Question posed by Judge Landis

[doug.goodman]

Average MLB game attendance peaked in 2007

[Chris-Counts]

I believe baseball's greatest era came in 1945-49. There was never a time where baseball was more popular than during the waning days of WWII, and during the next few years. Attendance starts going crazy in late 1945. The war had just ended, and soldiers were coming home in large numbers. Night games were suddenly the rage. MLB attendance in 1945 hit 10 million for the first time, and doubled to 20 million in three years. Baseball Reference lists 70 different professional leagues that operated in 1947 — compare that to today. There was minor league baseball in literally hundreds of cities and towns across the country. In 1950, TV comes out, and it's another 12 years before MLB has 20 million fans, and expansion is needed to make it happen. Also, Cuban baseball and women's baseball thrived like never before or since. On a relative level, baseball's true Golden Age happens right after WWII — there was never a time when a greater percentage of the population was fixated on the game.

Since ever thread needs a photo ...

[Econteachert205]

1955. Not a dodgers fan but the local caring/ local players/ loyalty began to decline after the west coast expansion.

[BioCRN]

The game peaked in 1874.

After that, the weak new younger players started using gloves.

What's next? No more outs in foul ground on one bounce? Well, of course.

I don't even recognize the game after that era. I wouldn't mind going back and taking a train into the city to see my favorite players before they died of tuberculosis in their mid-30s.

[mortimer brewster]

When Roger Maris broke the single season home run record in 1961 there were 23,000 fans in attendance in a stadium that holds 67,000. It was a Sunday afternoon. Fans were probably more interested in watching NFL (and AFL) football on TV. The day before only 19,000 fans showed up. Big college football day.

[doug.goodman]

THAT is a spectacular photo Chris!

[Hankphenom]

Are we making a distinction, and what's it looking like in other continents?

[Casey2296]

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I would say 1907-1929. And a card.
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[JollyElm]

Shout out to the 1969 Miracle Mets!!

National League baseball in New York finally came home for good.

[jingram058]

Money corrupts everything. MLB baseball is, like every other business, all about and only about money. Pick any iconic moment in baseball history before money ruined it. It almost all came crashing down way back in 1919 with The Black Sox and fixing the World Series, but Babe Ruth came along and single-handedly saved the game. So no, I disagree with Judge Landis with the Senators winning in 1924 as the apex.