On SaveDisney.com Cam Miller provides a lengthy detailed retrospective on Disney’s short lived ownership of the Anaheim Angels, the reasons Eisner bought in, and the reasons Eisner wanted out in the end.
One of Mr. Eisner’s goals was to increase attendance at Disneyland via the Angels games. If the attendance figures from 1996-2001 were any indication, this goal was clearly not realized. Attendance at Disneyland dropped by almost three million people during that time span.
While Cam Miller makes many great points, it’s important to note that 1996 was the year of the largest attendence ever at Disneyland due to the ‘Glowing Away Forever’ promotion associated with the unplugging of the Main Street Electrical Parade. (Of course, we didn’t manage to get rid of that parade, but that’s a post for another day.) It’s unlikely that even owning a championship team in 1997 would have increased Disneyland’s attendance the next year.