Phillies Could Become Big Draw Again with World Series Win

When the Philadelphia Phillies take the field in the first game of the World Series against the Houston Astros on Friday, they’ll have a lot more than glory at stake.

The Phillies’ attendance has fluctuated wildly since their last World Series win in 2008 — and so has their on-field performance.

• The four seasons following their championship were the Phillies’ best attended, drawing 3.6 million to 3.8 million in each.
• The team posted a losing record every season from 2013 to 2018, which corresponded to an attendance drop of more than 500,000 fans each season from 2013 to 2015.
• Attendance lingered below 2 million from 2015 to 2017. The team drew 2.3 million fans this season.

Despite the wobbles in performance, the team’s value rose steadily each year from 2017 ($1.65 billion) to the present ($2.3 billion).

The Phillies set a record for merchandise sales among pennant winners in the 24 hours following the team’s pennant win.

Steady ’Stros

The Astros hit a 13-year attendance peak following their 2017 World Series win, when the team drew just under 3 million fans. They also reached the World Series in 2019 and 2021.

The Astros’ 2017 win was called into question after they were found to be cheating. MLB fined them $5 million, removed draft picks, and suspended executives.

Houston’s value saw a similarly steady climb since 2017 ($1.45 billion) to this year’s $1.98 billion, with the largest leap coming after its World Series win.