NYC alone has double the population of all of metro-Detroit, and although it has the competing Mets in the NL, the NYY can easily fill their newer Yankee stadium b/c of their higher average incomes and more of wealthy denizens. Detroit the city once had the highest per-capita incomes in the 50s, but that was long ago, and before imports competed for their main market of mfg automobiles and parts.
NYC also has far, far more pedestrian traffic, as well as many taxis and their subway system. metro-Detroiters w/o personal transportation have only a couple taxicab services left, maybe Uber available (not much help if only going grocery shopping for half an hour or so), and the SMART bus public transport, and most stops are not shielded from the elements, nor anywhere to warm up or sit while waiting. I used to take the DSR bus in Detroit to work and back year round until I could afford to buy a used car, and standing in the snow and often wind in early mornings and early evenings in winter @ a stop....sucked bigtime.
