By Josh
MLB Owners
I need to start this one by saying that baseball is a business and businesses need to make profit. I have an MBA so I completely understand and appreciate that owners have a primary desire to make a profit. With that being said I think they could increase their profits.
Major League Baseball is the best players in the world, brought together in one league for us all to watch. Yet each year it seems like less and less people are going out to MLB parks to watch games. I personally didn’t go to a Major League game last year and won’t go this year. It isn’t that I don’t love baseball, it’s just that it isn’t worth it for me.
Let’s be honest buying tickets to a MLB game is expensive. For me to take my family of 4 to a Mariners game on Wednesday July 24th against the Rangers would cost me $100.37 just for 4 centerfield bleacher tickets. That doesn’t count the $30 in parking costs. So without paying for food, gas, souveniers and possibly a motel I’m at $130.
To compare I can buy 4 tickets to my local West Coast league team for $32 (free parking), or to the HIllsboro Hops (single-A team for the Diamondbacks) for either $48 down the 3rd base line or $28 for GA in the grass (parking $5 last I remember).
I love going to college wood bat leagues and minor league games. Not only are they cheaper but they are still fun baseball, and let’s be honest some of those in between inning entertainment activities are so much fun to watch. However, if the cost of a MLB game was closer to the cost of minor league or college wood bat leagues I would be going to MLB games all the time and so would thousands of more fans each game.
If they want to charge high prices on food, beer and souveniers I can live with that. No one has to buy a hat at a game when you can go to the mall another time to get a hat. Lower food prices would be nice but you can eat before you go into a game and just buy some snacks. Honestly though if tickets were cheaper I would pay for food at a game like I normally do.
It has also become the norm that teams will completely give up on a few seasons to rebuild for the future. I don’t like rooting for a team that pretty much admits they want to lose and trade away any player of any value. However, I can see the reasoning behind the plan. It has worked for the Astros (WS title), Cubs (WS title), and hopefully in a few years Mariners (please just make the playoffs).
I wish teams would figure out a way to win without completely giving up 3+ years of play. It takes a toll on a fanbase. How many kids (of all ages) get excited about a team that is more likely to get beat by 10 runs then win a game. I don’t know that I have an answer for this, nor am I completely sold that there is an answer for this.