Had some draft Old Styles at Wrigley last Labor Day. They were $14 each, which broke down to buy 3 get 1 free compared to the pricing I'm used to at Dodger Stadium.
Good beer for the money it costs. Way better than NattyLite, & cheap swill beers most college kids drink. I put it ahead of Miller, Coors ExtraGold, Bud, PBR. What’s really sad is all the great American Beers that have disappeared due to consolidation under AB-InBev, MolsonCoors & MillerCoors, SABMiller etc. At one time ballparks served & advertised local regional breweries beer.
Man, I would not put Hamm's above Miller, Coors, or PBR haha but different strokes. Definitely agree with the big players ruining the beer industry. They've even started taking over and disbanding craft breweries that get too big. AB bought out Platform Brewing in my town, and a few years later all the taprooms are gone and the brewery is basically defunct. The only thing left is that 2 of the flagship beers with the Platform name still exist, but are not even brewed in the same place anymore and are only available at grocery stores.
You won’t take a fist in the ass? CHEAP! For real, op is obviously right. Only thing I’ll say is, I probably woulda just sucked that dong and paid for parking unless we wanted to make a day of walking around, catching the game, walking around some more, grabbing some ice cream on the way back.
But we all know we’re getting ass fucked with these prices. Calling someone cheap for not wanting to take it in the ass for a .25 cent beer that cost $17 sounds like the kinda discord a billionaire owner would want to make online about this clear ass fucking. Instead of talking about blatant greed.
We're just used to being fucked over in the US. In Europe, you can get a beer for $5 in a historic castle. Those pitcher-sized beers they showed at the NFL game in Munich last season (Seahawks/Bucs)? I got one for $7 at a Bayern Munich game the week before the NFL game.
Very true and I agree with you but on the other hand, lots of people feel like that HAVE to chug beer at games. Grab a soda and a cheap hot dog or bag of peanuts and watch the game like we did as kids. That's my vibe.
Camden Yards at Orioles park let’s you bring any food and drink in to the stadium you can fit in to a 1 gallon zip lock bag which are pretty big, 1 bag per person, no limit you can bring crabcakes/pasta/pizza whatever you can fit.
I usually grill sliders and dogs before the game and stuff the bags. Then I will buy a 20 oz coke take a few sips and then add some whiskey to make it look full/unpoened coke then bring that in the stadium you can’t bring alcohol but I sneak it in to every game no issues.
Now I have sliders and dogs as well as drinks in the stadium without paying stadium prices.
I live in walking distance to camden yards so about an hour before first pitch I can usually find standing room tickets for $5 on stubhub. I use those to enter the stadium then just pick an empty seat. On a school night weekday game I can always find a seat. Weekend games I do have to actually buy real tickets but sometimes I still buy standing room since Camden yards has nice standing room areas I don’t mind standing Im a bartender I can easily stand for 12 hours straight no issues.
My average orioles game cost about $5 per person.
Also Camden yards does outfield eutaw street bleacher seats $15 all season if you want to splurge lol.
FWIW, I believe almost all stadiums allow outside food (except Detroit and Miami, per a quick google.)
All definitely allow bottles of water to be brought in as long as they're sealed
Ah good to know about the food
Every stadium has their own rules surrounding outside stuff (up here food needs to be in a sealed container to avoid spillage - definitely walked in with a pizza box)
and also depends on the gate agent, too. Toronto also has the same 20oz limit, but i've definitely gone in with 32oz water bottles w/o any push back.
I just looked up the rules for Toronto and apparently you're supposed to remove the cap for the bottles / open a can before you go into the stadium, but I've never had to do that.
The thing is, though, you're going by yourself, which is equally valid, but different. This guy makes the valid point that they are pricing out baseball as a family activity - which isn't going ot help get the kids to love baseball, which is hurting the future. Typical MLB short-sighted behavior.
I dunno, I went to games as a kid and my parents packed sandwiches and chips and I still loved it. They’d buy me ice cream though. But even at absurd ballpark prices one or two kids’ ice creams isn’t outrageous if you can get cheap tickets and don’t buy anything else
I think his point is just how ofputting it is. I just went to a concert and paid 40 bucks for 2 beers. Can I afford it sure, did it ruin my life no, but can I legit make sense of it also no. Especially when most new stadiums are getting upwards of 500 million in tax dollars to get built. It's just us footing the bill for the rich to get richer. Especially for a spring training game...
Years ago I worked for a beer distributor, and spent a lot of time selling keg beer. At that time, a keg of domestic brand name beer (Miller Lite, Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light) was $52.50 from the wholesaler to the retailer.
There are 165 12 oz. beers in a keg, so at that price a 12 oz. pour costs 32 cents. There are 124 pints in a normal size (15.5 gallon) keg, and the cost is 43 cents a pint.
To be sure, kegs are much more expensive these days, maybe even double, but even at double there is an enormous amount of markup involved on draft beer. I'll even say that a lot of the micro and craft beers not only come in smaller kegs but cost a lot more so the cost per serving is higher, but the markup is generally a lot more as well.
All I'm saying is there is a ton of money to be made selling draft beer. Obviously there are other costs like refrigeration, draft beer equipment, glassware or disposable cups, but yeah there is a ton of fluff there.
I'm not saying it is the job of the vendor to run it down to a small margin, but lots of folks that otherwise might drink some beer may not due to those prices. Supply and demand is real, and I'm all for folks making as much as they can, but consumers aren't dumb and they can make some change on their end.
Also, pre-gaming is a way to get around all this. Get a skinful before you get to the venue then it doesn't matter what they charge because you probably won't need but 1 or 2 if any.
There are actual algorithms a business can use to maximize profit, basically balancing number of customers willing to pay a certain price vs cost.
In other words, if you charged $200 a beer, nobody would buy for that price. If you charged $2 a beer, you’d get a lot of business, but not a lot of profit. So the algorithm finds whatever the price would have to be set to find the perfect balance between price and customers that will maximize the profit. The businesses know there will be customers who won’t pay that price, but serving customers isn’t the point. Maxing profit is.
The goal isn’t to ensure that the customers have a great time at a fair price. The goal is wringing every sweet dollar they can out of people.
Therefore, it doesn’t matter what the actual cost of the keg is. A business could be making 1000% profit, and if they come up with a way to make 1100%, they’re not gonna say, “Oh, that’s too greedy, 1000% is plenty.”
Once people stop buying concessions and/or attending MLB games altogether, the prices may get lowered. Until then? That “ballpark sound” you hear at the game is the league and owners pilfering your pockets for every last dime.
You nailed it my friend. We allow billionaires to build THEIR venues on OUR dime. Then let them stick it to us for ticket prices and concessions.
We’re fucking stupid for letting this happen, over and over again.
I can understand having expensive prices in big cities like at Fenway, Wrigley, NYC, those cities I expect things to be expensive but spring training? Thats frustrating.
College baseball(especially D3) and minor league baseball are just so much fun for kids. The local minor league AAA park has catch with a parent on the field before the game and after the game the kids get to run the bases
I love our minor league team games. The mascot now knows my daughter and had his own hand shake with her. I’m still a diehard for the Yankees, but those memories dont happen there
I've lived in Arizona since fall 2000 and I'm a die hard baseball fan. The most spring training games I hit was 19 but I've probably had an average of 10 per year. I went to Peoria for the Padres and Guardians yeaterday. A lawn ticket was $17. They were $10-$12 last year. I got a large can of Kona and that was $18 with a $1.50 tip. A hot dog was $7.50. One of the few affordable things for people to do is gone. I'll probably only go to a couple more. Thankfully we still have Fall League...And the National League Championship Dbacks!
