It was once said that, “Every baseball crowd, like every theatre audience, has its own distinctive attitude and atmosphere.”

While Safeco Field is held in high regard by Northwest natives, there’s little denying that its atmosphere and its attitude has eroded since its hopeful beginnings.

That’s not to say that there isn’t the occasional barn burner at Occidental Avenue. We’ve had a few over the years. Safeco can, and will, get rocking, especially when that beautiful roof envelops those true to the blue.

But for fans lucky enough to remember games in the early 2000s, the average atmosphere at Safeco is nowhere near what it used to be. That’s not looking through rose-tinted glasses either. Examine our descent in attendance ranking over the years and try not to feel a pang of despondency:

2001: 1st

2002: 1st

2003: 2nd

2004: 10th

2005: 12th

2006: 15th

2007: 16th

2008: 20th

2009: 18th

2010: 19th

2011: 23rd

2012: 26th

2013: 25th

2014: 23rd

2015: 21st

2016: 19th

That’s tough to look at. But it’s ok, we got through it together. In fact, look! The Mariners faithful have actually increased their turnout every year since 2012. Thanks Dustin Ackley!

Maybe that spine-tingling, beautiful noise which 47,476 fans can bring is coming back. After all, more than 2,200,000 fans entered Safeco last year — the most since 2007, when they finished 2nd in the AL West.

The time for a turn-around in our attendance and attitude seems like it could occur in 2017. As our fearless GM Jerry Dipoto let us know in November, “We’re in our window now. There is no five-year plan.”

Any true M’s fan will hear statements like this and react with cynicism. Yet, if we’re being honest (or dare I say, optimistic) all trends point to bigger fan turnout in the 2017 season. And that hunch goes beyond mere roster improvements or rah-rah lines from a GM.

In the last year, Seattle’s median household incomes have increased by nearly $10,000. That is amazing. It’s the single biggest increase among America’s fifty most populous cities. And those income gains extend beyond Seattle: “income growth also was strong in many suburbs” including “Kirkland, Federal Way, Auburn and Kent” which all saw increases “in excess of $4,000.”

That’s not only great news for our local economy, it’s also welcome news for Mariners attendance levels.

The organization’s commitment to winning now (shown through Dipoto’s rabid trading habits) and the general improvement of attendance since 2012 signals good things for M’s fans. Couple that with more money in local pockets, and you have a recipe for regaining the fabled atmosphere and attitude of the Seattle Mariners.

Who among us can resist such a calling?