There Used To Be A Ball Park

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Posted By: CoreyRS.hanus

Professional sports ticket pricing (with New York and the Yankees being prime examples) is a ruthless display of "if somebody will pay it, we'll charge it". Concern for the ability of Joe fan to afford the seat (or the exhorbitantly priced hot dogs and liquid refreshment) is irrelevant. I gave up my Yankee seats in the early '90's incensed at another hefty price increase (to about $13) after another lousy season. Those seats today have a face value of $65, and my guess next year is the face will be over $200. The New York Giants are bemoaning how sad they are to "be forced to" charge a license fee for the right to buy season tickets. They justify the fee as the only way to afford the astronomical cost overruns on their new stadium. Last I heard, though, I don't recall fans demanding a new stadium be constructed. Same too with other teams. Those stadiums are being constructed to suck as much corporate revenue as possible from the exisiting fan base; I strongly suggest the great majority of average fans would be very happy to stay in the old stadiums and the old prices.

I for one am so incensed by the blatant greed of the owners and players (when was the last time you got an authograph without having to pay for it) in all sports that I only go to games to satisfy the desires of my son. If it wasn't for him, I would tell all these professional teams where they can go and what they can do with their new stadiums, many of which are financed with my tax dollars. The ability of professional sports owners and players to earn such incredible sums is based on the goodwill of their fan base.
And I can't imagine these owners/players doing a better job of alienating the next generation of sports fans through their ticket and concession pricing. The real money in professonal sports is in the fees network pay to telecast games. The fees are a direct reflection of the size of viewership, which consists much more of average fans than corporate fatcats. Wouldn't it be great to see that fan base decline in future years due to the shabby condescending treatment they receive from the teams they support, with a concurrent decline in licensing fees?