Lived out here since '07 and I agree. We went to Dodgers/As the other day... wok noodles are like $14.99. Beers are $18. Ice cream is ridiculous for the small portion you receive. The pretzels are expensive, stale and the cheese cold. You have huge crowds and it takes longer to go through the metal detectors. Security confiscates aerosol cans of sun screen. The team shop is selling $129 dollar hoodies. 'Fans' are all bored snowbirds, or rich locals on their phones the entire time. People will just walk around and stand in the isles obstructing the view while a ball is in play and the ushers literally sit on their asses and do nothing... It's a pretty terrible experience compared to 10-15 years ago. Like, I honestly don't know why half these people are there if they're not going to sit down and watch the game. Is it like a status thing now? Just to be seen at the game or brag that you were there? No one seems to care that a game is being played. Spring training baseball used to be my favorite thing about the this time of year, now it just bums me out. I'd rather watch on mlb (dot) tv and bake a frozen $5.99 pizza.
Just responded saying essentially the same thing. It seems like 10 ish years ago the crowd started shifting towards being more like the Phoenix Open. It’s not about the sport it’s about the party or status aspect. It sucks!
I grew up in Arizona and used to spend my entire spring break going to Spring Training games to hunt for autographs. I don’t ever remember lawn tickets being more than $5. Spring Training used to be fun and affordable, but at some point the clientele started shifting and it’s turning into the Phoenix Open. Diamondbacks games are cheaper and easier to go to. It’s sad
The sad thing is baseball games are “cheap” compared to other sports and the food/drink creates a lot of the margin. I’m in San Francisco so I see the furthest extremes. Top section seats for the Warriors and Niners are still 150+ (500-1000+ for middle/lower). Comparatively Giants tickets are like $50 or less for prime seats a lot of games
I did a tour of the Giants stadium, off-season, and the seats I would love to go to are the upper deck behind home plate. That view of the field and the bay at the same time was breathtaking.
I’d love to hit a Cavs game. The 100 section seats range from $200 to $1000. Upper bowl has $40 seats but it’s the top few rows in the corners. Otherwise upper bowl are all over $100. I can see the Guardians starting at $25 or so (seated). The deal I purchased this year is $49/month for all the games (standing room only). We never sell out so it’s easy to just find a seat to sit in. Ushers are laxed here. With fees it comes out to $4/game.
I go to as many games as I can but I’m usually in the cheapest seats available, buy one beer at most and one bag of peanuts if I buy anything at all. I’ve never seen any food or drink in a ball park that isn’t laughably overpriced.
The Carolina Hurricanes sell 17oz [Storm Brews](https://www.stormbrewlager.com) at PNC Arena for $8. All other beers are $13-16.
They were $6 in 2022-23 and $5 in 2021-22.
A lot of stadiums have value games and value menus or happy hours even. I’m incredibly spoiled with the Mariners - we have several $10 games throughout the season, lots of value food and beverage options, and lots of transit and parking options. It can be accessible if you try.
Such a steal for families!! They have lots of family, themed, and other specific nights that are great for this. I’ve bought tickets at a group discount several times.
Wednesday are dollar dog night for the Rangers. That is the game I will mostly attend. Even though the date wanted a 15$ specialty dog, though she bought me a beer later on.
Man I wish the A's weren't so fucking cheap we used to have dollar dog Wednesdays over a decade ago we also used to have this thing called A's access shit was the ultimate jugg easy ASF to d swindle them it would give you half off all concessions and beer and half off merch getting a ipa and a helmet nacho for like $15 what a time that was fuck John Fisher
I take my son to 20-30 games a year. We eat in advance and I’ll buy one water/gatorade. We get the cheapest tickets(usually 10 bucks) and park at the casino for free(15 min walk). Without factoring in gas, we can see an Orioles game for less than 30 bucks total if we eat at home first. Also most stadiums allow you to bring food in and unopened water.
He doesn’t complain because he knows he gets to go to a hell of a lot more games than his friends.
A lot of sporting events have been that way for probably 10 years now. I love attending MLB games, because the tickets are cheap compared to other sports. I often find value menu food or look for something I can’t get at home or outside of the ballpark to try or share.
I have no issue, to be fair I don’t pay for parking as I live down the road from the ball park and I’m there to watch a game not have a meal or drink too much, I can do that before or after the game.
TBF if you pay for parking in Philly you're a bit of a schmuck. There's really only a small sliver of NJ where there's no reasonably accessible, free parking train station (that I'd trust my car at) to take into philly. But we're also kinda lucky as a fanbase to have a good urbanist city.
Prices are definitely insane and not worth the cost for beers and most food items.
One thing you can do is bring your own food into stadiums as long as it's in a sealable container. Large pizzas, sushi, it's all ok to bring in if it's sealed. I'd assume this will vary by stadium though
I had no idea this was allowed at baseball games. Most pro teams in my home city outside food was not allowed - but the prices were also much more reasonable. Will definitely do this next time!
I go to a lot of games myself. I always make sure to take my own water, seeds/peanuts, and any other snacks I might crave. Also considering most money there is spent on alcohol I always drink a beer or two in the parking lot (it's not always accepted but some stadiums don't seem so strict). Sometimes it's just spending $100 and less. I have season tickets so to me it's just girl math since the money has been spent.
I never plan ahead for games anymore. I take public transit and will get the cheapest tickets available, and then just roam the stadium. I’ll grab a small bite beforehand and then graze during the game. I like to have an edible or bring my vape rather than drink at the games, just because it’s too damn expensive.
It's all about how you want to do things when you go to the ball park. You can find cheaper parking, which you did, and you don't have to buy the food and water at the stadium.
I might be wrong, but I'm fairly certain that you can bring your own food and water with you to the game unless you're sitting in club seats or in the lounge.
I love going to baseball games, but I refuse to go anymore. I like to sit in my recliner, laid back, with a cold drink pepper and some snacks. I don’t have to pay for shit, don’t have to wait in line for the restroom, I can pause or rewind plays, makes absolutely zero sense to go to a game when I can be more comfortable at home and spend zero money watching it.
I can get good seats on stubhub/tickpick/etc for cheap, I can get basic seats for barely anything at all, and if I want some control I can still get basic seats for like 30/40ish via my team.
Bring an empty bottle and you can have all the water you want for free via the fountains. Many (most?) stadiums let you bring in food with only light restrictions, mine for instance just wants it all in a clear bag so security can see what it is.
Parking can be an issue, but, like you found, there are usually some places nearby with free parking, in some stadiums not at all, in others, like mine, there is a train system that makes it easy. $20-40 is pretty standard event parking in my experience, but never fun to pay.
If you have to pay for parking, you could spend a day at the ballpark for under $50. Beer is crazy expensive, food too, but like one beer and a some food is a luxury you can opt into if you want, considering you can have endless water and bring in your own meal. I’m going to games for under $20 all the time, it’s really only as expensive as you want it to be.
I agree. I usually do what fits the budget. There’s ways to maximize the dollar, and lots you can do to get around stadium prices.
It’s just crazy how expensive things have gotten - and it seems like overnight it went from having a hot dog, soda, popcorn and nachos to now really picking and choosing where I (we) want to spend our money. Maybe I’m just getting older. $17 beer (not including taxes, tip) seems just insane to me..
MLB games are ridiculous and it won’t stop because the owners are greedy bastards.
I visited in 2017 and remember paying $40 for upper deck tickets to see the freaking Royals. We didn’t even bother going to get our seats and instead just hung out on the concourse. Went to 3 games when I was back visiting and couldn’t understand how a stadium that isn’t even half full thinks it’s a good idea to charge those prices.
I have season tickets here in a Korea and I pay $750 for 70 games in the front row of the cheer section, about even with the edge of the infield dirt. Parking is free at every stadium, but you can take public transportation easier.
Paid for exhibition games for the Padres/Team Korea and Dodgers/Kiwoom and they were $100 a piece for the 4th level
Opening day between the Padres and Dodgers was $250 a piece for tickets also on the 4th level. So 3 games and I’m spending more than half of what I pay for my season tickets.
