket holder.   Nothing about this season thus far has me thinking "I'm a Believer."

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I think there is more to this story of low attendance, which TD writers and posters ignore. I  don't think Minnesota and the surrounding areas are capable of successfully supporting a major league baseball team as well as other, warmer areas of the USA or other areas with a more concentrated population. 1) Minnesota weather is extremely nice in the summer. Open air baseball parks are very nice in the summer in Minnesota, but these parks often are uncomfortable, and sometimes brutal, many days and nights in April, early May, September and October.  2) The fan base is drawn from many areas which are located long distances to travel for baseball games in Minneapolis. People are reluctant to make hotel  reservations and travel long distances to see baseball games, which may be postponed due to the weather or which are so cold at night that they are uncomfortable for the fans. A domed stadium would have solved some of these problems. But the owners, the city, county and state governments, and ultimately the fans, did not want to spend the money for a domed stadium. Instead they settled for short sighted mediocrity with a beautiful open air stadium. They said: "Baseball was meant to be played in the open air.  They said, "Minnesotans are a hardy bunch and used to cold, damp weather".  OK I get it. However hockey is played indoors and football does not require stadiums to be filled 81 games a season, mostly at night.  Face it, players don't like to play in wet, cold weather. Especially players from warm weather areas like Latin America, California and Florida. It is dangerous to accurately throw a wet baseball 95 mph with cold numb fingers, especially in a drizzle. Wet grass can cause unnecessary falls, embarrassed players and injuries. Most fans don't enjoy sitting in the cold weather to watch baseball. That is why the game is played most places in the US only in the warm weather months, and played year round only in warm weather climates. Paraphrasing Apollo 13 Commander James Lovell, "Ah, Minneapolis, we've had a problem".

[Nshore]

Calvin Griffith forgot more about baseball than any Pohlad will ever know, and ultimately he couldn't make a go of it here.  It's concerning.  In a losing year, die hard fans will still come out to see the star players from other teams and because they enjoy the game.  But most fans here need a winner.  Maybe a new baseball agreement will change the economics and help the cause.

[tony&rodney]

Attendance for baseball in Minnesota (the Twins) has always been tied pretty much to wins and losses. The Wild and Vikings draw even if they lose. Games are won by talent, which is the job of the front office. Despite a huge emphasis on payroll, which also makes its way into this article, it is talent that wins games. Unless one believes that the Twins owners should be carrying payrolls of $200+ million for players, the focus on money is misplaced as far as winning. As a brief reminder I will list Hoskins, Montgomery, and Gallen as players who various people forwarded for the club to sign if they weren't so cheap. 

The Dodgers took off when they hired Andrew Friedman in 2015 (I think). The accumulation of talent can be helped with access to large piles of cash, which MLB kindly provided to LAD when they exempted them from sharing their revenue in the same manner as all other teams. One cannot blame the Dodgers for spending that $600+ million unexpected money on talent. That does not negate that Friedman has built a terrific scouting and development system whereby the Dodgers always have a ton of talented players available for promotion or trades. Thus, I will suggest that the most important job of an owner is hiring the right people. The identification of talent leads to winning which leads to increased attendance. Minnesota will draw more fans when the team plays better and that will happen as new talent replaces a few of the current guys on the roster. 

While I may have actively opposed the sale of the Twins to Carl in 1984 because I preferred two of the other groups (MLB only okayed/allowed CP), it seems somewhat childish for people to throw out numerous articles that excoriate the Pohlads for their spending, while failing to note their relative absenteeism through the years. The real problem, as it is for all sports' franchises, has been a lack of talent and that falls directly on the shoulders of the front office. If Tom Pohlad is more aggressive with holding the front office more accountable or if he just goes absent due to a something like disinterest (was that Jim Pohlad?), there may be an article worth writing and reading. My personal thoughts are that the current group of coaches and Shelton are doing a good job. Can whomever is running the front office these days take the necessary steps to increase talent in the organization on on the Twins roster? If the answer is yes, attendance will increase. I really doubt that Tom Pohlad is scouring the fields across the world for baseball players or even making phone calls/texting people in front offices across MLB.

