04/25/24
August 26, 2008
New Stadiums: Prices, and Outrage, Escalate : But even as fans of the Mets, the Yankees, the Giants and the Jets look forward to state-of-the-art stadium architecture, better sightlines, wider concourses and more bathrooms, some of them are also facing startling increases in ticket costs during a serious economic downturn.......The Giants Mara offered a blunt lesson in market-driven economics on WFAN radio this month. We have 130,000 people on our waiting list,-- he said. We could charge anything and still fill the stadium.--
posted by tommytrump to business and law at 09:35 AM - 18 comments
How can anyone afford to go to these games? We get the $5 tickets in the view section to see the Angels and bring our own food and drinks (and not only are we allowed to bring in our own sunscreen, they also give away sunscreen there in case you forget yours). It doesn't cost more than $50 for the 8 of us to go to the game. Do the Yankees or the Mets do anything like that?
posted by Monica Poland at 11:02 AM on August 26, 2008
Do the Yankees or the Mets do anything like that?
The Yankees don't have $5 tickets all the time but they do run a number of specials throughout the year. The sunscreen issue has been resolved. And we've always been able to bring in food from outside (don't know what's going to happen next year though.)
posted by goddam at 11:38 AM on August 26, 2008
Do the Yankees or the Mets do anything like that?
In the eighties, we could usually get Mets upper level seats for three bucks on game day.
Not to mention sneaking in a case (I kid you not) of Miller to share during the game. Bottles, no less. Not that we ever threw the bottles at anyone. As far as I can remember.
Ah, the good old days.
posted by cjets at 12:30 PM on August 26, 2008
The Giants have said they will charge from $1,000 to $20,000 a seat for their personal seat licenses; once fans buy the seat licenses, they will still have to pay from $85 to $700 a ticket.
These seats must be priced at a charitable rate. Dallas Cowboy seat licenses are $16,000 to $150,000 each for their new statium, and then $340 per game ticket. As a Dallas area resident but not a Cowboy fan, I only hope that they fail to sell out. But there probably are enough idiots willing to spend these enormous sums on what is essentially entertainment that they will sell out.
posted by graymatters at 12:50 PM on August 26, 2008
Why do teams keep the prices reasonably low when they have years long waitlists? Why not raise the prices until there isn't a waitlist?
posted by bperk at 02:19 PM on August 26, 2008
I have an idea, move to Indianapolis. Here we have a brand new state of the art Lucas Oil Stadium. No personal seat license. Our Owner Jim Irsay refused to allow the responsibility of the cost fall upon the fans. We have the best team in the NFL. Plenty of foreclosed homes thanks to President Bush. Happy to have you!
posted by idontknow at 03:00 PM on August 26, 2008
The Patriots have a season ticket waiting list in the tens of thousands, and they charge a several hundred dollar deposit just to get on the list. Once you get a chance at a ticket, the prices aren't exorbitant, although not exactly cheap.
While there are usually season tickets available without a waiting list for the Red Sox, the ticket prices at Fenway are very high. Even the cheapest upper bleacher seats go for better than 25$ a pop. While I'm not exactly a candidate for welfare, Fenway and Gillette are priced out of the market for me, even on a single-game basis. For one-tenth the price, I can get the best seat in the house at one of the 3 minor league parks within less than 30 minutes from my home.
I yearn for the good, old days, as cjets described them, when ticket prices were affordable for everyone. As a college student in the early '60s, I often cut an afternoon Electrical Engineering lab to walk over to Fenway. For not much more than a buck, we could get a bleacher seat and a beer, work on the tan, and enjoy the beauty of a warm day in May or early June. Heaven on earth! Of course, the Sox were not good in those days. I guess success spoils everything.
posted by Howard_T at 03:19 PM on August 26, 2008
Funny you should mention Lucas Oil Stadium, IDK. While it is, for the moment, the nicest facility, it also highlights a lot of things about new stadiums that aren't as nice for the long-time season ticket holders. You get a bit more leg and shoulder room, yes, but you end up paying a lot more and are farther from the field, even in the best seats. Also, even with the roof closed that place is as quiet as a tomb. No more RCA dome home field advantage on third down and 12th Man induced false starts. They'd have to actually pipe in the noise (as they were falsely accused of doing) to get it anywhere near as loud as it was before.