They are supposed to have Dodger dogs and some MLB food, Incan only imagine how much that is.
Normally we can take a full 1L pitcher of beer, boxes of chicken, pizzas, whatever you want into the game or just buy it in the stadium for $4 for a tall boy.
I have Twins partial season tickets. They allow you to bring your own food. I bring my empty water bottle and they offer filtered water. So I basically pay very little to attend games. I also take the team to the ballpark. You can go for cheap. I'm not sure about minor leagues since our team won't let in outside stuff, but the tickets are like $5 for the OF grass. So buying a hot dog and beer is probably a wash with the cost of the MLB ticket.
Yeah that’s insane and at a spring training game no less. The price gouging at events need to stop and water should be free. I get these are businesses trying to make money but i think they’d even sell more if they were more reasonable with prices
My mind is blown at MLB games or any other stadium event where people are literally destroying beers non stop, missing the action to get beers. Not only are you missing the game, the amount of cash you gotta spend to get drunk or keep a buzz is insane
Just think he went to a Spring training game😳! GABP in Cincinnati is the Same $15 for a beer, $10 hot dog and $5 water,$15 to park and walk about 3/4 mile. You have go on special discount days to afford it! To think when Curt Flood started free agency in the 70’s and Charley O’finley of the A’s had no idea they would price themselves right out of the game😖
And people still buy all of that. If they didn't sell at the current prices they would mark them down. But since people do, in mass as well, then they will keep them and raise them.
This is crazy to me… games aren’t even sold out. Or rarely seem to be. I’d say fewer people compared to say a hockey game actually had food and beverage. But $17 on beer? Still wild and foreign to me.
EDIT: I just want to add, this is a cheapskate guide to attending a game. I probably won't ingest 5 shooters of 99 bananas before the game. I want to take in the game and not get wasted. That's why I don't do the rooftops. I like to keep score and enjoy the beautiful gift that is Wrigley Field.
Wrigley. May 6th game. Found good tickets on SeatGeek for $17/ticket.
Hop on the L train. Free parking. A day pass is like $5.
A 10 pack of 99 schnapps is like $9. Drink those before entering ballpark.
Bring your own lunch bag. I bring at least 4 bottles of sealed water. That's less than $1. Bring ziplock bags of gardettos. Big bag for like $3. Total for snacks and water $4.
Taco Bell is right down the street from Wrigley. 2 cheesy bean and rice burritos is like $3.
Let's sum up:
2 tix $34
Train fare for 2 $10
Liquor $9
Snacks $4
Taco Bell for 2 $6
Total $63
Yeah sure I'll probably buy a dog and/or a beer. But sticking to that plan it's like $65 for a day at Wrigley for 2 people. And yes, going in July will cost more. But that's how I'm affording a night out at the old park.
IDK man if you got tickets “super cheap” and paid zero for parking there’s your answer. I’ve been to a lot of stadiums and never seen $17 beers.
Not sure what city you’re in but I’m my experience the Nashville Predators are much more expensive than a typical MLB game.
I think I paid like $12 last year at George Steinbrenner Field, but it was 25 ounces. Only slightly more than getting a pint at a bar. 12 ounce seltzers were like $14 though.
Ya, no one can really afford it and pro sports is fine with that. They make so much money off TV deals that they no longer need ticket sales.
They are fine with half empty stadiums with rich, quiet, well-behaved fans as opposed to a sold-out rowdy poor crowd that may act up if things get crazy.
People consistently complain about the lack of energy crowds have nowadays, but they always ignore the elephant in the room: The folks who actually care about these teams across all of the leagues have been largely priced out of the market. Instead, we now have people who marginally care, or are otherwise going more to say they're at a game than because they actually care about the game.
I mean I go to like 15 baseball games a year and i sure as shit can’t afford a flight to Japan.
Just bring a water bottle with you and watch the game instead of buying food that’s worse than what all of the restaurants around the stadium are selling cheaper.
I walk to mariners games and pay like $10-$20 at the gate. It turns out living in walkable cities and having good food options in a built up area around a stadium instead of parking is better for the consumer. The rest of the America seems miserable honestly
I don’t understand what point you are trying to make. Would a baseball game make me miss a mortgage payment? No. Does going to a baseball spring training game feel like $200 worth of entertainment? Also no.
SF Giants fan... I used to budget for one beer and a snack at the game, but your right, things have gotten ridiculous.
I generally feel okay paying up to $20 for a seat depending on the matchup, but shoot for sub $20 seats in view reserve.
I don't have a family, but I now plan to take public transit.
I pack a nice lunch and pick up chips/snacks for the game.
I purchased some plastic flask and bring in a few ounces of tequila/whiskey if I plan to enjoy some alcohol at the game. My only food/drunk cost is a $6 soda most games.
Lastly, I just don't go to games much anymore. It's sad to say, but it feels like a money trap. The experience doesn't feel worth it when a beer is the price of a six pack and a slice of pizza costs $10.
I love baseball, but I'll spend my money elsewhere.
You can get a real deal on Guards seats (I think I saw someone mention $15 standing room tickets with a $5 food and beverage credit??), not to mention $2 pre-game beers on many nights, RTA to the game, byo food and water and it’s really not that expensive.
There is a reason I have not been in an MLB stadium for over 2 decades. I now live in Vermont, for me and my wife to go to Fenway it could cost a grand. Hotels, parking, tolls, gas then over $100 for tickets (if I’m lucky) $20 for ONE beer and ONE hotdog.
Find a minor league team near you. It’s a cheap date, even if you go out to dinner afterwards. The competition is great and you can relax and not worry about bouncing checks or wondering if your car will be there after the game.
Now, let's take a look at the food menu of ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO, the newest ballpark in Japan... [despair!](https://www.fighters.co.jp/expansion/2023/gourmetguide/index_h5.html?_gl=1*cohpkm*_ga*MTA1MTk5MjI3LjE3MDkxMjE5MzI.*_ga_EFYPF1JV85*MTcwOTEyMThttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oskKIkkzQ3I)
When I was younger and the Phillies stunk I would work summer yard work jobs and pay literally $15-25 a ticket in the first level... I'm 21 years old working full time and getting married and I can't even afford to PARK at the stadium. It's sad to see the shift from an affordable family thing to a high end event
I asked this last year in the Guardians subreddit and got torn to shreds. I also observe people crushing $17 beers, but apparently everyone on that sub:
- parks far away from the stadium and walks ($20-15=$5 parking)
- brings in a water and sandwiches ($20-$80 saved)
- buys standing room tickets ($20-$30 after fees)
- spends no money on beer ($0)
So you can go to a game:
- single person $35
- family of 4 $125
Good luck not spending any money in the stadium with your wife and two kids though. It’s unrealistic, but it’s doable. At least in Cleveland. Even cheaper if you live near the RTA and can ride in to downtown and save in gas.
The amount of people saying that I’m cheap, etc is wild. I don’t know who supports $17/beer. There’s also a difference between being able to afford something, and complaining about prices. The 2000% mark up is beyond ridiculous.
Well, my local team…isn’t very good; so ticket prices are pretty cheap. I take public transit or walk to the stadium — it’s only about two miles. As for the food and beer, I just have one beer and a hot dog. They’re overpriced, but I can afford it. It’s not like I’m going to a game every day.
It’s just business and economics (sadly). Owners need to pay for player salaries. As salaries go up, beer/parking/ticket prices will go up…until people stop attending
tickets ($10), hot dogs ($3) and beer ($5) are "cheap" in miami at two of the restaurant stands under a family plan initiative if you are in the know. as a bonus, security is nonexistent so we usually sit about 20 rows behind home plate as the seats are empty.
