Based on statistical data of attendance at games, the BBWAA voters may believe they are justified to deny such considerations.

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This is only the third time since that year that the BBWAA did not elect a candidate (it happened in 1971 and 1996).

WSJ: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens Kept Out of Baseball Hall of Fame: Voters Pitch a Shutout

About 600 people are eligible to vote in the BBWAA election, all members of the organization for 10 consecutive years at any point.

NPR: Judgment Day For Bonds, Clemens, Sosa At Hall

"While the BBWAA does the actual voting, it only does so at the request of the Hall of Fame, " said the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin, the organization's past president.

NPR: Judgment Day For Bonds, Clemens, Sosa At Hall

Further, it may be proof that the integrity of the game of baseball is more important to the BBWAA voters (and possibly fans) than the shattering of a few individual records.

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Several players who fell just short in the BBWAA balloting later were elected by either the Veterans Committee or Old-Timers' Committee: Nellie Fox (74.7 percent on the 1985 BBWAA ballot), Jim Bunning (74.2 percent in 1988), Orlando Cepeda (73.6 percent in 1994) and Frank Chance (72.5 percent in 1945).

NPR: Judgment Day For Bonds, Clemens, Sosa At Hall

The applicable question is as follows: While BBWAA voters denied all of the aforementioned candidates from entrance into the Hall of Fame yesterday, did said voters err in not considering the fact that the players potentially enticed fans to pay attention to the game, which had an effect of generating increased revenue for the league?

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