Of course, it was a preseason game. We'll have to see how it is next sunday. Other than the seats being much farther away and some correctable traffic flow issues though, it's really nice. I especially like the village-like atmosphere in the northern corners of the concourse.
posted by Bernreuther at 03:31 PM on August 26, 2008
You can afford to go though!
posted by idontknow at 04:20 PM on August 26, 2008
Times change things get more expensive, I think everyone understands that, but what the Giants in particular are doing is a crying shame. Seat increases come with the territory, but the institution of PSL's is a big giant f-u to their current ticket holders. A good portion of the patrons that fill that stadium are about to lose a piece of their family heritage. Tickets that have been in families for generations are going to find their themselves in new hands. Not the hands of fans who were there in 4-12 seasons. It happens, it's just sad. John Mara can make his own decisions, but it doesn't seem to match up with what his father had planned. Charge the corporations - Dear ExxonMobil, you want one of our nice new luxury boxes? They're $500,000 more now, you're picking up the tab for our fans.
posted by YukonGold at 08:08 PM on August 26, 2008
Makes me glad I broke down and finally got cable. No, I don't have the NFL Network, but I will still get to see a lot of games...from the comfort of my nice chair, ice cold beer at about $1.25 a bottle (MGD) snacks at bargain prices, a clean bathroom with no wait, and no goofs who stand up in front of me.
The stadium experience it great, but not when you have to take out a payday loan to have it.
BTW, I got a free Giants fleece jacket from SI when I renewed my subscription. That is all the $$$ they are gonna get from me.
posted by steelergirl at 10:49 PM on August 26, 2008
Ahh, the days of the $5 or less ticket at old Cleveland Municipal Stadium. I can't believe what he Tribe is charging now considering they're a losing team. Plus, the parking is just as outrageous. America's Past Time indeed.
posted by tuba110 at 11:13 PM on August 26, 2008
We get the $5 tickets in the view section to see the Angels
Not a bad seat in that stadium, either. I've sat all over and always had a good view. I could go without some of the Disney-esque pageantry, but the Big A is always a good value.
As for Lucas Oil Stadium, it raises an interesting issue. While the fans are not being squeezed by PSLs there, it's worth noting that the state of Indiana and city of Indianapolis ponied up north of $700 million to construct the stadium. In essence, the construction was paid for not just by the fans' taxes but by the taxes of everyone in the state. The Jets-Giants stadium is being built with private financing and PSLs. Doesn't it seem a bit more fair to levy the cost on the people who will actually flock to this stadium and claim the best tickets?
posted by Venicemenace at 09:45 AM on August 27, 2008
Tickets that have been in families for generations are going to find their themselves in new hands
In the interest of full disclosure, what you mean is, "The free seats I take advantage of may no longer be available to me," right?
posted by yerfatma at 04:35 PM on August 27, 2008
In the interest of full disclosure, what you mean is, "The free seats I take advantage of may no longer be available to me," right?
That's not always case. My friend knows someone whose family has had tickets since the Polo Grounds days. These tickets have been passed down through the generations. Now this guy has control of them. And over the years he has been able to work his way into some pretty good seats at the current stadium. Granted they're not cheap seats but it's something he can comfortably afford. Now he's faced with $20,000 PSLs per seat (he has 4 of them). It's not like he has 60 grand just laying around. So he may very well have to give up those seats that have been in his family for decades.
posted by goddam at 12:36 AM on August 28, 2008
I think everyone is missing the main point. As long as the owners are OVER- paying the players,they have to get that money from somewhere. We make our choice,either pay or stay home.I choose to pay. I have Pittsburgh season tickets.I paid $4000 PSL for 2 seats.My tickets this year $800 per seat.But again that's my choice!!!
posted by Doehead at 08:38 AM on August 28, 2008
I think the pirates are offering money to fans that want to go.
posted by Debo270 at 02:21 PM on August 28, 2008
The Giants Mara offered a blunt lesson in market-driven economics on WFAN radio this month. We have 130,000 people on our waiting list,-- he said. We could charge anything and still fill the stadium.
Mazel tov, but I won't be one of them. Not more than, say, once in a lifetime.