Think fans would support a one day "Black Out" at Yankee Stadium?

[hbwriter]

What do you think? Will fan anger at the new Yankee Stadium reach such a fever pitch that, as a way to reclaim their importance to the game, they'd ever stage a one game black out? That is to say, a protest game whereby NOBODY shows up and the broadcast features a Yankee game with no fans?

It seems like the common fan was essentially left out of the planning of this 5-star palace. Fans have ceased to matter in so many other places as well, maybe it would be smart to flex some muscle and remind all sports entertainment powers that be that without real fans, there is no atmosphere, environment, noise, passion, emotion, support and soul - there is no magic.

People love to say that TV drives everything today, but without fans, the TV gets pretty scary - this is entertainment after all and you need pretty pictures of roaring fans to justify your brand. The fans DO matter - they are the lifeblood of baseball and they are getting the royal shaft in the Bronx today.

What do you think? Do fans care enough to band together in solidarity for one day, bite the bullet on pre-purchased tickets and stay away? Just think of what a collector's item those tickets would become :)

[soup]

I haven't been to a Yankees game since 1987 so you can definitely count on me for not showing up to whatever game it is we decide on;)

[yankies4life]

What do you think? Will fan anger at the new Yankee Stadium reach such a fever pitch that, as a way to reclaim their importance to the game, they'd ever stage a one game black out? That is to say, a protest game whereby NOBODY shows up and the broadcast features a Yankee game with no fans?

It seems like the common fan was essentially left out of the planning of this 5-star palace. Fans have ceased to matter in so many other places as well, maybe it would be smart to flex some muscle and remind all sports entertainment powers that be that without real fans, there is no atmosphere, environment, noise, passion, emotion, support and soul - there is no magic.

People love to say that TV drives everything today, but without fans, the TV gets pretty scary - this is entertainment after all and you need pretty pictures of roaring fans to justify your brand. The fans DO matter - they are the lifeblood of baseball and they are getting the royal shaft in the Bronx today.

What do you think? Do fans care enough to band together in solidarity for one day, bite the bullet on pre-purchased tickets and stay away? Just think of what a collector's item those tickets would become :)

id consider doing it, that is if i had tickets to the game. this is one of the more reasonable forms of "protest" that ive heard regarding the stadium. now spreading the word and getting it out there, convincing people not to go to the stadium when theyve already purchased tickets will be tough, but i could see it happening

[mets16]

I don't think it will happen. If Pirates and Orioles fans can't even manage it when their park is half full on a nightly basis, the Yankees won't. That being said, it may be more of a possibility next year when everyone had a chance to set foot in NYS. I think NYS is still a hot commodity for New Yorkers who may not even be baseball fans. That is a production of the Yankees and the media Shoving New Yankee Stadium down our throats. If the fans really cared, I think it could be pulled off however, the "casual" fans won't care that the Yankee front office doesn't care about them because they might only attend one or two games a season. It is the real Yankee fans (I can't believe I used "real" and "Yankee fan" in the same sentence.) that would care. Like the season ticket holders, the guys that go to more games every year and can notice that they got the raw end of the deal.

[hbwriter]

I moved to CA in the lat 80s--but I grew up going to YS - I remember that last game in '73--I was about 10 and I cried when the game was done--the thought that it would be closed for two years killed me.

Whenever I go home though, what I always told my kids about before we'd head to the stadium, was what the fans were like there. For me, Yankee fans are as much a part of the history and mystery as the Babe - they controlled the tide; the flow of emotion and support - when that mob started to act as one glorious beast - forget about it - that was the soul of Yankee Stadium - tough, knowledgeable, stubborn, proud, loud fans who live on every pitch. And now? They've been splintered - sub-divided into so many class-appropriate compartments that the thunder is not even physically possible anymore.

The fans were taken for granted - and the seamless throng was sold out. Fans need to be heard from today in the Bronx - in a dramatic way.

[applenut]

Unfortunately you'd be amazed at how naive a lot of Yankee fans are and a lot of them are eating up NYS and are oblivious to any or many of the negatives and problems.

[hbwriter]

by the way - I just checked a minute ago - these seats are STILL available for when I come back in July - just $900 a piece - 9 rows behind home plate - for my family of four a mere $3600 + $93.80 handling charges = $ 3693.00 (pre parking, food, other junk) for a Monday night game vs. the Orioles. Think I'll pass - but just looking at that # makes me hope maybe a protest game movement takes root- this is absurd

[bandit12]

How about you just wear black t-shirts instead. Like stated above, no one is going to want to throw an expensive ticket in the trash.


BTW...I wouldn't pick a day game in the middle of the summer.

[Mygirljess]

HB, You must have some kind of mental problem. I mean I'm a Mutt fan for God's sake but even I like new Yankee Stadium. See a shrink, get a prescription or something. (Oh man I'm going to get banned now)

[JohnCropp]

Wear red and sit silently.

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

[Tullydew]

I moved to CA in the lat 80s--but I grew up going to YS - I remember that last game in '73--I was about 10 and I cried when the game was done--the thought that it would be closed for two years killed me.

Whenever I go home though, what I always told my kids about before we'd head to the stadium, was what the fans were like there. For me, Yankee fans are as much a part of the history and mystery as the Babe - they controlled the tide; the flow of emotion and support - when that mob started to act as one glorious beast - forget about it - that was the soul of Yankee Stadium - tough, knowledgeable, stubborn, proud, loud fans who live on every pitch. And now? They've been splintered - sub-divided into so many class-appropriate compartments that the thunder is not even physically possible anymore.

