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!!?