It used to be this...
Yanks used to have...
Posted on 06/22/2008 2:44:59 PM PDT by SamAdams76
For Father's Day last week, my oldest son got me tickets for yesterday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals (in which the Red Sox got trounced 9-3). Despite the loss, it was a good day and the seats were fantastic (just about 15 rows behind the Red Sox dugout).
However, I am in shock over the amount of money that we ended up spending. I will list it out for you here and I promise that I am not exaggerating:
Tickets - $148 each ($296 total)
Parking - $35
Four beers at $7.50 each ($30 total)
Four hotdogs at $7 each ($28 total)
Cup of ice cream $4
Two lemonades at $5 each ($10 total)
Two ballcaps at souvenier shop $30 each ($60 total)
One Red Sox jersey at souvenier shop for $75
Dinner after the game $94 (including tip)
Total expenditure for day = $632
That just blows my mind.
I should qualify the ticket price by saying that the face value of the tickets were only $90 each but because Fenway Park has been sold out for two years, my son had to get the tickets through a reseller. Also, because my son spent so much on the tickets, I figured I ought to at least buy him dinner after the game and a couple souveniers.
I hadn't been to a Red Sox game in years and will likely never go to one again unless somebody buys me tickets!
When I was a boy, and that wasn't too long ago (1970s), I used to go to Fenway Park on a regular basis on my newspaper route money. I would take the subway to Kenmore Square (50 cents), get a bleacher ticket ($1.75) and pay fifty cents for a grandstand pass where I could sit in any vacant seat I could find (and there were plenty of them in those days). Hot dogs were 50 cents and beers were $1.00 and if you had any kind of a mustache (I started growing one when I was 15), they didn't give you any hassle if you wanted to buy one. Yesterday, I had to show my ID to buy a beer even though I am only a few years away from being 50.
Fenway Park is minting money!
I guess I can't complain because nobody is twisting my arm to go to ballgames and if they can get that kind of money, all the power to them. I wouldn't be surprised to see people paying over $1,000 a ticket to see a regular season ballgame within the next few years. There seems to be a lot of people around here that can easily afford it.
I have to ask - was the beer Sam Adams? :O)
The greed of Big Sports is amazing. Maybe they can loan the oil companies money for offshore drilling!
Or Congress can propose a windfall profits tax on them.
I used to go to 30 Cardinal home games a year till the first strike year, and prices weren’t a problem. When the new Busch Stadium opened I took the family (total of 4) to a Cardinal-Cub game there. For the day’s entertainment, I dropped $500 and thought I had raced through money.
Even if expensive, I’ve always thought even a bad day at the ball park beats a good day at work.
Will they offer “scholarship” tickets to the disadvantaged, like Harvard does?
No public taxpayer money to subsidize rich sports teams!
There's one mistake....the Fenway and Kenmore T stations are within easy walking distance of the park.And if you know Brookline at all you'd know that there are parts of the town that are within easy walking distance of Fenway where you can park for free on a Sunday.
Blows my mind too!
Cheaper to watch it on TV. Better viewing. NO loud people. Serve whatever beverages and eat what you like. No one barfing on you or near you. No LOUD obnoxious people to “tolerate”. No traffic jams leaving.
Need I go on?
One more thing, why throw top dollar at BAD ROLE models for kids?
So THAT’S why you guys always overrun Baltimore when the Red Sox play the Orioles!
Very expensive, but you really cannot include the souveneirs and dinner in your calculations
My friend took me to a big name concert in 2005—she spent well over $300 for our two tickets and those definitely weren’t the most expensive. I can remember paying $15/$20 for a big name concert and between $5 and $10 for the lesser known bands. The concert was way too loud for me—sickening loud. It wasn’t an enjoyable experience at all. I only went because she needed a buddy to go with. I have to say, even if I liked sports, I would never spend that much to see a game. Anymore you have to have money to see these kind of things. Even something like the circus or an amusement park is too expensive.
Still more than $400. Ouch.
That is true and in years past, I would take the MBTA to the game or park further away but we were pressed for time yesterday as my son didn’t get out of work until 2PM so we had to drive straight into town to make the 4PM start.
