Baseball chief says attendance not as bad as feared

By Ben Klayman

NEW YORK, MAY 21 (Reuters) - Major League Baseball's commissioner said he was encouraged that attendance had not declined as much as league officials had feared, but said over the rest of the season fans could cut back on tickets and stadium food.

"It's May 21, it's early. We've had horrendous weather ... but I'm encouraged at least by the attendance so far," Bud Selig said at a press conference after a meeting of the sport's owners in New York.

"The clubs have been very aggressive in promotion ... very aggressive in ticketing."

Through Sunday, MLB's regular-season attendance was down almost 4.5 percent, but that included both New York clubs, which moved into new, smaller ballparks this year.

Baseball officials, who froze 2009 league budgets, said before the season that attendance might fall as much as 10 percent from last year's 78.6 million, while league revenue could finish flat compared with a record $6.5 billion in 2008. Selig declined to project 2009 revenue, but added he was also encouraged on that score.

The recession has hurt all U.S. sports leagues as consumers and companies cut spending on tickets, concessions and sponsorships.

Selig reiterated that the U.S. economy is in its worst shape since the Great Depression. "It's stunning," he said. "Every day, you read and hear things that we haven't heard before."

Two-thirds of the baseball teams responded to the slowdown by maintaining or cutting ticket prices before or during the season, and last month the New York Yankees were forced to slash the prices on many of its premium tickets at its new $1.5 billion ballpark to fill empty seats.