During the 1975-79 period, I used to take in about 40 Red Sox games a year. And a good amount of Bruins games as well. (I never liked basketball and the Patriots played in Foxboro even then.)
There was no way my sons, when they were teenagers, could just ride the T into town and take in a Red Sox game. Just too expensive.
I still go to a good amount of games today but through tickets purchased through my company (Fenway and Yankee stadium). Our company spends hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on game tickets. Usually we take clients but once in a while, clients back out and I get to call the sons to get in on the action.
For better or worse, professional sports are mostly in the corporate domain these days. Your average Joe is simply not going to be able to afford it. I remember purchasing tickets a few years back when family came out to visit us. I spent over $1,000 that night taking six people to the game.
Same here...a family of five outing to see the SF Giants runs probably $700 all in for so-so seats. We go at most once a year or when somebody is providing us free tix through their company. The bleachers run $45 to $85, for crying out loud.
Exactly the point I was getting at, that sports have gotten too expensive for the middle class. $1000 to take a group of six to a ballgame??? Holy Toledo. who can easily afford that?
for better or worse, professional sports has decided to write off the middle class or working class type fans, at least when it comes to attending games at the stadium. Of course they are happy to get all to watch on TV. There’s something about being there in person which is very different from watching on TV.