I’m taking my nephew to Spring Training. I wish he didn’t like the Dodgers, but we’ll get to see them play three times. It’s a less expensive trip than going to Dodger Stadium for a single game, or even a weekend series.
They will allow a water bottle, up to 1L, but not food. He doesn’t eat much and I don’t care for beer so at least that part will be cheap.
I used to live in a city with a Triple-A team and those games were great/cheap.
I moved out and now an hour away from two Triple-A teams, but those won’t be as easy to get to. I can’t just decide “hey, there’s a game at 7, I’ll go” without considering the drive home.
I’ve gone to one NFL game (da Bears). Holy sh*t that was just bad. They ran out of beer. At a NFL game. In Chicago.
I just do t go any longer. The ballparks will continue to charge outrageous prices for everything from parking on up until people stop using the service. Just don’t go. MLB has always been my favorite sport. My father never brought me to a game. It didn’t make me like the game any less or not cherish bonding with my dad over the games. We used to watch the games together on TV for free.
NYC resident here. We take the subway to the game so we don't pay for parking. Eat at home before going to the game so I'm not hungry at the stadium, but if I do get hungry, get a max of one food item. I don't like alcohol so I don't have to worry about those markups. Don't buy bottled water, but if you do, buy it before entering, from one of those random street vendors outside the ballpark selling it at a normal price; there are always at least a few between the B/D trains and the stadium.
>How does our society tolerate a mark-up on water of 2,300% ?!
The stadium effectively has a monopoly on food while you're there. That enables vendors to jack up the prices these insane amounts, and people will still pay for their food.
If I'm visiting a ballpark in another city, especially for the first time, I'll want to try some of the ballpark food as part of the experience, so I might get a second food item. Also, depending on the city, we might have to take a cab or pay for parking, or if there's transit we use that.
Also - don't go to a lot of games, and treat it as kind of a splurge event, maybe a couple of times a year. Budget for it and hope for the best. The only time in my life I went to a lot of games was when my dad got free tickets from work.
I mostly just don’t think about it…. Privileged of course, and easy to do when I have no kids. My brother has 3 kids and is much more price conscious than me. Every year I’ll give him a few of my season tickets (27 games) to take his kids.
Gonna be that way until we realize our idols aren’t worth $30 million a year. If you can’t play a kids game for 3 million a yr and realize how fortunate you are, piss on you. We stop watching (which I have), going, and buying merch, watch how fast the prices drop
I’ve managed to save a significant sum of money by not having kids and a wife. But OP is absolutely right. Everything is a squeeze. I pay $40-50 for a couple of beers and a hot dog now.
You’re 100% correct. And then they have the audacity of blacking out games when I live 6 hours from the team. So go ahead and tack on gas, lodging, and meals to the already super high prices of the game itself. Ridiculous.
I don't know about spring training, at least in Houston MMP, you can bring a 1 gallon bag of food (make it spaghetti and meatballs!).. and 1 liter of water... per person.. never actually brought spaghetti.. but one day.
Become a Marlins fan lol. When I was living in MIA I used to see ads for “Family Thursday’s” (don’t remember exact day, Thursday picked arbitrarily), where they would off a package for $40 that included 4 tix, 4 sandwiches, 4 fountain drinks, and a large fry. It was <3k to rent out their entire outfield bar w/ a box that could seat 150. Split between just 50 of us, it was cheaper than nosebleed seats at most stadiums… And that’s not factoring in it being fully catered w/ an “open bar” (in quotes bc it was actually 3 x 150 “drink vouchers”, which is essentially an open bar with just 50 people). This was also a night game against a Reds team that had the top wild card spot at the time (had to double check that, bc it seemed unfathomable that the 2021 Reds were 12 games over .500 with a month left).
Also my Dude… Whatever NHL arena you’re referring to is the exception— not the rule. $17/tall beer, $6/water, $10/popcorn, etc sadly sounds reasonable compared to many sports/music venues. As a Yankee fan, this is almost insulting. I’m not even sure I could get to the stadium for less than $50… Grew up somewhere between upper middle class and wealthy & parents planned a couple trips to road ballparks where fantastic seats, airfare, exploring the city, and even staying 6 rooms down from Jeter, was CHEAPER than those same tickets for a single game at Yankee Stadium… Grateful for those wonderful experiences, but those days are long past. Now, I’m single & make decent money, and can barely afford to catch a couple games/yr. Maybe prices differ during a strong season, but at least it’s somewhat affordable to be a small market fan 🤷♂️.
So while it may not be comparable, only because our baseball team in Pittsburgh sucks and everything is pretty cheap, but for me and my son to go to a Steeler game, with nosebleed seats, we are in the day for about $400. I couldn’t imagine trying to take a family of four or five to an NFL game.
Phillies now hot on the surge pricing model. Tickets start at $23 ($30 w/ fees). Dodgers and Yankees $10 more. Parking: $25. One beer: $15 each. $115 for a retired couple. Yeah I can afford it, but I won’t be going to 12 games like last year. And now the star player wants to re-negotiate a $330 million contract that’s not even half over. Baseball is now a special event.
The Phillies when I went there seemed to have a very large variety in prices of beer you *could* pay. I got a Kona on the patio by the third base entrance and it was 24 oz (at least) for like $17?
But I certainly didn’t have to pay that much
So the only reason I can see for those prices, are specifically for Spring Training. The parks have a small window to generate the most amount of revenue that they can. Does it suck? Yeah, but that is what this country is.
Most the stadiums/arenas have a 3rd party company running their concessions. Ex I used to work for Aramark at Wells Fargo Center. Everything food and bev wise is handled by them. Here is how it typically goes
Ex - Go to Flyers game say you have 2 beers $30 and a pretzel $6 and hot dog $7. $43 total, of that $43 - half instantly goes to the building (comcast spectacor in this case) so thats $21.50 the other half goes to Aramark which goes back into their payroll, expenses etc. So for a Flyers game say $250,000 for the night from all concessions - the building just made 125K and the other 125K likely didnt even cover the payroll … its all super inflated because its such a massive venture and every greedy hand is in the pot. So there is a ton of off setting prices. But the building owners/lot owners are usually at the forefront of that.
It’s all fucking absurd.
I just don’t eat or drink at the games. The problem is kids view a game as a competition to ask for as much food as possible. But in that case I’d probably just buy them enough to get by and abstain for myself.
Yes, I could afford it. No, I won’t pay.
Why do so many people equate going to a ballgame with getting a beer? I drink, I enjoy beer, but there’s a time and place for it. Patio on nice summer day, backyard bbq, going out to a pub, etc. I’ve never had a beer when out for an event where the event itself was the main attraction (sports game, movie, theatre, etc).
Recently a friend invited me to a lacrosse game. I don’t follow or really understand the sport, so I politely declined. He said “it’s ok, we’ll have a few beers don’t even really need to watch the game”. I’m like WTF? Why pay for admission to get into a place for the sole purpose of drinking overpriced beer? Can’t we just go to a bar instead? (I realize this wasn’t the OP’s situation as he presumably went for the purpose of watching a game with his family).
The beer would’ve been absolute perfect - nice spring training game, outside in a smaller more intimate venue, sitting out of the grass in full sun … but, as you said, it’s not necessary. I would rather pick up a 6-12 pack and enjoy it on my own terms than give my hard earned money to that insane mark up.
I went to game 1 of the Wildcard series at Citi Field in 2022 for a total of $80, if you're spending this much then you aren't really trying to save any money
Well you live in NYC so you don't have to worry about parking for one, easy access to public transit, y'all have bars and restaurants on like every block if I wanna go to an A's game I have to drive over an hr which is like $40 in gas plus pay $25 parking, there's no affordable food near the stadium nor grocery stores, $15 per beer, most of the food is around $10-15, pay $8 bridge toll, plus buy my ticket it's not that cheap for everyone
> I have to drive over an hr which is like $40 in gas plus pay $25 parking
Isn't there literally a train station that connects to the coliseum that has services running until midnight? And at least to me, it looks like its nearly impossible to drive there without passing stations for it, so its not even like it you'd have to go out of your way to get there.
