One of the factors spurring on the popularity of newly built baseball stadiums are standing room only tickets, typically made available for sold out games. At Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, fans are known to line up overnight and form tent-cities for big games. For this year's opening day ring ceremony, Phillies fans waited hours in the rain and cold for the opportunity to snag 500 SRO tickets that would cost only $13.
The wide concourses and open-air build of new ballparks makes them extremely conducive to standing and watching the game from public areas, instead of having seats. There are plans for standing room only tickets at both the new Yankee Stadium, and Citi Field, but sales of these tickets have been put on hold indefinitely.
In Queens, the Mets set expectations low right off the bat, announcing that internal evaluations of Citi Field would take place before any standing room tickets would be sold. In the Bronx, there have been mixed messages from the start. The calendar is now in the month of May and according to our source in the ticket office, "[there is] still no word on the SRO tickets...my guess is we won't be selling them anytime soon."
Both teams are stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they put the standing room tickets on sale immediately, they are giving fans another reason not to splurge on the still-overpriced premium ticket offerings. The Yankees have become so desperate to sell these seats that they have slashed ticket prices and have even enlisted the help of Yankees legend David Cone, who is cold-calling prospective ticket buyers. From a business standpoint, this would be a bad time to put standing room only tickets on the already crashing market.
On the other hand, delaying the sale of standing room only tickets may generate more bad PR for the new stadiums - the last thing that the Yankees and Mets need . Fans who have been looking forward to purchasing affordable tickets directly from their team's respective ticket office may feel that they are left out in the cold because the teams are unable to move their overpriced ticket options.
When reached for comment, Yankee spokeswoman Alice McGillion said "we have always said that we would not sell standing room tickets for some time until the flow of the fans in the building is clearer. When that flow during the game becomes more predictable we will make a decision on standing room."
If that was the message that was relayed all along (as the Mets did in Flushing), there would be far less confusion. In February, COO Lonn Trost spouted off on the radio and announced that standing room only tickets would be $20. The team has yet to announce the prices of these tickets. in April, ticket office representatives shared divergent information, referencing tiered pricing, which confused everyone.The Yankees have also openly used the unsold SRO tickets as a crutch for their disappointing early season attendance, even resorting to some fuzzy math. According to Yankees Media Relations Director Jason Zillo, as quoted in the NY Daily News following opening day, 2,000 standing room only tickets were unsold - the reason for drawing "only" 48,271 fans.
It is easy for the Yankees to use SRO tickets as an excuse for not cracking the 50,000 mark yet this season, but their official website lists the attendance (including SRO) as 52,325. Therefore, even if the Yankees had sold those 2,000 tickets on opening day, it still wouldn't have been a sellout, and the Yankees wouldn't have even come close to a sellout since - not even for the Boston games.
The Yankees don't owe standing room tickets to anyone. However, poor internal and external communication among team entities has led to confusion by fans and scrutiny over attendance by others. It might be time for the Yankees to develop a better PR strategy.
Read the full post, after the jump
Showing posts with label price for standing room only tickets at Yankee Stadium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label price for standing room only tickets at Yankee Stadium. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Don't Expect Great Deals From Standing Room Only Tickets
There have been whispers for a while, but we are now receiving the first reports from fans regarding standing room only ticketing procedures at the new Yankee Stadium. Last week, we received an email from a fellow Yankee fan with information provided by a ticket representative that SRO tickets would be sold at a considerable discount from the seats in the section in front of them. Sadly, that information has been proven to be false, at least according to blog reader Victor:
To clarify, if you purchase a standing room only ticket in the outfield Grandstand, you will pay $23 for the ticket. If you purchase a standing room only ticket in the field level section behind home plate, you will pay $375. Aside from everything we said earlier today about Yankee Stadium security, is it any wonder that they are so uptight? It appears that these guards are going to be responsible for monitoring the people trying to sit in seats in their section, and also responsible for monitoring which fans are allowed to stand near the section.
As for the actual views from the standing room only sections, our experience at the new Yankee Stadium leads us to believe that standing room only in the upper deck offers views of only half of the field. The most we would pay for SRO in the Grandstand is $5, and that is a stretch. The idea to charge full game day price for standing room only makes sense in the most expensive sections of the field/main levels of the stadium, where admittedly good standing room only views exist.
Another factor to consider in all of this is the horrendous flow and painfully long concession lines that plagued many of the concourses during the first weekend of games at the new Yankee Stadium. People were obviously walking around the concourses more than they will during the season, but selling more standing room only tickets means more traffic on the concourses. Right now, Yankee Stadium can't handle that. The Yankees would be smart to evaluate the general flow of the new park before letting the additional ticket revenue drive their decision.