The fans were taken for granted - and the seamless throng was sold out. Fans need to be heard from today in the Bronx - in a dramatic way.

I find it a little funny that a guy who lives in CA wants Yankee fans in the tri-state area to eat their tickets.

[hbwriter]

hey, i wasn't advocating anything - just posing the question! and what difference does it make where I live? - those ticket prices would be absurd if I lived on the moon

[Yankees12]

hey, i wasn't advocating anything - just posing the question! and what difference does it make where I live? - those ticket prices would be absurd if I lived on the moon

You could always get the $5, $14, $22, or $29 tickets.

That's how I've seen 3 games there so far as a poor starving college student. Not that tough a task.

[Rob R]

I don't know, hb. With all due respect, I don't think that there's this extreme level of "outrage" amongst fans that some are talking about. By and large it's media created, though that's not to say that it doesn't exist.

As of today, the Yankees still lead the majors in average paid attendance. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/attendance

Does it look bad that there are a lot of empty seats in the prime section due to no sale or no show? Of course. But those are seats that the so-called "common fan" rarely if ever sat anyway. Unfortunately it's the "elite" that are making more of a statement by not showing than the average fan! The less expensive seats that the common fan usually sits have for the most part been filled.

Right now, Yankee fans are more concerned with how the team has been playing to this point, though it's still early and we have been hit hard with injuries. I think that once they get on a roll, the "elite" will show, if only because it'll be "the place to be."

I'm in no way condoning the Yankee's behavior (Trost and Levine for the most part) but I think that the front office has taken a big enough hit and will try and right it. If not, then they are oblivious. And, as I said in the other thread, that ridiculous seat for $900 bucks that you saw on the Yankee site, is a ridiculous $500 dollars at Dodger Stadium and $700 at Citi Field (who have their fair share of empties). OK, the Yanks went overboard (just because they're THE Yanks, I suppose) but spending $2,000 or $2,800 for a family of four isn't exactly a bargain or fan friendliness.

* Note, I am only using Citi and Dodger Stadium as examples. This would apply to most stadiums.

[Mygirljess]

"a protest game whereby NOBODY shows up and the broadcast features a Yankee game with no fans?"

Yeah like that would ever happen. But if the Yankees keep on losing like they have been doing, the place might just be empty soon (HA HA) Mets rule

[Tullydew]

hey, i wasn't advocating anything - just posing the question! and what difference does it make where I live? - those ticket prices would be absurd if I lived on the moon

Well I'm sure that a guy from Cali wont be eating tickets to a Yankee game that he is suggesting others to do. Have you even been to the Stadium yet? The prices are ubsurd in about 5,000 seats but the Stadium as a whole is a magnificient structure.

[BMF]

it will never hapn

[Rob R]

"a protest game whereby NOBODY shows up and the broadcast features a Yankee game with no fans?"

Yeah like that would ever happen. But if the Yankees keep on losing like they have been doing, the place might just be empty soon (HA HA) Mets rule

OK that stung. :laugh

[hbwriter]

Have you even been to the Stadium yet? The prices are ubsurd in about 5,000 seats but the Stadium as a whole is a magnificient structure.
---

Have not been yet but I will this summer - and yeah, I've been reading all he "positive" reviews :)

Absurd prices in just 5000 seats? What ballpark have you been going to - Downing Stadium?

[Cool Papa B.]

I agree with your respnse Rob. I use to enjoy going to this website and discussing NYS, the yankees and other baseball topics. But for the last few weeks this site has become nothing but over-the-top Yankee bashing and NYS bashing!!!! I'm not saying that NYS is perfect-there's definitely some tweeking that needs to be done and some more adjustments to their premium seat prices. I've gone to 3 games this year and THE PLACE IS GREAT and the customer service is way better than the old place!!!! People on this site really like to go to the extreme with their criticisms. It's not even criticizing anymore, it straight-up bashing!!! I think I'm going to look for other blogs and websites to talk about the Yankees and NYS. If any logical-thinking, objective fans of the game know of any please let me know.

So until the discussions on this forum changes from bashing to some objective criticism, THIS IS COOL PAPA SIGNING OFF!!!!

GO YANKEES!!!!!

[Tullydew]

Have you even been to the Stadium yet? The prices are ubsurd in about 5,000 seats but the Stadium as a whole is a magnificient structure.
---

Have not been yet but I will this summer - and yeah, I've been reading all he "positive" reviews :)

Absurd prices in just 5000 seats? What ballpark have you been going to - Downing Stadium?

I've been going to RYS. My tickets this year went down. RYS Loge Box 530, $55 to NYS Main outfield 209, $45. Plus I moved closer to the plate.
Their are 5000 bleacher seats for $5 and $12. The 12,000 Granstand seats for $20 and $25.

[hbwriter]

Okay - then you're right and the rest of the world is wrong - the place is perfect and all the screaming is merely a media fabrication. In fact, it's a bargain - the food is the best, as are the scoreboards and sight lines. All the editorials, fan complaints, empty seats - it's irrelevant -

There - that the Kool Aid you're looking for?

