Baseball, Attendance and the Economy
You want to know what I'm starting to get sick of? Big-city media criticizing towns for not selling out their games during the stretch run. Last week, Mike & Mike were ragging on the Tampa Bay fans for not selling out their stadium for the Boston series; and then yesterday Mac, Jurko & Harry were criticizing Twins fans for leaving 10,000 seats empty (in their 50,000 seat football stadium) for the crucial Twins-White Sox series this week. Ron Gardenhire, the Twins manager, cut Minnesotans some slack by saying it was a school night and the 40k in attendance did their job, etc. The Rays don't have any defenders, or fans, so I'll pick up their cause. They've been absolute garbage for ten years, fans want to see if they're for real, most teams don't experience their attendance boost until the year AFTER doing well, most of the local citizens are seniors (and transplants at that) and not game-attending types. (Is that enough reasons or should I continue?)
Anyways, want to know why else people aren't going to games? It's the economy, stupid. The world is going to hell in a handbasket, and you're wondering why people don't want to spend a few hundred dollars to take their family of four to a baseball game? Think about it. Forget recession, we're teetering on the brink of a full-blown depression. Don't think for a moment that its not affecting people's "entertainment" budgets.
Just look at the cost of tickets. I'm not poor, but I'm not even close to being considered rich. I've had the luxury of throwing 600 or 800 dollars per year at Cubs games the last few years, but next year I don't even think I'll have that much. Would I love to go to a playoff game or two (or heaven forbid a World Series)? Absolutely. But I can't give up my kid's college education to do it. The Cubs held a lottery for the right to buy NLDS tickets, and I of course didn't win. Not unexpected to say the least. Anyways, the day after they sold out, cubs.com sent me an email telling me that there are still plenty of great seats available on stubhub. Awesome! How much? Oh. Nevermind. Standing room only is $115 a pop. Average seats are $300-400. Good seats are a grand. Great seats? Try $3000. And that's for game one. Imagine how much World Series tickets will cost. Actually, don't imagine. Somebody is selling row 9 behind the dugout for World Series game 3 for, get this, $32,000. Are you freaking kidding me? That's not much for the John Cusacks or Mark Cubans of the world, but I think it would disintegrate my bank. Take the value of both my cars put together and double it. Now I'm within five grand of that 32 G.
And this is just the beginning. A year from now, we might look back at this conversation and laugh. With all this going on, you were worried about the cost of baseball tickets? Seems rather petty and insignificant, doesn't it? But if a middle class fan can't buy tickets and the big money wall street types have all gone bankrupt, who's going to go to the games? How are the Cubs going to pay Aramis Ramirez his $15 million? Baseball might have to close shop. (Actually, if we could somehow re-elect Bush for a third term, you KNOW that baseball would never go away. Here, have $700 billion! On second thought, maybe not.)
Ugh, this post has taken a wrong and ugly turn and I really didn't want to go there. I just started typing and, well.... Anyways, this is a baseball blog and sports is supposed to be about escapism. Something to keep your mind off your problems.
Let's go, Cubs!