Game attendance fell 40%, player salaries fell 25%, and almost every team lost money at some point during the Great Depression. (Belson, 2009) When you look at the numbers, it appears that the Great Depression had a huge impact on baseball. However, what hurt baseball the most was that owners and league presidents believed that baseball attendance would not be affected by the Depression. Since they felt that baseball would not be greatly affected by the Great Depression, they began to adjust the game by changing the rules regarding home runs and the composition of baseballs. By making these adjustments, there have been fewer big hits, which tends to draw crowds. Even in modern society, hard hitters are valued more highly than an individual who can make a great catch. Back in the days of the Great Depression, people wanted to see Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and many others achieve these powerful hits, but by changing the rules, those numbers wouldn't be as high. Then the addition of a 10% entertainment tax also made it harder for individuals to attend games during tough economic times.