[Sjoski]

It's easy to pointing to:

1/ ownership’s payroll slashes,

2/ a mediocre product on the field,

3/ and April/May weather.

I agree. That's a ...

 Strike 3.

But there’s a massive elephant in the room that this fan base—and the local sports media—completely refuses to acknowledge.

The real attendance crisis isn't just about baseball. It’s about the city itself.

For a massive segment of the suburban fan base, the calculation for a night out completely changed after 2020. What used to be a seamless, routine trip downtown now feels like navigating a political minefield and a landscape a lot of folks simply no longer want to support or step foot in.

When you combine a hollowed-out downtown climate with premium parking rates, expensive tickets, and an ownership group that actively signal-flashed a surrender on the season before it even began, the magnet is gone.

Free tickets won’t fix it. Cheap beer  barely moves the needle. If the team won't invest in the fans, and the city doesn't feel like the welcoming entertainment hub it used to be, a lot of us aren't even stepping into the batter's box anymore.

[tony&rodney]

2 minutes ago, Nshore said:

Calvin Griffith forgot more about baseball than any Pohlad will ever know, and ultimately he couldn't make a go of it here.  It's concerning.  In a losing year, die hard fans will still come out to see the star players from other teams and because they enjoy the game.  But most fans here need a winner.  Maybe a new baseball agreement will change the economics and help the cause.

This is true. Minnesota (on the whole) doesn't really see baseball as among their top choices for entertainment. It isn't just attendance, it is also the number of people watching or listening.

[DJL44]

18 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

This is true. Minnesota (on the whole) doesn't really see baseball as among their top choices for entertainment. It isn't just attendance, it is also the number of people watching or listening.

Basketball and even soccer seem much more popular among the 18-30 year olds with disposable time and income. Baseball is viewed as “grandpa’s sport”.

[David Maro]

First off we have to stop blaming attendance on payroll. It's not payroll that's the problem with the Mets or how about the Guardians. The FO over the last few years was plain and simple terrible. They drafted poorly and made bad trades. You have players in the minors who everyone wants to see but can't stay healthy. You have players who can't perform on the big stage and have to return to the minors as well. And last but not least the location of the stadium is not good. The lack of law enforcement in the area is a concern.

[DJL44]

28 minutes ago, Sjoski said:

It's easy to pointing to:

1/ ownership’s payroll slashes,

2/ a mediocre product on the field,

3/ and April/May weather.

I agree. That's a ...

 Strike 3.

But there’s a massive elephant in the room that this fan base—and the local sports media—completely refuses to acknowledge.

The real attendance crisis isn't just about baseball. It’s about the city itself.

For a massive segment of the suburban fan base, the calculation for a night out completely changed after 2020. What used to be a seamless, routine trip downtown now feels like navigating a political minefield and a landscape a lot of folks simply no longer want to support or step foot in.

When you combine a hollowed-out downtown climate with premium parking rates, expensive tickets, and an ownership group that actively signal-flashed a surrender on the season before it even began, the magnet is gone.

Free tickets won’t fix it. Cheap beer  barely moves the needle. If the team won't invest in the fans, and the city doesn't feel like the welcoming entertainment hub it used to be, a lot of us aren't even stepping into the batter's box anymore.

The Loons play in the sketchiest part of the whole city and their attendance has been stable. The Lynx play next door to the Twins at the same time of year and their attendance has been stable.

[theBOMisthebomb]

The Twins still have a lot of work to win back long term fans who abandoned ship after 2025 trade deadline disaster. 

I couldn't give away a ticket to the Joe vs. Sho game and asked many of the long term Twins fans I know that have given up on the franchise. Folks still don't trust the Twins organization. 

[tony&rodney]

3 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Basketball and even soccer seem much more popular among the 18-30 year olds with disposable time and income. Baseball is viewed as “grandpa’s sport”.

Baseball is my entertainment of choice. I rarely watch much less follow other sports, although I do briefly skim some articles. So I'm a baseball fan and yes I am OLD.