[Rob R]

I agree with your respnse Rob. I use to enjoy going to this website and discussing NYS, the yankees and other baseball topics. But for the last few weeks this site has become nothing but over-the-top Yankee bashing and NYS bashing!!!! I'm not saying that NYS is perfect-there's definitely some tweeking that needs to be done and some more adjustments to their premium seat prices. I've gone to 3 games this year and THE PLACE IS GREAT and the customer service is way better than the old place!!!! People on this site really like to go to the extreme with their criticisms. It's not even criticizing anymore, it straight-up bashing!!! I think I'm going to look for other blogs and websites to talk about the Yankees and NYS. If any logical-thinking, objective fans of the game know of any please let me know.

So until the discussions on this forum changes from bashing to some objective criticism, THIS IS COOL PAPA SIGNING OFF!!!!

GO YANKEES!!!!!

Cool Papa B-

You know I agree with you 100%

Don't worry, I've been trying to keep this hatred under control, the best I can. All it takes is legit responses and facts and they are left with their tails between their legs. They also come out in droves when we hit a losing streak, but once we win, they'll disappear. But, yeah, it gets tiresome and old. I even started a facetious thread to mock it.

I'd hate to see you go, because you're one of the better posters here and a genuinely nice person. I hope you reconsider. It'll calm down, I think.

GO YANKS!!!!

[Coach Bombay]

What a dumb thread. Anyways, anyone going to the the game Friday? I'll be in the LF bleachers if anyone wants to meet up.

Go Twins baby!

[Tullydew]

Okay - then you're right and the rest of the world is wrong - the place is perfect and all the screaming is merely a media fabrication. In fact, it's a bargain - the food is the best, as are the scoreboards and sight lines. All the editorials, fan complaints, empty seats - it's irrelevant -

There - that the Kool Aid you're looking for?

No kool aid here. For those that know me on BBF know I'm a O's fan. I actually hate the Yankees.
I just gave you facts, about ticket prices. Look it up my friend. They didnt raise prices on the bleachers and grandstands from last year.
The media is talking about the 5,000 seats down close between the bases. If you would ever go to a game you would see that 85% of the stadium is full in the affordable areas.
You do realize the Yankees are leading the league in attendance?

[hbwriter]

What a dumb thread.

----

No, what's dumb are $900 seats (sort of) near home plate - what's dumb is an average price of almost $80 per seat - and what's really dumb is not allowing kids to watch BP and chase autographs from down low - lest their Sharpies mark up the sweater of the Blue Tooth jerk off who's eating some overpriced deli meat on foccacia bread - you want dumb? that's dumb

[Rob R]

What a dumb thread.

----

No, what's dumb are $900 seats (sort of) near home plate - what's dumb is an average price of almost $80 per seat - and what's really dumb is not allowing kids to watch BP and chase autographs from down low - lest their Sharpies mark up the sweater of the Blue Tooth jerk off who's eating some overpriced deli meat on foccacia bread - you want dumb? that's dumb

Agree about the autograph signings. But have to diagree with your averaging prices. It's skewed by the ridiculously high end seats, that most couldn't afford even at RYS.

Most seats at NYS are in fact affordable. Great seats to be had from $5 (obstruction, but you can watch the game from anywhere) -$65. For $12 you get incredible seats, best bargain in baseball. For $20 you get damn good seats. $45 gets you incredible main level seating. All have great sightlines. $55 (infield) or $40 and you get excellent terrace seats. Want field level seats? $65-90 will get you there, padded seats and all, midway between the IF and OF. Really want a bargain? Go to Stuhub on the day of the game and get some of these above seats at half price.

Just about all these seats are filled with your "common fan" so obviously, they aren't making a statement. These are seats they normally sit at, not the Guiliani seats that weren't affordable even 10 years ago. The only fans making a statement are the ones we are bashing - the elite, who are either no-shows or no sells. This is most certainly a media/Yankee bashing campaign for the most part, no matter how legit some of the gripes are.

[scooterfan]

HB, on a small scale your proposal is already occurring. The Yankees are announcing crowds of 42-46 every game but thousands aren't showing up. Check stubhub before a game. For each game there are thousands of tickets available, even as late as a few hours before gametime. And most of these tickets are deeply discounted even after the fees are included. But even with the discounts many of these tickets on stubhub aren't selling, vanishing away into cyber space and showing up as empty seats at the stadium.

The Yankee PR shop was so successful in selling the new stadium they were able to sell thousands of season ticket plans..some to reluctant fans, giving them a wink wink that games they weren't able to attend could be sold on the secondary market for a profit, or at worst the chance to break even.

But many of these sold seats are going unused...In part because of bad weather, a mediocre team, a bad economy, and a lot of bad publicity. Next year a lot of fans who felt pressured to purchase season tickets this year....will not be renewing because they now know the secondary market is an unexpected marketplace for cheap tickets. This is why there is such urgency for the Yankees to start playing better, because if the Yankees don't go deep in the playoffs they will lose a lot of season ticket holders, and of course heads will roll and Randy Levine, Lonn Trost, Cashman, and Girardi could all be out the door.

The Yankees look medicore now but I expect the offense to heat up and I'm confident they will compete for the wildcard. But meaningful games in September or a first round exit won't prevent heads from rolling in the front office because fans expect a World Series from the Yankees, after all that's the mission statement of the franchise. "Win the World Series." Isn't it ironic we don't hear this mission statement very often these days.