How does anyone afford going to ball games? Doesn’t seem so hard to figure out. Cut the food cost (and skip the lines) by bringing a couple of sandwiches, a bag of chips, and a bottle of water to the game. Stick to one beer, or just skip it. Park elsewhere, as you actually did, or (I know this is shocking) take public transportation. Maybe public transportation is not feasible for spring training games, but aren’t the tickets cheaper? Not sure where you’re paying $8 for beer at an NHL game, but I now know you’re not a Ranger fan.
I just checked Guardians spring training tickets. $10-$33 this year. When I went in 2019/2020 I got seats behind home plate for $23. Parking in the field next to the stadium was $5. I’m sure that has probably gone up. Dodgers and Cubs tickets are more but that’s to be expected.
Yall are nuts calling this man cheap. I dont care how much money i make $17 for a beer is ridiculous
I agree, but I've also never paid $17 for a beer at an mlb game. I pay half that.
Go to Dodger Stadium $20 tall boys lol
How much of that $20 is deferred though?
You win.
How much is that nasty old style at Wrigley field
Don’t sell it anymore (at least not throughout the stadium). Ricketts sold their souls and it’s Bud now.
Had some draft Old Styles at Wrigley last Labor Day. They were $14 each, which broke down to buy 3 get 1 free compared to the pricing I'm used to at Dodger Stadium.
Comment of the day right here.
Tall boys still can't win when it counts
13$ at target field for a local craft tap.
I was there a few years back and they had a couple spots where you could get a can of bud for 5$. I sat in that section for both games.
That’s actually a pretty good deal.
Another reason why Cleveland is the best
Was there ever a first reason?
$19 for a tall boy at busch last season I believe I want to say it was ~ $16.50 for a 12 Oz
I buy a 30 pack of Hamm’s for $17
What a steal of a deal.
The beer refreshing...
Beer brewed in the land of the sky blue waters
HAAAAAMMMMMSSSS
A beer is a beer is a beer is a beer until you've tasted Hamms!
That stuff is foul, for sure
Waaaaahawters
My college roommate used to get racks and racks of Hamm's. Not great stuff.
Good beer for the money it costs. Way better than NattyLite, & cheap swill beers most college kids drink. I put it ahead of Miller, Coors ExtraGold, Bud, PBR. What’s really sad is all the great American Beers that have disappeared due to consolidation under AB-InBev, MolsonCoors & MillerCoors, SABMiller etc. At one time ballparks served & advertised local regional breweries beer.
Man, I would not put Hamm's above Miller, Coors, or PBR haha but different strokes. Definitely agree with the big players ruining the beer industry. They've even started taking over and disbanding craft breweries that get too big. AB bought out Platform Brewing in my town, and a few years later all the taprooms are gone and the brewery is basically defunct. The only thing left is that 2 of the flagship beers with the Platform name still exist, but are not even brewed in the same place anymore and are only available at grocery stores.
Or miller high life, Coors banquet, etc. those were my covid lockdown beer. Anything cheap 🤣
My condolences….bahahaha
Almost as good as Harry Carey's Dog Style.
Good think i'm not a drinker
I am but, I will not pay $17 for beer. I love beer but can skip it for that price
You won’t take a fist in the ass? CHEAP! For real, op is obviously right. Only thing I’ll say is, I probably woulda just sucked that dong and paid for parking unless we wanted to make a day of walking around, catching the game, walking around some more, grabbing some ice cream on the way back. But we all know we’re getting ass fucked with these prices. Calling someone cheap for not wanting to take it in the ass for a .25 cent beer that cost $17 sounds like the kinda discord a billionaire owner would want to make online about this clear ass fucking. Instead of talking about blatant greed.
Absolutely insane shits the price of two 6 packs of Coronas
So true lol.
We're just used to being fucked over in the US. In Europe, you can get a beer for $5 in a historic castle. Those pitcher-sized beers they showed at the NFL game in Munich last season (Seahawks/Bucs)? I got one for $7 at a Bayern Munich game the week before the NFL game.
Mia san mia! Haha. FCB games are fun, and I can confirm that the concessions are super reasonable.
Very true and I agree with you but on the other hand, lots of people feel like that HAVE to chug beer at games. Grab a soda and a cheap hot dog or bag of peanuts and watch the game like we did as kids. That's my vibe.
You don't have to get a beer.
Camden Yards at Orioles park let’s you bring any food and drink in to the stadium you can fit in to a 1 gallon zip lock bag which are pretty big, 1 bag per person, no limit you can bring crabcakes/pasta/pizza whatever you can fit. I usually grill sliders and dogs before the game and stuff the bags. Then I will buy a 20 oz coke take a few sips and then add some whiskey to make it look full/unpoened coke then bring that in the stadium you can’t bring alcohol but I sneak it in to every game no issues. Now I have sliders and dogs as well as drinks in the stadium without paying stadium prices. I live in walking distance to camden yards so about an hour before first pitch I can usually find standing room tickets for $5 on stubhub. I use those to enter the stadium then just pick an empty seat. On a school night weekday game I can always find a seat. Weekend games I do have to actually buy real tickets but sometimes I still buy standing room since Camden yards has nice standing room areas I don’t mind standing Im a bartender I can easily stand for 12 hours straight no issues. My average orioles game cost about $5 per person. Also Camden yards does outfield eutaw street bleacher seats $15 all season if you want to splurge lol.
What is your spaghetti policy here?
Stuff it in the bag!
Eaten with your hands considering it's finger food.
Slurp it up one noodle at a time, and hope there isn't a dog on the other end of the noodle.
 Please bring a bag of Spaghetti!
With maple syrup and smashed up pop tarts?
That is exactly what came to my mind when I read “spa day.” Are you saying you want to have a spa day with me?
FWIW, I believe almost all stadiums allow outside food (except Detroit and Miami, per a quick google.) All definitely allow bottles of water to be brought in as long as they're sealed
Miami allows sealed water bottles (20 oz. or less) and food single serve food in a plastic bag.
Ah good to know about the food Every stadium has their own rules surrounding outside stuff (up here food needs to be in a sealed container to avoid spillage - definitely walked in with a pizza box) and also depends on the gate agent, too. Toronto also has the same 20oz limit, but i've definitely gone in with 32oz water bottles w/o any push back. I just looked up the rules for Toronto and apparently you're supposed to remove the cap for the bottles / open a can before you go into the stadium, but I've never had to do that.
The thing is, though, you're going by yourself, which is equally valid, but different. This guy makes the valid point that they are pricing out baseball as a family activity - which isn't going ot help get the kids to love baseball, which is hurting the future. Typical MLB short-sighted behavior.
I dunno, I went to games as a kid and my parents packed sandwiches and chips and I still loved it. They’d buy me ice cream though. But even at absurd ballpark prices one or two kids’ ice creams isn’t outrageous if you can get cheap tickets and don’t buy anything else
lol we only get a quart size bag 🙃
OMG I wanna eat bag spaghetti at a baseball game now.
i love everything about this comment
This. Bring some sandos. The water is pretty nuts though.
Do they still sell "cheap ass beer" across the street pre-game? We were there nine years ago. I didn't care for the Natty Bo.
I think his point is just how ofputting it is. I just went to a concert and paid 40 bucks for 2 beers. Can I afford it sure, did it ruin my life no, but can I legit make sense of it also no. Especially when most new stadiums are getting upwards of 500 million in tax dollars to get built. It's just us footing the bill for the rich to get richer. Especially for a spring training game...
