The official culprit last season was the weather, which Major League Baseball cited as a big reason for a 4 percent slide in attendance over the previous year.
This season? Well, attendance is down once again — only this time there are new excuses.
Commissioner Rob Manfred blames increased competition for the entertainment dollar, which he says has led to a decline in season ticket sales in some markets. The players' union, meanwhile, says fans simply won't come out to watch bad teams that aren't trying hard enough to get better.
Take your pick, but here's a third possibility: Baseball is becoming hard to watch, and fans are registering their displeasure by staying home in increasing numbers.