Some clubs lost money, Selig says

CHICAGO – Some teams lost money in 2009, baseball commissioner Bud Selig said Thursday after the final owners meeting of the year.

“There was no question about that,” Selig said. “I don’t think the concerns have been ameliorated at all. I think the concerns are still there because all these people have their own economists.”

Selig said figures for this year were being calculated and everyone was living in the most difficult economic times since the Great Depression. He declined to identify the teams.

“I think of all the heartache that’s in the world,” Selig said. “We live in this environment. We don’t live in a bubble. And so, I think the clubs in some areas have been hit a lot harder than others.”

Major League Baseball’s average attendance dropped 6.7 percent last season from an average of 32,528 in 2008 to an average of 30,350. Total attendance of 73.4 million was baseball’s fifth-highest.

“Given the economy, the fact that we drew 73.5 million people is a testament to this sport’s popularity and everything that has been done is remarkable,” Selig said.

With the free-agent market set to open Friday, teams and agents are uncertain whether the economy will impact salaries.

“Revenues as a whole were flat at best, and I think there’s still a lot of people, and obviously we’re still focused on our fans, that are still struggling,” Angels owner Arturo Moreno said.