It's good to see one of the "old" guys like Damon playing so well. Guys like Dwight Evans, Paul Molitor and Pete Rose had great years after the age of 35 and Damon is having his best year in Pinstripes.

[Tullydew]

No kool aid here. For those that know me on BBF know I'm a O's fan. I actually hate the Yankees.
I just gave you facts, about ticket prices. Look it up my friend. They didnt raise prices on the bleachers and grandstands from last year.
The media is talking about the 5,000 seats down close between the bases. If you would ever go to a game you would see that 85% of the stadium is full in the affordable areas.
You do realize the Yankees are leading the league in attendance?

Here is the link

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/attendance

[Coach Bombay]

What a dumb thread.

----

No, what's dumb are $900 seats (sort of) near home plate - what's dumb is an average price of almost $80 per seat - and what's really dumb is not allowing kids to watch BP and chase autographs from down low - lest their Sharpies mark up the sweater of the Blue Tooth jerk off who's eating some overpriced deli meat on foccacia bread - you want dumb? that's dumb

I have great seats in the bleachers for $20 bucks a pop, if you can't get affordable tickets to Yankee Stadium, then you're not trying.

[Rob R]

I have great seats in the bleachers for $20 bucks a pop, if you can't get affordable tickets to Yankee Stadium, then you're not trying.
And to add to this, those $20 seats are $12 re-sells and can be had for $12 or less on game day at Stub Hub. Anyone who says they are being priced out is either lying or hasn't been to a game or looked into it.

[Coach Bombay]

And to add to this, those $20 seats are $12 re-sells and can be had for $12 or less on game day at Stub Hub. Anyone who says they are being priced out is either lying or hasn't been to a game or looked into it.

I got 5th row in section 235 for $20 bucks each. I thought that was pretty good weeks before the game.

[scooterfan]

5 and 12 dollar seats make for great talking points but in reality they are not attainable. First of all there is no such thing as 12 dollar bleacher seats. How do you get 12 dollar bleacher seats? You need to purchase a season plan. Last time I checked you can't get 41 or 81 games for 12 dollars.

There are a very limited number of bleacher seats for individual games for 14 dollars, but finding one is like finding a needle in a haystack. Why? Because most bleacher seats are sold as season plans. I challenge anyone to go on ticketmaster and try and find two 12 or 5 dollar bleacher tickets for any remaining game this season. You'll find none are available. But select the best available option on ticketmaster and you'll find plenty of seats available, of course it'll cost you 900 dollars. But keep on pretending and fantasizing about all those 5 and 12 dollar seats.

Want cheap tickets? Go on stubhub. There are tons of upperdeck tickets, grandstand and terrace...for real cheap. I'm talking Filenes basement cheap. The secondary market for Yankee tickets is in total freefall. So if you want to go to a Yankee game this year, go on stubhub the morning of the game and you'll find a great deal. This has to worry the Yankee front office that the secondary market on craigslist, ebay and stubhub has collapsed. But if you want to go to a game for well below face value take advantage of it.

[Coach Bombay]

5 and 12 dollar seats make for great talking points but in reality they are not attainable. First of all there is no such thing as 12 dollar bleacher seats. How do you get 12 dollar bleacher seats? You need to purchase a season plan. Last time I checked you can't get 41 or 81 games for 12 dollars.

There are a very limited number of bleacher seats for individual games for 14 dollars, but finding one is like finding a needle in a haystack. Why? Because most bleacher seats are sold as season plans. I challenge anyone to go on ticketmaster and try and find two 12 or 5 dollar bleacher tickets for any remaining game this season. You'll find none are available. But select the best available option on ticketmaster and you'll find plenty of seats available, of course it'll cost you 900 dollars. But keep on pretending and fantasizing about all those 5 and 12 dollar seats.

I got 3 bleacher seats (5th row section 235) for around $75 dollars for me and my 2 boys.

[Rob R]

I got 5th row in section 235 for $20 bucks each. I thought that was pretty good weeks before the game.

Don't get me wrong, it's an excellent price for excellent seats. I'm just saying that great seats can be bought for a good price. If somebody wants to take a chance, then of course the price goes down as the sellers need to get rid of them. But if I want to see a game, I'm not sure I'd take that chance and would do exactly what you did.

[scooterfan]

I got 3 bleacher seats (5th row section 235) for around $75 dollars for me and my 2 boys.

That's great. But you bought these on the secondary market. The Yankees never thought the secondary market would crash the way it has. It's great for you, but it seriously calls into question the Yankee business model that their tickets really aren't a hot commodity.

[Tullydew]

5 and 12 dollar seats make for great talking points but in reality they are not attainable. First of all there is no such thing as 12 dollar bleacher seats. How do you get 12 dollar bleacher seats? You need to purchase a season plan. Last time I checked you can't get 41 or 81 games for 12 dollars.

There are a very limited number of bleacher seats for individual games for 14 dollars, but finding one is like finding a needle in a haystack. Why? Because most bleacher seats are sold as season plans. I challenge anyone to go on ticketmaster and try and find two 12 or 5 dollar bleacher tickets for any remaining game this season. You'll find none are available. But select the best available option on ticketmaster and you'll find plenty of seats available, of course it'll cost you 900 dollars. But keep on pretending and fantasizing about all those 5 and 12 dollar seats.