Witness the World Cup, where people are paying Super Bowl prices and there are a ton of games. I know a bunch of people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s shelling out $300-500 to go to these World Cup games and sit in the nose bleed seats. The experience, the atmosphere, the scene are all a draw.

I received a thumb's down for noting that attendance, viewership, and listeners to Twins games are all down. These are just counting numbers that show baseball is not a top choice for Minnesota fans. It is what it is, no matter how much of a fan I may be of baseball myself. Not much to disagree with in simple numbers .... 2 is less than 3 ..... etc.

[MMBoys93]

The Wild and Vikings have packed houses because they have a history of winning.

Wild have made the playoffs in 12 of 14 seasons and Vikings have had at least a .500 record in 8 of the last 11 and haven’t been a truly awful team since 2013.

 

The Twins on the other hand have 4 playoff appearances in 15 years with plenty of truly awful seasons and an ownership group who has committed publicly to not spending money since November 7, 2023. I’m honestly shocked the drop in attendance hasn’t been higher but when you’re just giving tickets away it’s the revenue more than anything that’s impacted.

 

The Pohlad’s deserve all of this and more. Here’s to hoping summer ticket sales are truly pathetic. 

[Sjoski]

Superstars like Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman gravitating to LA is as predictable as the tide.

Meanwhile, Minnesota is left scavenging the shore, picking through the garbage that washes up after a storm.

Austin Voth, washed up on the shore one morning, and finds himself pitching for the Twins vs LA on Tuesday night.

DFA'd before midnight.

The game was over before it started. 

 

[tony&rodney]

2 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

The Loons play in the sketchiest part of the whole city and their attendance has been stable. The Lynx play next door to the Twins at the same time of year and their attendance has been stable.

I agree with this.

Further, I just don't understand the take on Minneapolis or cities in general. However, I do not mean to denigrate, demean, or otherwise put down the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of others regarding how they view locations. I just don't understand it based on my experiences, which are plentiful. Other people may have had wildly different experiences which result in their takes.

[Sjoski]

11 minutes ago, theBOMisthebomb said:

I couldn't give away a ticket to the Joe vs. Sho game

Next time try including "Free Parking" and  "Free Beer".... they might at least think about going.

[NYCTK]

6 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

These are just counting numbers that show baseball is not a top choice for Minnesota fans.

You can't make that conclusion. The Pohlads have owned the franchise for over 40 years and been terrible stewards for most of those years. 

Don't blame the customer for not consuming a terrible product. I haven't spent a dime on this organization after the 2024 trade deadline and I probably won't until the Pohlads are gone. 

[strumdatjag]

I don’t understand Minnesotans who decide NOT to go to see baseball in April because of the weather.  Put on a jacket and it’s great weather for a ballgame.   In the Spring, there is hope.  By August, in many years, the Twins are out of the race.  
Yet,  those fans somehow prefer to attend games in 85 degree weather with 80% humidity.  They sit sweating next to their fellow perspiring fans.  Even attending in the nude wouldn’t help.  
Meanwhile, many fans routinely leave by the 8th inning, guaranteeing that they will miss the most exciting comebacks.   Why not just attend innings 3-9 if you only want to see 7 innings?  
And that’s my rant!!! 

[Linus]

This has been a long time in the making. The Twins have made numerous mistakes over the years that has slowly alienated their fan base. Perfect example is the TV mess. The Twins cut out a big section of their fan base to by opting for more money. This is how most fans follow the team - take that away and they go away. 
I have to been to two games this year as I don’t live in the Cities. I’ve found parking within a few blocks of the stadium for $7. I never felt unsafe walking to and from the stadium and law enforcement had a noticeable presence. The ticket folks and ushers are very nice and the ballpark is still very nice. Oh and the Twins lost both games I attended with bullpen blowing up in both. The FO has slowly degraded this organization to the point that we are going to have to get a little lucky to get out of this rut of mediocrity. 

[DJL44]

I would like to see Saints attendance numbers. They had nearly empty games when the weather was bad in April. I have been getting a lot more ticket offers from them in my email. The game I attended last Thursday was far from a sellout. 

