MLB To Fans: Screw You
Despite not having an owner. Despite pocketing record profit last season. Despite having all expectations (save tax revenue generation) exceed expectations. Despite all that, MLB continues to hold the hammer over the fans.
The Nationals have announced a ticket price increase for next season. That's expected. What was unexpected were the size of the increase and the premium scheme.
First, the scheme. Mimicking what other teams are doing, the Nationals have decided to add a premium surcharge to hot games -- in our case, the Orioles, Yankees, and Cubs. I've supported the idea before, and I really don't think it's a bad idea. Ideally, I'd rather have the team take the extra money (and ideally plow it back into the team -- yeah, I know I'm a sucker) than the scalpers/ticket brokers.
Two problems though... The teams that have created these schemes have been smart enough to create a budget tier. They couldn't knock $2 off the price of a tuesday night game against the Pirates? Garbage. Second, the profit isn't going to be plowed into the team, but into MLB's fecking fat wallets!
This isn't about a new owner trying to maximize revenue to put a winning team on the field. This is about MLB sucking the life out of us gullible sports fans. And the sad thing is, none of us are going to care. We're still going to go. We're still going to pay the price.
We are Wil Cordero's wife.
The ticket prices are going up quite a bit, too. They've renamed the ticket zones, and increased prices $2-$5 for most people. The ones who get hammered the most are the people in the $300 section. Their $30 seats go up to $35. My seats in the 400 down the line went up a buck or two. $5 seems like a pretty steep increase. (And it's even more when you tack on the premium game surcharge)
They've also announced (just in time for Christmas) more overpriced junk to clothe you and your family in: an alternate jersey. Ordinarily that wouldn't gall me -- that's just the way that baseball works. But when you combine it with the ownership situation, it REALLY pisses me off. And the longer MLB delays the ownership situation, the more of these profits the Lords take in. Buying one of these jerseys doesn't support the team. It supports Bud Selig.
So even though picking an owner isn't a priority, making the fans bleed is.
Business as usual for MLB.
And still we support them!!?
The Nationals have announced a ticket price increase for next season. That's expected. What was unexpected were the size of the increase and the premium scheme.
First, the scheme. Mimicking what other teams are doing, the Nationals have decided to add a premium surcharge to hot games -- in our case, the Orioles, Yankees, and Cubs. I've supported the idea before, and I really don't think it's a bad idea. Ideally, I'd rather have the team take the extra money (and ideally plow it back into the team -- yeah, I know I'm a sucker) than the scalpers/ticket brokers.
Two problems though... The teams that have created these schemes have been smart enough to create a budget tier. They couldn't knock $2 off the price of a tuesday night game against the Pirates? Garbage. Second, the profit isn't going to be plowed into the team, but into MLB's fecking fat wallets!
This isn't about a new owner trying to maximize revenue to put a winning team on the field. This is about MLB sucking the life out of us gullible sports fans. And the sad thing is, none of us are going to care. We're still going to go. We're still going to pay the price.
We are Wil Cordero's wife.
The ticket prices are going up quite a bit, too. They've renamed the ticket zones, and increased prices $2-$5 for most people. The ones who get hammered the most are the people in the $300 section. Their $30 seats go up to $35. My seats in the 400 down the line went up a buck or two. $5 seems like a pretty steep increase. (And it's even more when you tack on the premium game surcharge)
They've also announced (just in time for Christmas) more overpriced junk to clothe you and your family in: an alternate jersey. Ordinarily that wouldn't gall me -- that's just the way that baseball works. But when you combine it with the ownership situation, it REALLY pisses me off. And the longer MLB delays the ownership situation, the more of these profits the Lords take in. Buying one of these jerseys doesn't support the team. It supports Bud Selig.
So even though picking an owner isn't a priority, making the fans bleed is.
Business as usual for MLB.
And still we support them!!?
posted by Chris Needham at
9:35 AM
5 Comments:
How about a "we need an owner/stop nickle-and-diming D.C." rally at the unveiling?
http://dc.metblogs.com/archives/2005/11/anybody_feel_li.phtml
By
WFY, at 11/14/2005 10:28 AM
Here's my objection to a "premium game" pricing plan. Sure, fans of the visiting team will pay the surcharge, and the Nats will make money on the deal. But I think it will discourage casual fans from attending those games and turn RFK into much less of a home field than it ought to be. Also, like you said, if they're going to do that they should cut us a break on the Brewers/Pirates/Diamondbacks games.
By
Nate, at 11/14/2005 10:44 AM
I don't think that that's the case though. The Yankees and Orioles games will be sell-outs, even if they doubled the price. The Cubs games were close to a sell-out last season. (I'm pretty sure the Sunday one was)
By
Chris Needham, at 11/14/2005 10:47 AM
My seats went up $3 (from $15) - that's a 20% increase.
I might not have objected if I got as much customer service from the Nationals as I do from the local 7-11.
Has anyone received season ticket renewal notices? I guess this is par for the course, i.e., lack of customer service incarnate.
By
Anonymous, at 11/14/2005 12:56 PM
They had said that season ticket renewals would be around Thanksgiving.
Announcing the ticket price thing was the first step.
Kevin Uhlich made the announcment, so I assume that Tavares is still out of the country. Maybe when he gets back.
By
Chris Needham, at 11/14/2005 12:58 PM
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