I bought plenty of tickets for the bleachers. They were available....2 MONTHS AGO when they when indivudual tickets went on sale!! Do you buy a hot concert ticket 2 months after they go on sale also? LOL

[Rob R]

5 and 12 dollar seats make for great talking points but in reality they are not attainable. First of all there is no such thing as 12 dollar bleacher seats. How do you get 12 dollar bleacher seats? You need to purchase a season plan. Last time I checked you can't get 41 or 81 games for 12 dollars.

There are a very limited number of bleacher seats for individual games for 14 dollars, but finding one is like finding a needle in a haystack. Why? Because most bleacher seats are sold as season plans. I challenge anyone to go on ticketmaster and try and find two 12 or 5 dollar bleacher tickets for any remaining game this season. You'll find none are available. But select the best available option on ticketmaster and you'll find plenty of seats available, of course it'll cost you 900 dollars. But keep on pretending and fantasizing about all those 5 and 12 dollar seats.


I guess you haven't been to StubHub. Those $12 (season ticket price, $14 individual) CAN be bought for $20 and less. Try it a day before the game and it's cost, or day of the game, if lucky. AS WITH ALL TEAMS.

On a side note, why are you so filled with hate? Can't you respond to people in a civil manner without either mocking and bashing them or as usual, trashing the Yankees?

[Tullydew]

That's great. But you bought these on the secondary market. The Yankees never thought the secondary market would crash the way it has. It's great for you, but it seriously calls into question the Yankee business model that their tickets really aren't a hot commodity.

Actually if he said he bought them for $20/ticket that is $8 over face!!

[Rob R]

That's great. But you bought these on the secondary market. The Yankees never thought the secondary market would crash the way it has. It's great for you, but it seriously calls into question the Yankee business model that their tickets really aren't a hot commodity.
So now you're blaming the Yankees and their fans for buying those seats that are obviously in demand and filling them regardless of how?????????:laugh

[NYBase]

Practically impossible, they are MLB's no. 1 brand and the top ticket seller.

[scooterfan]

I guess you haven't been to StubHub. Those $12 (season ticket price, $14 individual) CAN be bought for $20 and less. Try it a day before the game and it's cost, or day of the game, if lucky. AS WITH ALL TEAMS.

On a side note, why are you so filled with hate? Can't you respond to people in a civil manner without either mocking and bashing them or as usual, trashing the Yankees?

I sent you an olive branch. A couple olive branches in fact. Publicly, and PM. And you didn't respond. You'd rather fight with me. You're right, there are better things I can be doing with my time than bashing the Yankee front office. Which is why I've offered to bury the hatchet and make amends, but you haven't taken me up on my offer. How come?

I'm not denying the fact a person can get cheap Yankee tickets. It's a good thing. I just find it surprising that the secondary market has collapsed and tickets are so cheap. Obviously the demand isn't what season ticket holders thought it would be.

[Rob R]

I sent you an olive branch. A couple olive branches in fact. Publicly, and PM. And you didn't respond. You'd rather fight with me. You're right, there are better things I can be doing with my time than bashing the Yankee front office. Which is why I've offered to bury the hatchet and make amends, but you haven't taken me up on my offer. How come?

I'm not denying the fact a person can get cheap Yankee tickets. It's a good thing. I just find it surprising that the secondary market has collapsed and tickets are so cheap. Obviously the demand isn't what season ticket holders thought it would be.

I didn't receive a PM from you (still not here) and just saw your public post. Unless your talking about an older PM for which I believe I responded.

Look, I've PM'd you as well, offering an olive branch. I don't dislike you, but come on, man, you sometimes take this Yankee hatred too far, regardless of who you root for.

A serious question for you, regarding ticket pricing. Yes, the $1,200 seats are ridiculous, but like I said, even if they were $300 a piece, most fans would be locked out. That said, wouldn't you consider the abundance of good pricing at NYS far better than Fenway's pricing? I ask you, since you live in Boston and are obviously fond of them.

Take a look at THEIR "common man" pricing, and it's actually worse - much worse than NYS, and less seats to boot, so good luck even getting them. $50 bucks for outfield seating, $30 on the grandstand? Granted, there are less levels, hence it's closer to the field due to the size of the park, but there are obstructions galore, infield seats face the outfield, and the worse seats in baseball, that only an anorexic would be comfortable sitting in. And that's if your lucky enough to get them for face.

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/seating.jsp

[Rob R]

I'm not denying the fact a person can get cheap Yankee tickets. It's a good thing. I just find it surprising that the secondary market has collapsed and tickets are so cheap. Obviously the demand isn't what season ticket holders thought it would be.

They've sold the majority, if not all of those seats. Obviously, some re-sellers aren't making the killing they want, but that's more a product of the weather in April/May, and quite honestly the suckitude of the team thus far. And it's baseball-wide, not only the Yanks. Hopefully, this all changes. I'm confident it will (we've been there before) but that's a total different subject for a total different thread or forum.