Plus it is very refreshing to see young men who really want to be out there playing.
Wow.
I lived on Boylston Street in the mid-70’s and used to walk over to Fenway for games all the time! I usually got the same $1.75 tickets you did- but now and again I’d pay $5 and live it up.
I’m just shaking my head at the cost of an evening at Fenway now. It’s not a happy thought that little boys (and girls like me who love baseball) would no longer be able to save their allowance for a couple of weeks and go to a game..
Well I threw them in there because we certainly would not have gone to the souvenir shop if we weren't already at the game. And after those hotdogs and watered down beer, we had to get some real grub in our bellies before making the long drive back home!
I can agree with that.
The last time I went to a baseball game, I paid $8 for tickets and brought a picnic. And they served free cake! Obviously not MLB! :)
Aside from the kid factor, I’d prefer to watch a game from home with some grilled steaks, my own (bottomless) cheap drinks, volume control, climate control, a private bathroom, and a comfortable chair. Especially if doing otherwise is going to set me back hundreds of dollars.
” Very expensive, but you really cannot include the souveneirs and dinner in your calculations
“
Right . Reg. price $ 90 tickets x 2 = $ 180 . $ 30 for beers and $ 28 for hotdogs . You could have skipped the lemonade and ice cream and has been said parked free somewhere else . Total $ 238 . I think THAT is outrageous !
I know people that go out of their way to drive to Baltimore for Red Sox games. They tell me that it is actually cheaper even with hotels and gas factored in. Not to mention that Camden Yards is a great place to see a game. Fenway Park for all it's nostalgia is probably the worst place in the majors to see a game. The seats are tiny and about 40% of them have some kind of obstructed view.
For most of the same reasons, there is a regular contingent of fans who drive out to Buffalo once a year to see the Patriots play. Works out much cheaper for them and for many, it is the only Patriots game of the season they actually go to.
From $ 7.50 to $ 250 in 28 years !
Top ticket price for a box seat at Yankee Stadium. All seats in this area sold as parts of season tickets in recent seasons, and listed price includes discount for season ticket holders.
2008 $250
2007 $150
2006 $110
2005 $ 90
2004 $ 80
2003 $ 72
2002 $ 62
2001 $ 62
2000 $ 55
1999 $ 50
1998 $ 45
1997 $ 35
1996 $ 25
1995 $ 25
1994 $ 17
1993 $ 16
1992 $ 14.50
1991 $ 12.50
1990 $ 12
1989 $ 12
1988 $ 11
1987 $ 10
1986 $ 9.75
1985 $ 9.75
1984 $ 9
1983 $ 9
1982 $ 8.50
1981 $ 7.50
1980 $ 7.50
It’s the price of having a small ballpark and a massive payroll.
In 1996, I paid $20 for roof box seats behind third base. At that time, the cabbie who drove us from the airport to our hotel was ranting against the ticket prices at Fenway.
Baseball tickets are still cheap compared to other sports. Comparable NBA seats would have a face value well over the price your son paid at a ticket broker.
Right now, I pay $27/seat for my season tickets in Milwaukee. They allow food and drink carry-ins, so the total cost for a game is $64 with parking. (I have a moral objection to $7 beer, so carry-in Pepsi is sufficient.)
Baseball is seeing record attendance, so they are pricing the tickets at or below the market rate. There are still plenty of games on TV.
When I saw the headline, my first reaction was, “How did he get tickets?”
We don’t even try any more.
Back in the 1950’s, bleacher seats were 65 cents.
My wife & I were married in 1967...the year of the “Impossible Dream.” That was those darn Cardinals again. 2004 was sweet revenge, when the Sox swept them in 4 straight.
I’m stringing this out so that the Sox can win today’s game - it’s tied in the 11th right now.
Want to see how times have changed? Look up the attendance for Ted Williams’ final home appearance; something like 8800. He hit a home run in his last at bat, I think.
On to the twelfth inning...
