Why do people continue to fill these stadiums with the outrageous prices for major sporting events? The average ticket price for the World Series that will be played at Citi Field in New York between the Royals and the Mets is $1,667.82. (Rosenbaum, 2015) With this pricing this will be the most expensive tickets in baseball history. The cheapest ticket available for Game 3 will be $713, but the average ticket for that matchup will be $1,572. (Rosenbaum, 2015) As the games increase so do the ticket prices at the stadium. If the series reaches a Game 5, which will likely happen, the average ticket price will be $1,841. (Rosenbaum, 2015) Again, why would people pay this amount of money to watch a baseball game for this price?
Is it to be able to say they attended the game in person or the atmosphere surrounding the event? With these prices one would think that the seats might be empty, but in reality the stadium will be packed with fans from both teams. Common sense would say that only the wealthiest people around would be able to attend this game in person, but we are fooling ourselves if that is our thinking. Some households will go into debt to be able to attend these games in person. Having been a baseball player from age 5 through the professional level it is difficult for me to grasp this fact of the cost of a ticket. Families of 4-6 would be in the $7,000-$10,000 range for tickets, parking, food, and drink at the game. This is if they only attend one of the games. Can you imagine the cost if they attended all three games in New York?
If this continues to be the trend for major sporting events ticket pricing alone will be astronomical in the next five years. If consumers really took the time to stop and think about what they are getting from the experience common sense should prevail. However, there are some that feel this may never happen again in their lifetime so why not pay the price and make it happen. Sport is one of the most unique products on the market and this pricing for the World Series is certainly proof that consumers will pay whatever price they have to so it will be part of their life. If consumers will pay these prices we have no one to blame for these prices except for ourselves. The mentality of these baseball consumers and avid fans has to be, “its only money.”
Rosenbaum, S. (October 2015), Mets World Series Tickets Most Expensive in Baseball History, New York Post. Retrieved from http://athleticbusiness.com
Dr. Bret Simmermacher DSM is the Chair of Sports Coaching at USSA and he can be reached at bsimmer@ussa.edu.