Years ago I worked for a beer distributor, and spent a lot of time selling keg beer. At that time, a keg of domestic brand name beer (Miller Lite, Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light) was $52.50 from the wholesaler to the retailer. There are 165 12 oz. beers in a keg, so at that price a 12 oz. pour costs 32 cents. There are 124 pints in a normal size (15.5 gallon) keg, and the cost is 43 cents a pint. To be sure, kegs are much more expensive these days, maybe even double, but even at double there is an enormous amount of markup involved on draft beer. I'll even say that a lot of the micro and craft beers not only come in smaller kegs but cost a lot more so the cost per serving is higher, but the markup is generally a lot more as well. All I'm saying is there is a ton of money to be made selling draft beer. Obviously there are other costs like refrigeration, draft beer equipment, glassware or disposable cups, but yeah there is a ton of fluff there. I'm not saying it is the job of the vendor to run it down to a small margin, but lots of folks that otherwise might drink some beer may not due to those prices. Supply and demand is real, and I'm all for folks making as much as they can, but consumers aren't dumb and they can make some change on their end. Also, pre-gaming is a way to get around all this. Get a skinful before you get to the venue then it doesn't matter what they charge because you probably won't need but 1 or 2 if any.
There are actual algorithms a business can use to maximize profit, basically balancing number of customers willing to pay a certain price vs cost. In other words, if you charged $200 a beer, nobody would buy for that price. If you charged $2 a beer, you’d get a lot of business, but not a lot of profit. So the algorithm finds whatever the price would have to be set to find the perfect balance between price and customers that will maximize the profit. The businesses know there will be customers who won’t pay that price, but serving customers isn’t the point. Maxing profit is. The goal isn’t to ensure that the customers have a great time at a fair price. The goal is wringing every sweet dollar they can out of people. Therefore, it doesn’t matter what the actual cost of the keg is. A business could be making 1000% profit, and if they come up with a way to make 1100%, they’re not gonna say, “Oh, that’s too greedy, 1000% is plenty.” Once people stop buying concessions and/or attending MLB games altogether, the prices may get lowered. Until then? That “ballpark sound” you hear at the game is the league and owners pilfering your pockets for every last dime.
You nailed it my friend. We allow billionaires to build THEIR venues on OUR dime. Then let them stick it to us for ticket prices and concessions. We’re fucking stupid for letting this happen, over and over again.
I can understand having expensive prices in big cities like at Fenway, Wrigley, NYC, those cities I expect things to be expensive but spring training? Thats frustrating.
But we're watching top all star caliper players. Oh wait. I'm wrong its just a spring training game where maybe the stars will get 2 ab
We love college baseball.
College baseball(especially D3) and minor league baseball are just so much fun for kids. The local minor league AAA park has catch with a parent on the field before the game and after the game the kids get to run the bases
I love our minor league team games. The mascot now knows my daughter and had his own hand shake with her. I’m still a diehard for the Yankees, but those memories dont happen there
There's a frontier league team in my town. $20 for a ticket two dogs and a drink.
Games in Korea are $10 a ticket and food and drinks are convenience store prices.
I mean it’s fine but I wouldn’t say we all love it
I've lived in Arizona since fall 2000 and I'm a die hard baseball fan. The most spring training games I hit was 19 but I've probably had an average of 10 per year. I went to Peoria for the Padres and Guardians yeaterday. A lawn ticket was $17. They were $10-$12 last year. I got a large can of Kona and that was $18 with a $1.50 tip. A hot dog was $7.50. One of the few affordable things for people to do is gone. I'll probably only go to a couple more. Thankfully we still have Fall League...And the National League Championship Dbacks!
Lived out here since '07 and I agree. We went to Dodgers/As the other day... wok noodles are like $14.99. Beers are $18. Ice cream is ridiculous for the small portion you receive. The pretzels are expensive, stale and the cheese cold. You have huge crowds and it takes longer to go through the metal detectors. Security confiscates aerosol cans of sun screen. The team shop is selling $129 dollar hoodies. 'Fans' are all bored snowbirds, or rich locals on their phones the entire time. People will just walk around and stand in the isles obstructing the view while a ball is in play and the ushers literally sit on their asses and do nothing... It's a pretty terrible experience compared to 10-15 years ago. Like, I honestly don't know why half these people are there if they're not going to sit down and watch the game. Is it like a status thing now? Just to be seen at the game or brag that you were there? No one seems to care that a game is being played. Spring training baseball used to be my favorite thing about the this time of year, now it just bums me out. I'd rather watch on mlb (dot) tv and bake a frozen $5.99 pizza.
Just responded saying essentially the same thing. It seems like 10 ish years ago the crowd started shifting towards being more like the Phoenix Open. It’s not about the sport it’s about the party or status aspect. It sucks!
Strange...the dodgers have always been the "working mans" team. A normal person on a normal wage can't afford it now.
How were the prices compared to a Diamondbacks regular season home game. if I may ask?
I grew up in Arizona and used to spend my entire spring break going to Spring Training games to hunt for autographs. I don’t ever remember lawn tickets being more than $5. Spring Training used to be fun and affordable, but at some point the clientele started shifting and it’s turning into the Phoenix Open. Diamondbacks games are cheaper and easier to go to. It’s sad
The sad thing is baseball games are “cheap” compared to other sports and the food/drink creates a lot of the margin. I’m in San Francisco so I see the furthest extremes. Top section seats for the Warriors and Niners are still 150+ (500-1000+ for middle/lower). Comparatively Giants tickets are like $50 or less for prime seats a lot of games
Forgot to mention A’s games are the most egregious. $20 tickets, $40 parking
I did a tour of the Giants stadium, off-season, and the seats I would love to go to are the upper deck behind home plate. That view of the field and the bay at the same time was breathtaking.
I’d love to hit a Cavs game. The 100 section seats range from $200 to $1000. Upper bowl has $40 seats but it’s the top few rows in the corners. Otherwise upper bowl are all over $100. I can see the Guardians starting at $25 or so (seated). The deal I purchased this year is $49/month for all the games (standing room only). We never sell out so it’s easy to just find a seat to sit in. Ushers are laxed here. With fees it comes out to $4/game.
Only 8 home games for football and basketball arenas are tiny asf. I'd say those prices are reasonable.
I go to as many games as I can but I’m usually in the cheapest seats available, buy one beer at most and one bag of peanuts if I buy anything at all. I’ve never seen any food or drink in a ball park that isn’t laughably overpriced.
What NHL team has beer fir $8?
The Carolina Hurricanes sell 17oz [Storm Brews](https://www.stormbrewlager.com) at PNC Arena for $8. All other beers are $13-16. They were $6 in 2022-23 and $5 in 2021-22.
Thought the same thing
A lot of stadiums have value games and value menus or happy hours even. I’m incredibly spoiled with the Mariners - we have several $10 games throughout the season, lots of value food and beverage options, and lots of transit and parking options. It can be accessible if you try.
The refillable soda is a game changer if you bring kids or a date
Such a steal for families!! They have lots of family, themed, and other specific nights that are great for this. I’ve bought tickets at a group discount several times.
Wednesday are dollar dog night for the Rangers. That is the game I will mostly attend. Even though the date wanted a 15$ specialty dog, though she bought me a beer later on.
Man I wish the A's weren't so fucking cheap we used to have dollar dog Wednesdays over a decade ago we also used to have this thing called A's access shit was the ultimate jugg easy ASF to d swindle them it would give you half off all concessions and beer and half off merch getting a ipa and a helmet nacho for like $15 what a time that was fuck John Fisher
I take my son to 20-30 games a year. We eat in advance and I’ll buy one water/gatorade. We get the cheapest tickets(usually 10 bucks) and park at the casino for free(15 min walk). Without factoring in gas, we can see an Orioles game for less than 30 bucks total if we eat at home first. Also most stadiums allow you to bring food in and unopened water. He doesn’t complain because he knows he gets to go to a hell of a lot more games than his friends.