We went to Greeley Stampede Days here in Colorado a few years back so the kids could ride some rides. We hadn't planned it out too well and we all really needed something to drink. I think maybe we had drinks and food in the car but of course you couldn't bring them in. So I broke down and bought what I thought was a big lemonade for $8 for all of us to share--it came in a "big" reusable cup. Well the cup was insulated so the insides were A LOT smaller than what it looked like at first glance and the "lemonade" where the lemons were supposed to be so fresh that you would want to smack them, was actually sugar water with a piece of lemon thrown on top. I was so damn mad. I'm still mad.
Tickets ($8-90.00) (You can get great seats for $40.00
Parking $8.00
Beer $6.50
Hot Dogs $4.00 32oz Soda $4.50 For $50.00 a person you can have a great time. I cringe at what Yankee prices must be
Been to one ballgame in my life. Pop & I saw the Washington Senators play the N.Y. Yankees at Griffith Stadium in D.C. 1961(?)
Have bragged ever since about seeing both Mantle and Maris hit home runs that night.
Ahh the memories.
And people willingly pay this much for the abuse?
I love to recall when someone suggested giving all the Iranian Embassy hostages season passes to some baseball club. Some wag asked: "Haven't they suffered enough?"
1961.Candlestick Park.Bleacher seats Fifty Cents!
1966-1967-typical concert would be The Doors,Jefferson Airplane and Big Brother w/Janis Joplin each doing TWO hour long sets for the grand total of THREE dollars.
Those days are gone forever.
Might I recommend the Pawtucket Red Sox? The Sox AAA farm team plays right at the Mass/RI border off I-95 and I always enjoyed the games there.
Free parking, $2.50 hot dogs, $10 for primo club seats.
No, it isn’t Fenway. But the guys play aggressively and usually put on a good game.
Give it at least one try, you might like it.
a 75% drop in gate oughta help.
There's the source of the problem. There was an article on here yesterday about how the middle class has moved out of San Francisco because it's too expensive and the very wealthy are taking their place. It's the same in a lot of cities.
I used to go to at least 5 games a year, now I'm lucky if I go to 1. I can't remember the last game I went to, not this year for sure.
I'm tired of the drunks, the jerks, the high prices for bad food, the parking, the traffic, the hastle. You certainly can't go to a ballpark anymore and root for the away team without risking a confrontation. I remember going to Philly games and rooting for the Mets, and the Philly fans would participate in good-natured ribbing and dialogue. Now they threaten your life.
High Def TV is almost as good as being there anyway.
That reminds me, I forgot to mention above that I paid $2 for a scorebook at Fenway yesterday. Turns out that the one item that gave me the most utility yesterday was the cheapest thing that I bought!
I’ve been to see the PawSox a few times but I’m a lot closer to the Lowell Spinners (”AA”) and they put on a great show as well. $3 parking, $4 beers and tickets run about $7-10.
And you were seeing some helleva ballplayers too...weren’t you? ;^)
To get ticket prices back to Earth, organized sports needs to have the owners realize they have a oligopsony--few buyers, many sellers. The owners need to get together and agree that the most paid to any single player is X dollars in compensation (including non-dollar perks), and a team can only have Y players. From player interviews in most major sports, the next best alternative for a good number of them is flipping burgers somewhere. So pick a number (i.e., $75,000) and make that the cap. Some might choose to play in Europe or elsewhere, but I doubt it.
Antitrust issues? I doubt that, too. The Maritime Association negotiates all contracts for all shipping companies with the dock workers and there's no antitrust issues. The TV broadcasters should do the same thing, too, thus lowering their costs.
Perhaps ticket prices could fall as a result, as well as taxes. Here in Indy, you have to pay a tax for the Colts stadium even if you don't take an interest in football. While I love watching the Colts, I think using taxes to fund private sports is simply wrong.
According to Eddie Andelman (remember him?), “...players salaries have nothing to do with ticket prices.”
I wonder if he still makes that claim?
Hey, the good old days were always better. The first time I went to Las Vegas in 1965, we stayed at one of Howard Hugh’s properties for $6.50 a night. The desk clerk gave everybody a roll of chips worth 10 bucks at check in. My roommate actually cashed them in without gambling.
