I have copied below a release from Team Marketing Report. It is a survey of ticket prices of teams in Major League Baseball and the average cost for a family of four to attend a game. It's long but there's lot of interesting facts including pricing at PNC Park One particularly amazing information bit is this: Tampa Bay offers free parking for cars with four or more occupants. -- Bob Smizik
TEAM MARKETING REPORT’S 2009 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL FAN COST INDEX
CHICAGO _ Welcome to 2009, when a playoff team with a fairly new, well-received stadium charges $38.65, on average for “premium” seats and a team that missed the playoffs last season, but is opening a new mega-stadium, charges $510.08, on average, for its “premium” seating.
The two teams, the Milwaukee Brewers and the New York Yankees, are obviously in two very different markets, and it’s probably not a coincidence this year’s big-money free agent, pitcher C.C. Sabathia, left the Brewers for the Yankees and a pile of money.
Of course, the Brewers, and their average general ticket prices of $20.98, are not the story. The Yankees and the cross-town Mets can pay big bucks to free agents because both opened new stadiums with the requisite major price increases commensurate to playing in the biggest sports market in the world, albeit during the worst economic downturn in recent history.
The Yankees’ average ticket is an eye-popping $72.97, according to TMR calculations, and the Mets’ 36.99. Both increases helped the average ticket go up 5 percent in 2009, to $26.64.
The league’s Fan Cost Index is up 3.2 percent to 196.89. The Fan Cost Index (FCI) measures the cost to take a family of four to a sporting event.
The Yankees’ ascendance to the top of the FCI and ticket rankings breaks two long streaks by the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox have had the most-expensive average ticket since 1996, and have topped the FCI charts since 2001.
Ten teams show overall average price decreases, and another six have either stayed flat or are up less than 1 percent.
Several teams are offering cheaper concession items, and nearly every team has some kind of value meal proposition. The Cincinnati Reds ($144.76 FCI) has $1 soft drinks and $1 hot dogs.
If you take the Mets and Yankees out of the equation, this year and last year, and the average ticket for the other 28 teams ($23.07) would be up just .09 percent. So the New York teams, who certainly help their peers’ bottom lines with impressive road attendance, are worth about $3.67 to the total average of the league.
The Mets’ overall ticket price is lower than some might expect because they classify a large amount of seating as “premium,” as the seats come with extra amenities or private club access. About 48 percent of the Mets’ premium seating is priced at $125 or less, with prices topping out at $495.
About 31 percent of the Yankees’ high-priced premium tickets sell for $135 or less, according to TMR research, with prices famously topping out at $2,500 for some front-row season tickets.
As for the entire league, the overall FCI is up, on average, but 12 teams have lower totals this season, compared to last year.*
The Yankees have overtaken Boston ($50.24, up 0.3 percent) and the Chicago Cubs ($47.75, up 10 percent) for the priciest average ticket.
The cheapest average ticket belongs to the Diamondbacks, for the third straight season, at $14.31, a 10.3 percent drop from last year. The D-Backs have, by far, the cheapest FCI in baseball at $114.24, a 29.8 percent drop from last year.
Three years ago, the team did a “strategic analysis of our organization and market and discovered that the Phoenix metropolitan area had the lowest per capita income among the 26 metro areas that have an MLB team,” said Shaun Rachau, the team’s Vice President of Communications. Arizona cut costs all over Chase Field to stay even with its market, which had a per capita income of $35,010 in 2007.
“We are focused on providing the best fan experience in all of sports,” Arizona President and CEO Derrick Hall said. “We realize that a large part of that experience is affordability and pricing. To be the most affordable ticket in the game for the third-consecutive season is a point of pride for us, as is our push to lower all averages within our cost index, be it tickets, merchandise, or concessions.”
The Pittsburgh Pirates, on the cusp of their 17th straight losing season, which would set several ignominous records, have the next-cheapest ticket at $15.39, a 9.9 percent decrease. The cost to take a family of four to PNC Park is down 4.1 percent to $135.06.
The Los Angeles Angels remain baseball’s best bargain. The reigning AL West champions dropped tickets 3.5 percent to $20.05 and its FCI is at $141.18.
The San Diego Padres welcome their new owner with a 27 percent ticket decrease, dropping down to $20.01. Their FCI ($172.04) is down 14.7 percent.
The Tampa Bay Rays are one of 13 non-New York teams to raise prices by 1 percent or more, and it’s not a surprise. After turning its first winning season into a surprise World Series berth, the Rays bumped tickets 6.5 percent to $18.35 and their FCI is up 20.8 percent to $165.40. (The Rays still have free parking with four or more people in a car.)
The Phillies celebrated their first World Series title in 28 years with a modest 10 percent increase in tickets at $31.10. Their FCI is up 10.2 percent at $219.90.
Aside from the New York clubs, the only other team to sport a double-digit FCI increase is the Chicago Cubs, who have an 18 percent jump and have an FCI of $301.96.
TMR INSIDE LOOK: Opening up a new stadium doesn’t always mean ticket prices will keep increasing. Between 2001 and 2008, seven teams have opened new stadiums, and four have lower prices in 2009 than when the new parks opened.
