■ TEAMS (FIRST SEASON): Class AA Reading Fightin Phils (1963), ECHL Reading Royals (2001)
■ VENUES (YEAR OPENED): FirstEnergy Stadium (1951), Santander Arena (2001)
Only seven markets have a higher tenure score than Reading, and it was one of the top markets when attendance during the measurement period (just over 5 million) was indexed against its population (440,000) and per-capita income ($65,700). Overall, the teams filled 67% of their total available seats, a jump of 10 percentage points over our 2019 study.
The Fightin Phils are one of minor league baseball’s most consistent draws, and the team is on pace to average more than 5,900 fans this season, matching its average of the 721 games played over the past decade.
Both of the market’s clubs are affiliates of a major league team in Philadelphia, located 90 minutes to the southeast: the Phillies since 1967 (the longest such relationship in baseball) and the Flyers since 2014.
The market’s ranking was boosted by a $45 million ballpark renovation in 2024 and a $3 million upgrade that wrapped up at the arena in 2023.
This is the fourth time Reading has been ranked in the top 10. However, for the market to retain its high ranking, the Royals will need to reverse their three consecutive year-over-year declines in attendance.