As usual with the Yankees, none of this information is available on the official website, so all of the above information is subject to change. A rogue ticket agent may well sell you half price standing room only tickets for a sold out game versus the Red Sox in September. It is very unlikely, but when policies are not in black and white, and we are forced to rely on first hand reports from fellow Yankee fans, anything is possible. Read the full post, after the jump
I was at Yankee Stadium 3 yesterday to purchase tickets. I read that the Yankees will supposedly have 2,000 Standing Room tickets available in sellout games. The ticket agent explained to me that Standing Room Tickets will be available on Gameday. BUT! The price of the Standing Room ticket depends on where you stand in the ballpark.Perhaps some earlier iteration of the Yankee ticket plans had the Yankees doing the right thing (like they do at Citizens Bank Park in Philly) and offering all standing room only tickets for $10. Unfortunately, the final word is that tickets for standing room only will cost the same as any game day ticket in the assigned SRO section. On a positive note, this does mean that standing room only tickets will only be sold on the day of the game, as we had hoped.
To clarify, if you purchase a standing room only ticket in the outfield Grandstand, you will pay $23 for the ticket. If you purchase a standing room only ticket in the field level section behind home plate, you will pay $375. Aside from everything we said earlier today about Yankee Stadium security, is it any wonder that they are so uptight? It appears that these guards are going to be responsible for monitoring the people trying to sit in seats in their section, and also responsible for monitoring which fans are allowed to stand near the section.
As for the actual views from the standing room only sections, our experience at the new Yankee Stadium leads us to believe that standing room only in the upper deck offers views of only half of the field. The most we would pay for SRO in the Grandstand is $5, and that is a stretch. The idea to charge full game day price for standing room only makes sense in the most expensive sections of the field/main levels of the stadium, where admittedly good standing room only views exist.
Another factor to consider in all of this is the horrendous flow and painfully long concession lines that plagued many of the concourses during the first weekend of games at the new Yankee Stadium. People were obviously walking around the concourses more than they will during the season, but selling more standing room only tickets means more traffic on the concourses. Right now, Yankee Stadium can't handle that. The Yankees would be smart to evaluate the general flow of the new park before letting the additional ticket revenue drive their decision.
As usual with the Yankees, none of this information is available on the official website, so all of the above information is subject to change. A rogue ticket agent may well sell you half price standing room only tickets for a sold out game versus the Red Sox in September. It is very unlikely, but when policies are not in black and white, and we are forced to rely on first hand reports from fellow Yankee fans, anything is possible. Read the full post, after the jump
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The Yankeee Stadium Version Of Fenway's Green Monster Seats And More Interesting Ticket Options
Earlier this week, we talked about the confusing ticketing options available via the drop-down menu on Ticketmaster's website. Unfortunately, our friends over at The Mets Police fell victim to this confusion, as they tried to choose "standing room only" seats for Opening Day and none were available. Although the Yankees have put most of the seats in the stadium on sale during this week's presales, there are still some tickets being held back until an undetermined date. These seats are some of the most unique options in the stadium, and people who get their hands on them will be in for a treat.
According to a representative in the Yankee ticket office, "standing room only," "Mohegan Sun Sports Bar" and "Outdoor Food Court" tickets will be made available to the public, but there is no date for the sale or price of the tickets. It is shocking that these options still don't have prices or purchase information this close to the first games, but it might be a sign that the Yankees are taking our advice and making these tickets day of game sales only.
Pictured below is an overhead shot of the area in question:
The Mohegan Sun Sports Bar is located inside of the tinted black "batter's eye." These seats will be climate-controlled and will essentially be the equivalent of watching the game from a bar, except you will be at the game. According to a ticket rep, there are "fixed rows of bar-like seating facing the field." Mohegan Sun issued a press release about these 132 seats last May with plenty of additional information. These seats will be great when it is in the 40's and drizzling in April or October, and perhaps when it is in the upper 90's in August. However, most people go to a ball game to feel like they are in the stands and close to the action. It seems impossible for these sports bar seats to offer the classic feel of going to a Yankee game. We'll have to check them out at some point.
Right above the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar and in front of the Outdoor Food Court will be the "Outdoor Food Court" tickets, also known as the "cafe seating." These are the seats that are most similar to Fenway's Green Monster offering. In the photo above you can see the blue seats, above the black "batter's eye." These seats offer a rare view of a game at Yankee Stadium and may be the new Yankee Stadium equivalent of the landing spot for home runs hit "into the black." Fans in these seats should not expect a mammoth blast to be hit their way, but when the likes of A-Rod step up to the plate, they should probably keep an eye out. There can't be many more than 40 of these seats per game, so they will likely be hard to come by.