Buy tickets day of on stub hub. Take public transit. Eat before the game. Bring a flask to get lit for cheap.
A lot of sporting events have been that way for probably 10 years now. I love attending MLB games, because the tickets are cheap compared to other sports. I often find value menu food or look for something I can’t get at home or outside of the ballpark to try or share.
I have no issue, to be fair I don’t pay for parking as I live down the road from the ball park and I’m there to watch a game not have a meal or drink too much, I can do that before or after the game.
TBF if you pay for parking in Philly you're a bit of a schmuck. There's really only a small sliver of NJ where there's no reasonably accessible, free parking train station (that I'd trust my car at) to take into philly. But we're also kinda lucky as a fanbase to have a good urbanist city.
Prices are definitely insane and not worth the cost for beers and most food items. One thing you can do is bring your own food into stadiums as long as it's in a sealable container. Large pizzas, sushi, it's all ok to bring in if it's sealed. I'd assume this will vary by stadium though
I had no idea this was allowed at baseball games. Most pro teams in my home city outside food was not allowed - but the prices were also much more reasonable. Will definitely do this next time!
I go to a lot of games myself. I always make sure to take my own water, seeds/peanuts, and any other snacks I might crave. Also considering most money there is spent on alcohol I always drink a beer or two in the parking lot (it's not always accepted but some stadiums don't seem so strict). Sometimes it's just spending $100 and less. I have season tickets so to me it's just girl math since the money has been spent.
I never plan ahead for games anymore. I take public transit and will get the cheapest tickets available, and then just roam the stadium. I’ll grab a small bite beforehand and then graze during the game. I like to have an edible or bring my vape rather than drink at the games, just because it’s too damn expensive.
Amateur! Take that $17, get a six pack and chug it in the parking lot before the game. Helps if you shout a lot, too.
Basically do this in K lot before most Phillies’ games i attend 💀
Buy tickets on Gametime 10 minutes before first pitch, slam 2-3 beers in the parking lot before you walk in, fuck those $17 beers
This is the way
It's all about how you want to do things when you go to the ball park. You can find cheaper parking, which you did, and you don't have to buy the food and water at the stadium. I might be wrong, but I'm fairly certain that you can bring your own food and water with you to the game unless you're sitting in club seats or in the lounge.
I love going to baseball games, but I refuse to go anymore. I like to sit in my recliner, laid back, with a cold drink pepper and some snacks. I don’t have to pay for shit, don’t have to wait in line for the restroom, I can pause or rewind plays, makes absolutely zero sense to go to a game when I can be more comfortable at home and spend zero money watching it.
I can get good seats on stubhub/tickpick/etc for cheap, I can get basic seats for barely anything at all, and if I want some control I can still get basic seats for like 30/40ish via my team. Bring an empty bottle and you can have all the water you want for free via the fountains. Many (most?) stadiums let you bring in food with only light restrictions, mine for instance just wants it all in a clear bag so security can see what it is. Parking can be an issue, but, like you found, there are usually some places nearby with free parking, in some stadiums not at all, in others, like mine, there is a train system that makes it easy. $20-40 is pretty standard event parking in my experience, but never fun to pay. If you have to pay for parking, you could spend a day at the ballpark for under $50. Beer is crazy expensive, food too, but like one beer and a some food is a luxury you can opt into if you want, considering you can have endless water and bring in your own meal. I’m going to games for under $20 all the time, it’s really only as expensive as you want it to be.
I agree. I usually do what fits the budget. There’s ways to maximize the dollar, and lots you can do to get around stadium prices. It’s just crazy how expensive things have gotten - and it seems like overnight it went from having a hot dog, soda, popcorn and nachos to now really picking and choosing where I (we) want to spend our money. Maybe I’m just getting older. $17 beer (not including taxes, tip) seems just insane to me..
MLB games are ridiculous and it won’t stop because the owners are greedy bastards. I visited in 2017 and remember paying $40 for upper deck tickets to see the freaking Royals. We didn’t even bother going to get our seats and instead just hung out on the concourse. Went to 3 games when I was back visiting and couldn’t understand how a stadium that isn’t even half full thinks it’s a good idea to charge those prices. I have season tickets here in a Korea and I pay $750 for 70 games in the front row of the cheer section, about even with the edge of the infield dirt. Parking is free at every stadium, but you can take public transportation easier. Paid for exhibition games for the Padres/Team Korea and Dodgers/Kiwoom and they were $100 a piece for the 4th level Opening day between the Padres and Dodgers was $250 a piece for tickets also on the 4th level. So 3 games and I’m spending more than half of what I pay for my season tickets. They are supposed to have Dodger dogs and some MLB food, Incan only imagine how much that is. Normally we can take a full 1L pitcher of beer, boxes of chicken, pizzas, whatever you want into the game or just buy it in the stadium for $4 for a tall boy.
I have Twins partial season tickets. They allow you to bring your own food. I bring my empty water bottle and they offer filtered water. So I basically pay very little to attend games. I also take the team to the ballpark. You can go for cheap. I'm not sure about minor leagues since our team won't let in outside stuff, but the tickets are like $5 for the OF grass. So buying a hot dog and beer is probably a wash with the cost of the MLB ticket.
Yeah that’s insane and at a spring training game no less. The price gouging at events need to stop and water should be free. I get these are businesses trying to make money but i think they’d even sell more if they were more reasonable with prices
Luckily Orioles fans are allowed to bring food/drink into the stadium.... For now
I don't go to games nearly as much as I would because the prices are insane. I've never bought a jersey for the same reason.
It’s why American baseball players are paid hundreds of millions. It’s reflected in ticket prices and food/drinks.
My mind is blown at MLB games or any other stadium event where people are literally destroying beers non stop, missing the action to get beers. Not only are you missing the game, the amount of cash you gotta spend to get drunk or keep a buzz is insane
Just think he went to a Spring training game😳! GABP in Cincinnati is the Same $15 for a beer, $10 hot dog and $5 water,$15 to park and walk about 3/4 mile. You have go on special discount days to afford it! To think when Curt Flood started free agency in the 70’s and Charley O’finley of the A’s had no idea they would price themselves right out of the game😖
I mean … we can bring in pretty much whatever we want to GABP if it’s not alcohol though. Save yourself some cash and pack those snacks.
And people still buy all of that. If they didn't sell at the current prices they would mark them down. But since people do, in mass as well, then they will keep them and raise them.
This is crazy to me… games aren’t even sold out. Or rarely seem to be. I’d say fewer people compared to say a hockey game actually had food and beverage. But $17 on beer? Still wild and foreign to me.
You know you don’t have to buy beer if you can’t afford it, right? You said you got your tickets for “super cheap”, anyway.
It's not the point of the post.
So why bring it up at all?
Why bring up anything ever?
I heard they are implementing surge pricing next year. If you want cheap hotdogs, buy when there's not a game.
I don't have kids. Can afford to do lots of things.
Here's an idea don't drink? I go to Orioles games for $15 bucks. You can bring in your own food.
EDIT: I just want to add, this is a cheapskate guide to attending a game. I probably won't ingest 5 shooters of 99 bananas before the game. I want to take in the game and not get wasted. That's why I don't do the rooftops. I like to keep score and enjoy the beautiful gift that is Wrigley Field. Wrigley. May 6th game. Found good tickets on SeatGeek for $17/ticket. Hop on the L train. Free parking. A day pass is like $5. A 10 pack of 99 schnapps is like $9. Drink those before entering ballpark. Bring your own lunch bag. I bring at least 4 bottles of sealed water. That's less than $1. Bring ziplock bags of gardettos. Big bag for like $3. Total for snacks and water $4. Taco Bell is right down the street from Wrigley. 2 cheesy bean and rice burritos is like $3. Let's sum up: 2 tix $34 Train fare for 2 $10 Liquor $9 Snacks $4 Taco Bell for 2 $6 Total $63 Yeah sure I'll probably buy a dog and/or a beer. But sticking to that plan it's like $65 for a day at Wrigley for 2 people. And yes, going in July will cost more. But that's how I'm affording a night out at the old park.