[hbwriter]

best article on the subject yet - this is not just a ticket availability issue - it's an attitude issue - it's a moat issue - stadiums are a sum of their parts - and this one just seems to have a lot of broken ones

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/05/09/2009-05-09_madden_an_open_letter_to_boss__please_fix_your_ stadium.html

[NYBase]

best article on the subject yet - this is not just a ticket availability issue - it's an attitude issue - it's a moat issue - stadiums are a sum of their parts - and this one just seems to have a lot of broken ones

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/05/09/2009-05-09_madden_an_open_letter_to_boss__please_fix_your_ stadium.html


They're the ones so easy to spot on TV, Boss, because they're mostly empty and separated from the $300-$400 “field level” seats (also mostly empty) by what they call the “moat.” (The running joke among Yankee employees is that Trost plans to fill the moat with water and live alligators to further insulate his rich friends from the unwashed masses.)
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/05/09/2009-05-09_madden_an_open_letter_to_boss__please_fix_your_ stadium.html#ixzz0FAwVdJN2&B

sounds like baseball-fever :laugh

[scooterfan]

I don't live in Boston. What gave you that impression? I used to hate the Red Sox growing up because when I was a kid they were better than the Yankees just about every year from 1986-1992 except for 1987. All my friends growing up in RI razzed me for being a Yankee fan and all I could say was Bucky Dent. There are a surprising number of Yankee fans in Rhode Island because tons of Italians settled here from Ellis Island and became fans because of DiMaggio. And of course my dad grew up in Washington Heights Manhattan on 181 st and st nicholas and his aunt used to take him to Yankee Stadium when he was a kid. I had beer thrown at me in Fenway Park in 1992 when Charlie Hayes hit one up into the screen. And from 1993-2003 I didn't hate them because they weren't a threat. And now I respect them becuase of what they've accomplished and like Francesa and a lot of Yankee fans I'm mad that they're eclipsed the Yankees...I'm not mad at the Red Sox, I'm mad at the Yankees for letting it happen. I've been to Fenway Park 30 times in my life. I've been to Shea Stadium twice in my life. Every baseball park in California at least once, and about 8 or 9 other ballparks once or twice. And Yankee Stadium over 100 times. Yankee Stadium was obviously my favorite but if you are sitting behind the dugout at Fenway Park there is no better baseball experience in America. And I've been once to the new stadium. And you know what my review is.

My offer for Rob, and any other one of you guys...is that I will be willing to attend a game with you guys and maybe, maybe just maybe I'll start to form a more favorable impression of the stadium.

[Gary Dunaier]

You do realize the Yankees are leading the league in attendance?

If you're going by the official attendance numbers, that's sadly not reliable because the official numbers quoted are tickets sold, not the actual number of fans that go through the turnstiles.

If there was an actual one-day boycott to a game for which let's say 39,883 tickets were sold, the official attendance would be reported as 39,883 even if only 94 people actually walked through the turnstiles that day.

That would be like...

[Gary Dunaier]

...if I were to...

[Gary Dunaier]

...pad up my...

[Gary Dunaier]

...post count by...

[Gary Dunaier]

...posting many short posts...

[Gary Dunaier]

...like these, for example...

[Gary Dunaier]

...instead of posting one "substantial" post of normal length.

[scooterfan]

If you're going by the official attendance numbers, that's sadly not reliable because the official numbers quoted are tickets sold, not the actual number of fans that go through the turnstiles.

If there was an actual one-day boycott to a game for which let's say 39,883 tickets were sold, the official attendance would be reported as 39,883 even if only 94 people actually walked through the turnstiles that day.

That would be like...

I caught part of the Dodger game today and although they announced a crowd of 37 thousand I'd be surprised if there were more than 18 thousand in attendance.

[Mongoose]

And to add to this, those $20 seats are $12 re-sells and can be had for $12 or less on game day at Stub Hub. Anyone who says they are being priced out is either lying or hasn't been to a game or looked into it.

If fans aren't being priced out, it's not for the Yankees lack of trying. My tickets on Thursday were $29 face each for grandstand on a weeknight in May. Not sure of the Yankees ticket office fees, but if they're anything like the Mets, that's another $10 or so a ticket over face if I'd bought them individually from the Yankees. That's just too much for upper deck tickets to a ballgame. The situation at "Citi Field" is the same. The average person really can't afford to go and take their family very often anymore.

So where do all those tickets going for peanuts on Stub Hub come from? How could the people taking a beating on Stub Hub afford them in the first place at the overinflated face value?

Lot of them were probably individual games from season ticket plans. Many if not most season ticket holders seem able to deduct their tickets as business expenses (50% of the cost is deductible is it?), so the STHs aren't paying face. Joe Citizen is picking up a big part of the tab for the season tickets via taxes, and then gets screwed again by having to pay an inflated individual game price as a result of deductible season tickets inflating the amount teams can get away with charging.

I tend to believe that the Mets and Yankees both miscalculated not only on the number of people willing to pay for the more expensive seats, but also the number of people willing to pay $30 a ticket to sit in the upper deck. Don't be fooled by what face value for the ticket says - if you buy an individual game ticket at the box office, Mets or Yankees, that's what you're likely to walk away paying with fees. And then factor in another $20 a person in food before your visit to the ballpark is complete.

Beyond the limited number of governmentally subsidized season ticket holders I've described, demand seems to have fallen off the table at the retail price. That's why you can get a ticket on Stub Hub for so little. That's really all it ought to cost in the first place; by and large, people can't afford to pay more comfortably.

The market has found its price, but that's no thanks to the Yankees.