[tony&rodney]

1 minute ago, NYCTK said:

You can't make that conclusion. The Pohlads have owned the franchise for over 40 years and been terrible stewards for most of those years. 

Don't blame the customer for not consuming a terrible product. I haven't spent a dime on this organization after the 2024 trade deadline and I probably won't until the Pohlads are gone. 

I'm not sure we are talking about the same thing.

My point is that winning is tied to attendance, viewership, and numbers of people listening on the radio. It seems fairly simple - Twins win a bunch, attendance goes up ......

Maybe I'm wrong. A poster said one could not give away a ticket to the Shohei-Joe game. That game was a sellout and scalpers made bank that night. I understand there are people who are angry at the Pohlads, but I'm not talking about them regarding attendance. I'm thinking most casual fans have no idea who owns the Twins. I don't follow the Vikings and don't know who owns them. I do know most of the minor leaguers for the Twins. 

Maybe a different way to look at it is if one conducted a poll in a public space (Mall of America or maybe at twenty five locations across the Midwest asking people to write down their top five choices of sports. Just riffing here.

In any event, my best guess is that if the Twins win games, their attendance will go up. This doesn't seem controversial or political .... at least it doesn't to me.

[Sjoski]

26 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

The Loons play in the sketchiest part of the whole city and their attendance has been stable. The Lynx play next door to the Twins at the same time of year and their attendance has been stable.

The math tells the story:

The Inventory Reality

The Minnesota Lynx: 20 home games \times ~19,000 capacity = 380,000 total tickets to sell per year.

Minnesota United (Loons): 17 home games \times ~19,500 capacity = 331,500 total tickets to sell per year.

The Minnesota Twins: 81 home games \times ~38,500 capacity = 3,118,500 total tickets to sell per year.

Comparing Twins to Lynx next door is classic "Apples to Oranges"... it's  not logical. 

 

 

[JBK]

I attended the game where Carl Pohlad signed the documents, buying the Twins in 1984.  The stadium was full and excited.  It was time.  Time for a change.  Everyone was tired of Calvin Griffth's cheap ways.  It was refreshing.  It's time again.  

[shimrod]

I have no inside knowledge of Twins finances, this comment is based on information I've read at TD.

Back before the Twins became the disaster they are now I recall seeing multiple posts on this site that discussed the owners philosophy on team budget. Budget plans included projected revenue  and spending was a percentage of the budgeted revenue. Revenue above projected was not retained or reinvested by the team. It was pocketed by ownership. 

Skimming off profits from good years removes the cushion a better managed team could use to maintain talent and build the team through down cycles. A revenue setback due to any reason (Covid and riots come to mind ) can start a downward spiral that will be difficult to turn around.

That said, in my opinion the failed negotiations that resulted in losing the local broadcast/cable television presence was a major factor. Out of sight, out of mind. When you have to actually spend the money to visit the park just to see a game it becomes really, really easy to stop caring.

 

[Patzky]

2 hours ago, Peter said:

Attendance will get better and crowds bigger!!! Last night was most important win of season as twins are must watch every game!!! Especially now as we are only 1.5 back of wild card and 4.5 back in division!!! It’s going to be intense action packed 2nd half!!! Buckle up!!! 

That may not be Ludacris but it is pretty incredulous. 

[Patzky]

14 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I would like to see Saints attendance numbers. They had nearly empty games when the weather was bad in April. I have been getting a lot more ticket offers from them in my email. The game I attended last Thursday was far from a sellout. 

There are only so many Entertainment dollars to go around, and inflation is making them even more precious. Specials, packages, deals.. and winning. That's the answer.

 

[Sjoski]

40 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

The Loons play in the sketchiest part of the whole city

Another "Apples to Oranges " comparison that fails with reality. 

● The Twins Fan Base:  relies heavily on suburban families pulling out of driveways from places like Lakeville, Woodbury, or Plymouth. They are looking for a classic, seamless, secure "family night out" experience.

vs

● The Loons Fan Base: Soccer clubs thrive on a younger, hyper-localized, urban demographic. 

I can only speak for myself.  I'm not risking a night downtown with my family when I can watch from home....but even watching from home is dropping off severely.