Finally, "standing room only" ticketing will be offered. Information about these tickets is the most vague. An interesting rumor that was confirmed by a ticket rep is that there will be standing room only tickets in multiple locations around the stadium. There are even rumors that there will be "Legends standing room only" that will cost $375 and will offer admission to all of the special amenities for the rich folk. As of now, the Yankees have not yet officially announced the location or price of these tickets, but Lonn Trost indicated in an interview that the cheapest standing room only tickets will be $20, as we have discussed previously.
We're not sure how these standing room only folks will be prevented from sitting in empty seats around the stadium, but perhaps this will be the Yankees' solution to all of the unsold "greatest seats in the world." In that scenario, the Yankees can have the most possible time to sell the really expensive tickets. If, by the day of the game, those expensive seats are still unsold, the Yankees can sell their day of game standing room only tickets. Once these fans are in their designated spots, the Yankees can have their security guards/ushers accompany them to open luxury seats.
The likelihood of the above solution actually occurring is pretty slim, and it would be unfair to people actually paying for the "greatest seats in the world." However, it would be a way for the Yankees to make those seats look filled on TV without officially dropping the price of the "greatest seats in the world." Sometimes you have to think outside of the box, especially with the current economic situation. With word of these interesting ticket options, perhaps the Yankees are starting to expand their thinking.
UPDATE (3/21 1:20 PM) Courtesy of Sliding Into Home, Via Flickr member treman262 with special credit to baseball-fever's "donut726" comes this photo that illustrates a lot of the above-mentioned seats even better:
If you enlarge the photo, you can see the bar-style seating inside of the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar, and you can clearly see the "Outdoor Food Court" seating on top. Read the full post, after the jump
According to a representative in the Yankee ticket office, "standing room only," "Mohegan Sun Sports Bar" and "Outdoor Food Court" tickets will be made available to the public, but there is no date for the sale or price of the tickets. It is shocking that these options still don't have prices or purchase information this close to the first games, but it might be a sign that the Yankees are taking our advice and making these tickets day of game sales only.
Pictured below is an overhead shot of the area in question:
The Mohegan Sun Sports Bar is located inside of the tinted black "batter's eye." These seats will be climate-controlled and will essentially be the equivalent of watching the game from a bar, except you will be at the game. According to a ticket rep, there are "fixed rows of bar-like seating facing the field." Mohegan Sun issued a press release about these 132 seats last May with plenty of additional information. These seats will be great when it is in the 40's and drizzling in April or October, and perhaps when it is in the upper 90's in August. However, most people go to a ball game to feel like they are in the stands and close to the action. It seems impossible for these sports bar seats to offer the classic feel of going to a Yankee game. We'll have to check them out at some point.
Right above the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar and in front of the Outdoor Food Court will be the "Outdoor Food Court" tickets, also known as the "cafe seating." These are the seats that are most similar to Fenway's Green Monster offering. In the photo above you can see the blue seats, above the black "batter's eye." These seats offer a rare view of a game at Yankee Stadium and may be the new Yankee Stadium equivalent of the landing spot for home runs hit "into the black." Fans in these seats should not expect a mammoth blast to be hit their way, but when the likes of A-Rod step up to the plate, they should probably keep an eye out. There can't be many more than 40 of these seats per game, so they will likely be hard to come by.
Finally, "standing room only" ticketing will be offered. Information about these tickets is the most vague. An interesting rumor that was confirmed by a ticket rep is that there will be standing room only tickets in multiple locations around the stadium. There are even rumors that there will be "Legends standing room only" that will cost $375 and will offer admission to all of the special amenities for the rich folk. As of now, the Yankees have not yet officially announced the location or price of these tickets, but Lonn Trost indicated in an interview that the cheapest standing room only tickets will be $20, as we have discussed previously.
We're not sure how these standing room only folks will be prevented from sitting in empty seats around the stadium, but perhaps this will be the Yankees' solution to all of the unsold "greatest seats in the world." In that scenario, the Yankees can have the most possible time to sell the really expensive tickets. If, by the day of the game, those expensive seats are still unsold, the Yankees can sell their day of game standing room only tickets. Once these fans are in their designated spots, the Yankees can have their security guards/ushers accompany them to open luxury seats.
The likelihood of the above solution actually occurring is pretty slim, and it would be unfair to people actually paying for the "greatest seats in the world." However, it would be a way for the Yankees to make those seats look filled on TV without officially dropping the price of the "greatest seats in the world." Sometimes you have to think outside of the box, especially with the current economic situation. With word of these interesting ticket options, perhaps the Yankees are starting to expand their thinking.
UPDATE (3/21 1:20 PM) Courtesy of Sliding Into Home, Via Flickr member treman262 with special credit to baseball-fever's "donut726" comes this photo that illustrates a lot of the above-mentioned seats even better:
If you enlarge the photo, you can see the bar-style seating inside of the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar, and you can clearly see the "Outdoor Food Court" seating on top. Read the full post, after the jump
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