[Rob R]

I don't live in Boston. What gave you that impression? I used to hate the Red Sox growing up because when I was a kid they were better than the Yankees just about every year from 1986-1992 except for 1987. All my friends growing up in RI razzed me for being a Yankee fan and all I could say was Bucky Dent. There are a surprising number of Yankee fans in Rhode Island because tons of Italians settled here from Ellis Island and became fans because of DiMaggio. And of course my dad grew up in Washington Heights Manhattan on 181 st and st nicholas and his aunt used to take him to Yankee Stadium when he was a kid. I had beer thrown at me in Fenway Park in 1992 when Charlie Hayes hit one up into the screen. And from 1993-2003 I didn't hate them because they weren't a threat. And now I respect them becuase of what they've accomplished and like Francesa and a lot of Yankee fans I'm mad that they're eclipsed the Yankees...I'm not mad at the Red Sox, I'm mad at the Yankees for letting it happen. I've been to Fenway Park 30 times in my life. I've been to Shea Stadium twice in my life. Every baseball park in California at least once, and about 8 or 9 other ballparks once or twice. And Yankee Stadium over 100 times. Yankee Stadium was obviously my favorite but if you are sitting behind the dugout at Fenway Park there is no better baseball experience in America. And I've been once to the new stadium. And you know what my review is.

My offer for Rob, and any other one of you guys...is that I will be willing to attend a game with you guys and maybe, maybe just maybe I'll start to form a more favorable impression of the stadium.


My bad. I guess that I knew you grew up in New England, and incorrctly thought Boston in my post. As for Fenway, as nice and legendary as it is, physically, it is a very uncomfortable place to watch a game, not to mention the obstructions and seat angles. But, we've already been though that. Still, there is a special feel about the place in many respects.

Paisan, eh? That effin explains it - thick headed. :laugh 3/4 one myself. And sure, that sounds like a great idea, but will you be safe with your Sox hat on? lol...

I honestly think that when we go, and if you go in with an open-mind, and forget all those Yankee transgressions you talk about and I'm sure you're feeling, that your experience at NYS will be better. It may not be nirvana to some, but in most respects it's a much better stadium than RYS. What they did to OYS, now THAT was a crime.

Time for some sleep. Have a 1 pm plane to catch and will be gone for a couple of days on business. We'll talk.

[Rob R]

If fans aren't being priced out, it's not for the Yankees lack of trying. My tickets on Thursday were $29 face each for grandstand on a weeknight in May. Not sure of the Yankees ticket office fees, but if they're anything like the Mets, that's another $10 or so a ticket over face if I'd bought them individually from the Yankees. That's just too much for upper deck tickets to a ballgame. The situation at "Citi Field" is the same. The average person really can't afford to go and take their family very often anymore.

So where do all those tickets going for peanuts on Stub Hub come from? How could the people taking a beating on Stub Hub afford them in the first place at the overinflated face value?

Lot of them were probably individual games from season ticket plans. Many if not most season ticket holders seem able to deduct their tickets as business expenses (50% of the cost is deductible is it?), so the STHs aren't paying face. Joe Citizen is picking up a big part of the tab for the season tickets via taxes, and then gets screwed again by having to pay an inflated individual game price as a result of deductible season tickets inflating the amount teams can get away with charging.

I tend to believe that the Mets and Yankees both miscalculated not only on the number of people willing to pay for the more expensive seats, but also the number of people willing to pay $30 a ticket to sit in the upper deck. Don't be fooled by what face value for the ticket says - if you buy an individual game ticket at the box office, Mets or Yankees, that's what you're likely to walk away paying with fees. And then factor in another $20 a person in food before your visit to the ballpark is complete.

Beyond the limited number of governmentally subsidized season ticket holders I've described, demand seems to have fallen off the table at the retail price. That's why you can get a ticket on Stub Hub for so little. That's really all it ought to cost in the first place; by and large, people can't afford to pay more comfortably.

The market has found its price, but that's no thanks to the Yankees.

Very reasonable and thoughtful response, and not much to argue, other than those ticket fees you're talking about applies to all clubs, not just the Yanks and Mets. But, I get your overall point and can't say that I disagree.

[mandrake]

In regards to a 'black out at Yankee Stadium' , if the Yankees suddenly announced that the tickets at NYS were priced at RYS 2008 levels, would people stop complaining? What if they 'relapsed' into 2003, the last year they won the pennant and turned ticket prices back to 2003? Would that finally end the hysteria?

Sadly for the NY fan, you are not going to pay KC prices for either YS or CF. You probably will not pay Philly prices , but we should as Philly and NYC are close. The Mets really should be close to Philly prices since the ballparks match up better !

So NY fans......without saying 1923.....what year's prices would you think is fair to pay for as the NYS prices. The responses will let us know where fans are really coming from !

[Gary Dunaier]

so ny fans......without saying 1923.....what year's prices would you think is fair to pay for as the nys prices. The responses will let us know where fans are really coming from !

1924. (Hey, I did like you asked and didn't say 1923... :D )

[hbwriter]

Good piece from today's WSJ

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124199883515504917.html

It's called "$400 for a Day at the Ballpark?
Taxpayers helped George Steinbrenner raise ticket prices."

factoid from the piece: "The Steinbrenner and Wilpon families have only themselves to blame for embarrassing attendance. Yes, there's a recession on, but there's a recession on in Arizona, too. This year, according to the Team Marketing Report's Fan Cost Index, a family of four can count on spending $410.88 to see a Yankees home game. That's an increase of slightly more than 49% from last year. In Arizona, a family of four would spend only $114.29 to see the Diamondbacks play in Phoenix -- down 29.8% from 2008."

