📉 Withering MLB attendance

Ohioans are not coming out to watch the national pastime as much as they have in past seasons, Axios' Jeff Tracy reports.

The big picture: Attendance is down for most MLB teams compared to 2019 and especially so for the Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds.

State of play: Cleveland, which has recorded below-average attendance figures for years, can place some of the blame on typically poor spring weather.

• Constant rainouts means the team has played the fewest home games in the league so far this season.
• Cincinnati's woes have been on the field — a 3-22 record to open the season led to controversial comments from team president Phil Castellini, who asked fans, "Well, where are you gonna go?" He later apologized, but some fans have stayed home on purpose.

💭 Our thought bubble: Both of us fondly remember Cleveland's streak of 455 consecutive sellouts and the raucous Great American Ball Park crowds during the Brandon Phillips, Todd Frazier and Jay Bruce years.

• Ohio has a great baseball tradition, and things are best when the stadiums are packed. We hope it returns that way sooner than later.