Of course back then, drinks were comp’d and you could always wrangle a free meal. The Mafia knew how to run a business better than the current crop of MBA’s.
I just found ticket stubs to the last MLB baseball game I attended - METS versus CINCINATTI . Tom Seaver’s first game pitching against his former Mets teammates August 21st , 1977 . The SEASON ticket price was $ 350 ! Box 72C Seat 4 . That works out to around $ 4 and change a game !
It used to be this...
Yanks used to have...
Seriously... it is just a stupid game, it is your expectation that there is something magical about watching a baseball game live and spending that kind of money like it will yield some important memory.
Please disregard the paragraph below as it will probably offend you, not my intent but my opinion.
Fan loyalty is a myth, the owners dont give a crap if you are loyal, marketing guys care more. People believe whatever team they like is “their team”, it is not. Your passion or hope has no bearing on whether they win or lose, it is just a contrived fantasy perpetuated by people that do not have anything more important in their life than to memorize stats of people they do not know personally for a game that is without importance.
Your money would be better spent on an entire weekend with your son in a shared active experience.
Just my opinion, worthless to anyone else.
I am a lifelong Yankee fan who lives a long way from Fenway and just as far from Yankee stadium. I read your post with great interest. I always knew it was very expensive to sit in the stands and watch a game, but I appreciate that you broke it down and let me understand just how expensive it was. Since the Yankee game is over, I am now watching the Sox trying to beat the Cards in the 12th and now the 13th.
Daughter and boyfriend are going to the Cubs game tonight at Wrigley field...BLEACHER seats listing for $40, they paid $140 thru stubhub.com.
We go to about 6-8 Cubs games a year, make one trip a double header and stay overnight at the Hilton on Mich Ave.
It’s the cost of entertainment and just a bit o’greed on the part of MLB.
Wife was in Denver last week and paid....$4.00 to sit in the wheelchair area at Coor’s Stadium...
Amazing isn’t it???
Watching the RedSox and Cards now, tied in the 12th @ 3 each..don’t the RedSox fans know how to get up and cheer? They had the bases loaded with 1 out and it was quiet as a church at Fenway???!!!!
I took my uncle to see two Red Sox games this May. They were mid-week games. We had tickets to the one game, which I had bought on Ebay at a considerable markup, around $100 per ticket I think. The other game, we didn’t have tickets. We just walked around the stadium, found the “no-scalp” zone. As it was a mid-week game against someone other than the Yankees (Blue Jays), there was about 10 people there giving away their tickets. We got $40 tickets for $20 each. No more Ebay for me, if I ever go to another Red Sox game!
Of course you went to a Saturday game against an interleague opponent, that’s a much tougher ticket. Those seats sure are small, aren’t they?
I was 17 and hitch-hiked with a friend to the Woodstock Festival in 1969 . $ 20 for the 3 days !
Tickets were $ 20 for the 3 days which we ordered in advance . Ended up not needing them as it became a free concert .
Boston has a true capitalist situation with the Red Sox and Fenway Park.
There was no taxpayer money spent on the ballpark, unless there is some bond issue from 1913 that I’m unaware of. Incidentally, the Massachusetts legislature told the New England Patriots to take a hike if they wanted taxpayer dough for a new football stadium. So Massachusetts is doing at least one thing right.
As far as ticket prices go, they can afford to charge whatever the market will bear. They’ve been selling out since Christ was a Corporal (Hyperbole ALERT). More power to them.
But it does my heart good to watch the baseball highlights on the late news and see the players hitting home runs into empty seats in Miami and Los Angeles.
On to the 14th inning...
PS - Ain’t nobody holding a gun to my head to pay these prices and go to Wrigley Field instead of sitting in my living room.
WE do it because we’re FANS of the greatest game...especially a game at Wrigley. There, you’ll find the greatest fans, talking on their cell fones all game long...LOL!@
Wow!! Greedy effing bastards!! And people blame oil companies? I am glad I have never been to a baseball game on my own dime.
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