Excluding the new stadiums in New York, which are smaller than their old versions, the average crowd at a baseball game this April was just 287 customers smaller than the average game last April; even with one fewer weekend to draw from. "Quite frankly, it's too early to draw any definitive conclusions," said Bud Selig. "But we have to be encouraged -- in fact, very encouraged -- by what we've seen over the first 3? weeks." "The national pastime has survived recessions, depressions, scandals and wars," one agent told ESPN. "In many ways and for many reasons, the game is indeed recession-proof. The commissioner knew, or should have known, that the MLB Network, MLB.com, the national TV package and season-ticket sales, etc., guaranteed that the revenues in the industry in 2009 would at least be comparable to the $6.6 billion in revenues generated in 2008. He overdramatized the potential financial losses so as to limit and to artificially control spending on free agency."