As most of the regular readers of this site know, I am a New York Yankees season ticket holder. Regrettably, I had to sell my season strip this year (FOR FACE VALUE) in order to save up for 2009 season tickets in the new Stadium.
So, here it is, July 28, and the current Yankee Stadium is down to 20-something games left in its fabled history. Unfortunately for prospective ticket buyers, that means demand is skyrocketing and prices are going with it.
I have been keeping track of the Yankee ticket market on sites like Craigs List and Stubhub for the past few years. Typically, during the dog days of summer, tickets to games against the last place team on weeknights were easy to come by. Not only that, the tickets were usually below face value if you waited long enough to purchase them and played your cards right.
I'm here to sadly report that those days are long gone. Now, the Yankees "for sale" ads on Craigs List are outnumbered by "wanted" ads - and the wanted ads are being placed by people willing to pay above face value.
Myself and fake Ian Kennedy wanted to go to a game this week, but neither of us are in a position to pay an arm and a leg for more excruciating encounters with "the typical Yankee fan", of which I have chronicled on this site ad nauseam.
For the working class Yankee fan, this is a sad time. Gone are the days of making a spur of the moment decision during an especially tedious work day to catch a cheap game in the Bronx. Gone are the days of hitting up Craigs List last minute for a pair of Tier Reserved tickets for under $20, buying a sandwich from Subway and sneaking a pre-mixed bottle of rum and coke into the stadium.
There is no telling if those simpler times will return once the hype of the new Stadium wears off. However, with the price tag approaching 1.3 billion for the new digs, my magic 8-ball does not paint a pretty picture.
Talk about it in the NYYSI Forums!
Monday, July 28, 2008
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5 comments:
I think at this point the only way I'll find myself in Yankee Stadium is if the real Ian Kennedy gets called up and I can somehow impersonate him. Come to think of it, that shouldn't be too difficult--I'll simply get jerked off in the bullpen, and security will be none the wiser!
Not to start a flame war, but it is a little ironic that you are complaining about the fair weather fans.
Isnt it these same fair weather fans that started coming out of the woodwork in the early 90's the same ones that paid over face value during the dynasty years and thus allowed the Yanks to continue to spend when they need to? I am not trying to claim that the Yanks have bought their way into anything recently but in can hardly be argued that their wealth didnt help them out in tons of places that other teams would not be fortunate to have. Stuff like being able to go out and get that last piece for a playoff run instead of having to rely on what you have.
I know it sucks for the diehards, but it is what it is. It's not going to change and in reality your team does benefit from it in the long run.
The old argument of driving the diehard fans away is a suspect one at best. That will never happen and thus, teams are not going to concede in the slightest. Look at the Detroit Loins in the NFL... Their fans organized a walk out. It got tons of national media coverage and yet when the time came, the fans were the ones that back down. very few fans actually left.
if Lions fans wont turn on their team no matter how warranted it is, I sincerely doubt that die hard Yankee fans will.
As much as it sucks, you got to just suck it up. Watch the game from home on a nice big TV with some buddies and beers that are 1/8th the price.
Yup. Thats what I'm forced to do, Radie.
I'm not really complaining about fair weather fans. When I say "typical Yankee fans" I am talking about the nostalgia-loving late 90's fans.
I completely understand why tickets are so hard to come by. Good for the Yankees. They need this money to sign CC in the offseason.
Yeah I suppose I started to finish a talk that Drew and I had last week which is where the rant went off to.
I get what you are saying. And surely nothing is better then being in the stadium for a game, especially during a last season.
But the plus side to it (and this is why I actually dont like to go to playoff games) is that it is SO MUCH easier to take a loss if you arent there.
Ross, a few years ago, you gave me tickets to go see the NY Rangers try to pull even with the Sabres in a playoff series. The game was in Buffalo, but the tickets were to watch the game in MSG on the screens. The garden was about 1/3 full and the rangers were up by 1 with less then 10seconds to go before Drury tied the game. the Sabres would go on to win and make the series 3-1, which they would also eventually win. that night was CRUSHING! I often wonder if it was even worth going. Sure I had a great time and the atmosphere was cool, but I sincerely believe that the pain was much worse because I was there.
I might be in the minority here but some games I would just rather watch at home. And I LOVE Shea with all my heart (as it was the only place in my childhood where there were no problems).
Yea, sometimes being at home is better. That way you can drown your sorrows in whatever is at your home (alcohol, woman, tears), without anyone judging you.
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