Page:America's National Game (1911).djvu/532

 is probably the most valuable plot in the major league circuits, the other fifteen clubs may be accepted as playing on real estate which is worth anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000. Some of it may be less valuable than $50,000, but, as population increases and the cities expand, it is noticeable that Base Ball values enhance as well as everything else.

The estimated attendance at the National League games in 1910 was 3,705,574. That at the American League games was 3,550,951. The total for both leagues was 7,256,665. Very likely there was not so large a paid attendance as the above figures would indicate, because where the attendance is made public by the authority of some of the club owners they are accustomed to give the paid attendance and the free attendance conjointly.

More spectators attend Base Ball games on passes than many imagine. It is a rather sad commentary on our municipal politics that history is filled with incidents where those in temporary authority have seemed to be impressed with the idea that Base Ball promoters were operating clubs for their benefit and for that of their friends. Were the names of those on the free lists in some of the large cities to be published, perhaps even the hardened conscience of the American voter might be shocked.

If we go on the basis of 6,000,000 paid admissions to major league games, which is a liberal estimate, and figure that the average admission was thirty-three and one-third cents per spectator, which is also fair, we find that the gate receipts of the major leagues in 1910 were about $2,000,000.