[Gary Dunaier]

From the WSJ article:


As Jeff Kalafa of BleacherReport.com has suggested, the Mets and Yankees have taken a page out of the OPEC playbook: They're using production quotas to increase the price of their product.

For that to work demand has to hold up. It hasn't, in part, because many New Yorkers are angry that the old stadiums were discarded. These fans weren't paying to see the ballpark but to see a game in the ballpark. The Mets and the Yankees led the majors in attendance last season. Why did the owners think anyone would buy the argument that antiquated facilities were costing them customers?

The fact that Shea and Yankee Stadiums were in their final seasons, and people came out to see them one last time, has to have played a factor in attendance. So the fans were, at least in part, paying to see a ballpark.

[toefer]

So where do all those tickets going for peanuts on Stub Hub come from? How could the people taking a beating on Stub Hub afford them in the first place at the overinflated face value?

Lot of them were probably individual games from season ticket plans. Many if not most season ticket holders seem able to deduct their tickets as business expenses (50% of the cost is deductible is it?), so the STHs aren't paying face. Joe Citizen is picking up a big part of the tab for the season tickets via taxes, and then gets screwed again by having to pay an inflated individual game price as a result of deductible season tickets inflating the amount teams can get away with charging.


I'm not sure I follow this. So what if 50% of the cost is deductible? That doesn't mean they're getting tickets for half price, it just means they're only paying tax on half of the cost.

Sure, it's still saving them something, but not nearly enough to allow them to sell tickets more than a few cents (or a couple dollars, depending on the seat) below face value. Certainly nowhere near the 50-60% of face value that a lot of tickets are going for.

We'll have to wait until next season to see what effect this really has. If ticket brokering is no longer a profitable business for Yankee games, then we can expect a drop in season ticket sales next year.

[jimmyjimjimz]

isn't a blackout when the electricity goes off for a long time?

so if the blackout is during the day, they can possibly get the game done, but if it's at night, they can't.

that's what you're saying, right?

[Yankees12]

In regards to a 'black out at Yankee Stadium' , if the Yankees suddenly announced that the tickets at NYS were priced at RYS 2008 levels, would people stop complaining? What if they 'relapsed' into 2003, the last year they won the pennant and turned ticket prices back to 2003? Would that finally end the hysteria?

Sadly for the NY fan, you are not going to pay KC prices for either YS or CF. You probably will not pay Philly prices , but we should as Philly and NYC are close. The Mets really should be close to Philly prices since the ballparks match up better !

So NY fans......without saying 1923.....what year's prices would you think is fair to pay for as the NYS prices. The responses will let us know where fans are really coming from !

I'm not going to specify a year, but I will say this - wherever supply meets demand. No reason Yankee ticket prices shouldn't be decided the same way Coca-Cola prices or Colgate toothpaste prices or car prices are decided.

I'd say prices are around that point for the upper deck, the bleachers, and the main level, considering those seats are virtually completely sold out for all 81 games. It's on the field level and in the suites where they're way above where they should be. And the Yanks are paying the price for that by not being able to sell those tickets.

[threeyoda]

isn't a blackout when the electricity goes off for a long time?

so if the blackout is during the day, they can possibly get the game done, but if it's at night, they can't.

that's what you're saying, right?

He means a blackout of fans, meaning the game has an attensance of 0.

[jimmyjimjimz]

He means a blackout of fans, meaning the game has an attensance of 0.

oh, I doubt that will ever happen

[jpr281]

one day doesn't mean anything

if you're fed up with the stadium or the team as a whole, just don't go period

[SparkyL]

So now that we've answered the black out question (I won't happen) - further posts regarding ticket prices, etc. should go on the NYS Outrage thread . . .

[Tullydew]

So now that we've answered the black out question (I won't happen) - further posts regarding ticket prices, etc. should go on the NYS Outrage thread . . .


Please Mods, close this ridiculous thread.

[Gary Dunaier]

Please Mods, close this ridiculous thread.

The thread may be Aristophanes, but the sentiment is legitimate.

I agree that a boycott just isn't going to happen. Taking into account all of the casual fans, tourists and whatnot, people who only go to one game a year or every once in a blue moon, who just happen to have tickets for whatever date would be selected, I don't know if there are enough knowledgeable, informed ticketholders out there who would be willing to "eat" their tickets for that game to make a difference.

[hbwriter]

as the creator of it, yeah, it's a bit aristophanes to be sure-- and a little tongue in cheek--it was the result of a separate discussion there I raised this as an extreme--someone questioned whether it could happen, I figured just throw it out to the wolves for a quick chew

[SparkyL]

So now that we've answered the black out question (I won't happen) - further posts regarding ticket prices, etc. should go on the NYS Outrage thread . . .

http://baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=90037&page=16

[Ralphw]

maybe we can convince everyone to overun the security at the old stadium and fill it during a game and leave the new one empty......


just a joke...sorta






just as much a chance of this happening as anything else... the only thing that will get thier attention is loud ugly press

[jimmyjimjimz]

maybe we can convince everyone to overun the security at the old stadium and fill it during a game and leave the new one empty......


just a joke...sorta






just as much a chance of this happening as anything else... the only thing that will get thier attention is loud ugly press



Theyre taking the seats out of the old stadium
Where would we sit?
and there's no field