In 2006, the average ticket at new Busch Stadium was $29.78. This season it’s $29.43. In 2004, the average ticket at San Diego’s Petco Park was $21.41; this year it’s down $1.40. And when PNC Park opened in Pittsburgh, the average ticket was $19.45, $3.49 more expensive than it is today. The Nationals dropped prices 7.1 percent this year after opening their park in 2008. The Phillies ($26.08 in 2004), the Reds ($17.53 in 2003) and the Brewers ($16.22 in 2001) have all kept prices rising since their respective parks opened.
*TMR allows some teams to make retroactive changes to the previous year’s numbers, and occasionally corrects its own mistakes. The reconfigured 2008 average ticket price that was used is $25.37, or 8 cents less than the previously reported number.
ABOUT THE FCI: Average ticket price represents a weighted average of season ticket prices for general seating categories, determined by factoring the tickets in each price range as a percentage of the total number of seats in each venue. Premium seating (tickets that come with at least one added amenity or is classified by team as premium) are not included in the survey to calculate average ticket price. Luxury suites are also excluded from the survey. Season ticket pricing is used for any team that offers some or all tickets at lower prices for customers who buy season seats.
Teams have a say in what seats are considered general or premium.
The Fan Cost Index™ comprises the prices of two (2) adult average-price tickets, two (2) child average-price tickets, two (2) small draft beers, four (4) small soft drinks, four (4) regular-size hot dogs, parking for one (1) car, two (2) game programs and two (2) least expensive, adult-size adjustable caps. Costs were determined by telephone calls with representatives of the teams, venues and concessionaires. Identical questions were asked in all interviews. Superscript numbers next to beer and soft drink prices denote smallest available size in ounces.
A small sample of FCI-related notes provided by teams:
The Toronto Blue Jays
·The Blue Jays have started Messin’ With Recession nights. On these four Tuesday’s (April 7th, April 21st, June 2nd, June 23rd), tickets are reduced in each price category, with the lowest price of $5.00 available in the 200 Level Outfield and 500 Level. Also on these nights, hot dogs will be priced at just $1.00, and selected merchandise will be discounted .
·The Jays Shop and merchandise kiosks are introducing value packs and one of those is a Family Value Caps Pack. The customer can get four Jays Replica Caps (two Adult, two Youth) for $49.99. That’s a savings of $23.97 or 32%.
·The Blue Jays are continuing All You Can Eat events. For one weekend a month starting in May, fans can sit in a special area in the 200 Level Outfield, and gain access to an all you can eat menu of hot dogs, nacho’s, popcorn, peanuts and soft drinks. Prices start at just $36.00 per person.
·The Blue Jays continue to offer Toronto Star Season Pass. With this pass, fans receive one ticket in the 500 Level for every home game for only $95.00
The New York Mets
· --Variable pricing model provides fans access to tickets starting at $11.
· --More than 240,000 tickets priced at $15 and under for 28 games of 2009 Mets schedule.
· --Children can get a hot dog, 12 oz. beverage and chips for $5.
· --All ticket-holders at every level of Citi Field will have access to the new 2K Sports FanFest, an interactive games and attractions area just beyond the centerfield scoreboard; Mr. Met's Kiddie Field, a miniature replica of Citi Field complete with its own video board; and Taste of the City, offering a variety of foods from New York's most renown restaurateurs and legendary Queens food destinations.
· --Families can pick from five dates when children can run the bases after the game in the Mr. Met dash.
· --The Mets offer senior citizen discounts as well as Senior Strolls (on select dates where Seniors can stroll the base paths postgame)
· --Special online offers to those subscribing to the Flushing Flash (sign ups on Mets.com).
The Cleveland Indians (a short essay written by the team)
At the Cleveland Indians, looking for new ways to make games more affordable for our fans is not a new process, but this year we have taken things a step further. For the first time, we have introduced value based pricing, which acknowledges that all games are not created equal. Because of this new pricing structure, tickets for early season games are offered at a significant savings. Fans now have the option of sitting in some of our best locations for a fraction of the price. Additionally, this year our 6 packs will include a seventh game, against the New York Yankees, for free.
Our newly instituted View Box deal offers season ticket holders an even greater discount than the typical 20-23% they usually save off of single game tickets. Starting this year, we have offered fans buy one, get one free season tickets in the View Box, one of our best seating locations. This gives them an incredible 57% savings and allows them to sit in some of our best seats.
Other ticket discounts that we offer are Student ID night, Pepsi can buy one get one free deals, Big Mac buy one get one free deals, and our Subway half price ticket promotion.
One concern we have heard from fans is the rising cost of concessions, and we have looked for ways to lessen that burden. Some of our most popular games in the past have been our Sugardale Dollar Hot Dog Nights, so this year we have added Value Tuesdays, which offers weekly specials on different foods and drinks.
We are also introducing Value Zones this year that will offer smaller, more economical concession choices. There will be Kids Meals available, as well as snack sizes for those fans who do not wish to purchase full orders of different ballpark concessions.
We know how important it is to make our games affordable to our fans. We have done extensive market research to help identify ways to make the game financially feasible for our fans to attend while still creating a positive revenue stream. We feel that we are ahead of the curve with some of our programs, especially our value based pricing. Between our ticket specials and our concession deals, we feel that we have made it possible for all Indians fans to economically attend games at Progressive Field.
Jon Greenberg
Executive Editor
Team Marketing Report
645 Landwehr Rd
Northbrook, IL 60062
Posted
Apr 05 2009, 04:10 AM
by
Bob Smizik