Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriguez in front of plenty of empty seats (Reuters)
Yankee Stadium attendance is down 3.6 percent so far this year — greater than the 3 percent drop last season — and the team is blaming StubHub for its gate woes.
“We believe there are serious issues with the StubHub relationship,” team president Randy Levine told The Post yesterday. “We are actively reviewing more fan-friendly alternatives for next year.”
The Bronx Bombers and other Major League Baseball teams have bellyached about StubHub for a couple of years — as more fans turn to the low-priced online reseller for tickets instead of buying directly from the team.
The Yanks and other teams claim tickets are priced too low on StubHub.
The StubHub effect this year — combined with a lousy economy and a poorer on-field performance — has produced an average crowd of 40,949 through 25 games, compared with 42,491 last year.
Season-ticket sales have dropped a few thousand, to the mid-30,000 range, the drop about the same amount that daily attendance is down, a source said.
Compared with last season’s total average attendance, the Yanks’ 25-game average is off 9 percent.
Overall, MLB attendance is up 7 percent. Much of that is due to the Miami Marlins moving into a new stadium.
Plus, the Yanks had been the first or second best-selling MLB team through their first three seasons in the new stadium. This year they are only the fifth best-selling team.
Levine said the team’s contract with StubHub expires at the end of the season.
The Mets’ attendance is down a similar 4 percent.