Say It Ain’t So!
Posted by
KTK
America’s Pastime just isn’t what it used to be.
I went to my first Yankees game in a long time last night. Ticket prices have gotten so outrageous that I go to the local single-A minor-league games a lot more often than major league games - who can afford it? There’s less stupid commericalism and intrusive lights and signs and such in the minor-league parks as well. But somebody at work kindly donated some tickets they couldn’t use, and I was lucky enough to get them, so I rounded up a few friends and we took ourselves out to the ballgame. A series of shocks ensued:
I happened to glance at the face value printed on the ducats. Four tickets for decent but not spectacular seats in the mezzanine balcony were, together, over $250! Who goes to ballgames at these prices?!
Next: the season is getting too long. I know they’ve extended the post-season. I don’t know if they’ve pushed Opening Day back very far, but it’s pretty damn early. It was unbelievably cold at Yankee Stadium. In the 8th inning, it started to snow!
And: the games are too long. This one - a sloppy, high-scoring early-season game played in the cold - ran just minutes shy of four hours. It wasn’t long ago that they were complaining about three-hour games. It’s getting out of hand.
I know I’m not the first to mention either the extended season or the slow play, but . . . really. I’m sitting there last night watching them play baseball at 11 o’clock at night, in the snow! Although, technically, the season starts in the spring and ends in the fall, in terms of weather it essentially starts in winter and ends in winter. That just isn’t baseball.
And, finally, in one of the worst major-league games I’ve ever seen, I had to watch the Yanks get cleaned by the worst team in their division. It was ugly.
But through it all, it was still fun. There’s something wonderful about the game. No matter what they do to it, they can’t take that away.
Watching the Yankees game on my laptop, about $0.25
Drinking a beer from my refrig, about $0.75
Eating a hotdog from my grill, about $0.40
Seeing the Yankees bumble their way to a 7 - 6 loss to the D-rays, priceless.
Comment 4/6/2007
You aren’t kidding. In 1998, I could get bleacher seats at County Stadium in Milwaukee for $4 each. Two years ago, slightly-less-good bleacher seats were $10 each. Last year, they were $15 each. This year, $16 each, four times as much as they were just nine years ago. And for “premium games,” they’re $20 each. All of this is to see The Brewers, a team that hasn’t had a winning season in over fifteen years, and hasn’t made the playoffs in a quarter century.
But if you think your ticket prices are ridiculous, have a look at The Cardinals’ ticket prices. They charge $13 for standing room only, and the cheapest lower-level seats (corner of the outfield) are $38. Seats at the top of the upper deck in the outfield are $13 each. And forget it if you want good seats: infield seats at the top of the lower deck are $85 each; middle deck are $59 each; and upper deck (nosebleed) infield seats start at $27. For “premium” games (weekends, against marquee teams or division rivals, etc.), add $5-$10 per ticket.
Some comparisons:
TOP ROW OF LOWER DECK, INFIELD:
Brewers: $42
White Sox: $50
Yankees: $66
Cardinals: $85
CLUB LEVEL, INFIELD:
Brewers: $36
White Sox: $50
Yankees: $73
Cardinals: $59
UPPER DECK, INFIELD:
Brewers: $18
White Sox: $23
Yankees: $60
Cardinals: $31
BOTTOM OF UPPER DECK, OUTFIELD:
Brewers: $18
White Sox: $16
Yankees: $40
Cardinals: $32
CHEAPEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE:
Brewers: $5, Bernie’s Terrace*
White Sox: $16, Upper Reserved
Yankees: $12, Bleachers
Cardinals: $13, Outfield Terrace
*The Brewers also have obstructed-view “Uecker Seats” for $2, sold day-of-game only.
OK, so in most cases, the Yankees are actually even worse than the Cardinals. But then, they do have the most popular team in baseball…
Bottom line is, the Brewers are by far and away the worst of these four teams, historically speaking, and they’re too expensive.
Now imagine trying to take a family of four to a ball game. In Milwaukee, four nosebleed seats for $20, four hot dogs for about $14, and for sodas for about $12, plus $10 for parking, brings your total to $56 — not bad, if you don’t mind sitting in the stratosphere. Try the same thing in Chicago, and your total climbs to around $105, for the cheapest seats in the house.
Prices are out of hand, no doubt about it.
Comment 4/6/2007
I haven’t really been paying attention - when did they start this “premium game” crap? You have to pay more to see particular teams?
Forget it - the Mets’ single-A farm club plays at Coney Island, four subway stops from my apartment. For about $40 I can see a ballgame, eat a real Nathan’s hot dog from the actual Nathan’s hot dog stand, go to the burlesque show, ride the roller coaster, and get home by 11:30. Hell of a time.
Comment 4/6/2007