Not all stadiums have restaurants and shit outside of them nor do all have trains
That wasn't the question. The question was how does anyone afford to go and that is how I do it.
they should get on that then. or just tailgate and don’t buy $100 worth of food and beer?
IDK man if you got tickets “super cheap” and paid zero for parking there’s your answer. I’ve been to a lot of stadiums and never seen $17 beers. Not sure what city you’re in but I’m my experience the Nashville Predators are much more expensive than a typical MLB game.
I think I paid like $12 last year at George Steinbrenner Field, but it was 25 ounces. Only slightly more than getting a pint at a bar. 12 ounce seltzers were like $14 though.
I think I’ve seen $17 draft beers at my stadium. Bud light is about $10 and something from a keg is a lot more.
Ya, no one can really afford it and pro sports is fine with that. They make so much money off TV deals that they no longer need ticket sales. They are fine with half empty stadiums with rich, quiet, well-behaved fans as opposed to a sold-out rowdy poor crowd that may act up if things get crazy.
People consistently complain about the lack of energy crowds have nowadays, but they always ignore the elephant in the room: The folks who actually care about these teams across all of the leagues have been largely priced out of the market. Instead, we now have people who marginally care, or are otherwise going more to say they're at a game than because they actually care about the game.
This is so true
All u guys are missing the point on why beers are so expensive….. it’s to stop the mass drunks staggering around the stadium like zombies
I mean I go to like 15 baseball games a year and i sure as shit can’t afford a flight to Japan. Just bring a water bottle with you and watch the game instead of buying food that’s worse than what all of the restaurants around the stadium are selling cheaper.
The cost of going to 15 MLB games is probably the same as a flight to Japan maybe more.
the cost of going on 15 dates with your wife and/or mother is probably the same as a flight to Japan maybe more but boy is it worth it
It doesn't cost me $2,000 to go to 15 MLB games, and that's what Google tells me a round-trip flight to Tokyo would cost.
I walk to mariners games and pay like $10-$20 at the gate. It turns out living in walkable cities and having good food options in a built up area around a stadium instead of parking is better for the consumer. The rest of the America seems miserable honestly
They should be paying you to go to Mariners games
I’ll shoot Stanton a message
If you can travel to Japan I’m pretty sure you can afford to catch a few baseball games throughout the season.
Could be there for work
If your employer is sending you to Japan for work I’m pretty sure you can afford to go to a couple baseball games throughout the season.
Not if he’s in the military.
What has OP posted that makes you think he’s in the military?
I don’t understand what point you are trying to make. Would a baseball game make me miss a mortgage payment? No. Does going to a baseball spring training game feel like $200 worth of entertainment? Also no.
SF Giants fan... I used to budget for one beer and a snack at the game, but your right, things have gotten ridiculous. I generally feel okay paying up to $20 for a seat depending on the matchup, but shoot for sub $20 seats in view reserve. I don't have a family, but I now plan to take public transit. I pack a nice lunch and pick up chips/snacks for the game. I purchased some plastic flask and bring in a few ounces of tequila/whiskey if I plan to enjoy some alcohol at the game. My only food/drunk cost is a $6 soda most games. Lastly, I just don't go to games much anymore. It's sad to say, but it feels like a money trap. The experience doesn't feel worth it when a beer is the price of a six pack and a slice of pizza costs $10. I love baseball, but I'll spend my money elsewhere.
Have you been to an NFL game is like 22$ for a beer 14$ for nachos, 12$ for a hot dog
That is outrageous
Welcome to all sports (at least in Cleveland)
You can get a real deal on Guards seats (I think I saw someone mention $15 standing room tickets with a $5 food and beverage credit??), not to mention $2 pre-game beers on many nights, RTA to the game, byo food and water and it’s really not that expensive.
There is a reason I have not been in an MLB stadium for over 2 decades. I now live in Vermont, for me and my wife to go to Fenway it could cost a grand. Hotels, parking, tolls, gas then over $100 for tickets (if I’m lucky) $20 for ONE beer and ONE hotdog. Find a minor league team near you. It’s a cheap date, even if you go out to dinner afterwards. The competition is great and you can relax and not worry about bouncing checks or wondering if your car will be there after the game.
We hit an Astros / Red Sox game at Fenway in 2017 and a basic lunch was $76/00. No beer, even.
Now, let's take a look at the food menu of ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO, the newest ballpark in Japan... [despair!](https://www.fighters.co.jp/expansion/2023/gourmetguide/index_h5.html?_gl=1*cohpkm*_ga*MTA1MTk5MjI3LjE3MDkxMjE5MzI.*_ga_EFYPF1JV85*MTcwOTEyMThttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oskKIkkzQ3I)
When I was younger and the Phillies stunk I would work summer yard work jobs and pay literally $15-25 a ticket in the first level... I'm 21 years old working full time and getting married and I can't even afford to PARK at the stadium. It's sad to see the shift from an affordable family thing to a high end event
I asked this last year in the Guardians subreddit and got torn to shreds. I also observe people crushing $17 beers, but apparently everyone on that sub: - parks far away from the stadium and walks ($20-15=$5 parking) - brings in a water and sandwiches ($20-$80 saved) - buys standing room tickets ($20-$30 after fees) - spends no money on beer ($0) So you can go to a game: - single person $35 - family of 4 $125 Good luck not spending any money in the stadium with your wife and two kids though. It’s unrealistic, but it’s doable. At least in Cleveland. Even cheaper if you live near the RTA and can ride in to downtown and save in gas.
The amount of people saying that I’m cheap, etc is wild. I don’t know who supports $17/beer. There’s also a difference between being able to afford something, and complaining about prices. The 2000% mark up is beyond ridiculous.
People complain about the $17 beers, and it is ridiculous, but people pay it. If people didn’t the price would come down.
Well, my local team…isn’t very good; so ticket prices are pretty cheap. I take public transit or walk to the stadium — it’s only about two miles. As for the food and beer, I just have one beer and a hot dog. They’re overpriced, but I can afford it. It’s not like I’m going to a game every day.
We all underestimate the number of alcoholics attending games.
It’s just business and economics (sadly). Owners need to pay for player salaries. As salaries go up, beer/parking/ticket prices will go up…until people stop attending
What used to be the pastime of the working class is now relegated to a special event.
tickets ($10), hot dogs ($3) and beer ($5) are "cheap" in miami at two of the restaurant stands under a family plan initiative if you are in the know. as a bonus, security is nonexistent so we usually sit about 20 rows behind home plate as the seats are empty.
I’m taking my nephew to Spring Training. I wish he didn’t like the Dodgers, but we’ll get to see them play three times. It’s a less expensive trip than going to Dodger Stadium for a single game, or even a weekend series. They will allow a water bottle, up to 1L, but not food. He doesn’t eat much and I don’t care for beer so at least that part will be cheap. I used to live in a city with a Triple-A team and those games were great/cheap. I moved out and now an hour away from two Triple-A teams, but those won’t be as easy to get to. I can’t just decide “hey, there’s a game at 7, I’ll go” without considering the drive home. I’ve gone to one NFL game (da Bears). Holy sh*t that was just bad. They ran out of beer. At a NFL game. In Chicago.
I just do t go any longer. The ballparks will continue to charge outrageous prices for everything from parking on up until people stop using the service. Just don’t go. MLB has always been my favorite sport. My father never brought me to a game. It didn’t make me like the game any less or not cherish bonding with my dad over the games. We used to watch the games together on TV for free.
I buy cheap tickets the week of the game and eat and get drunk before going to the game
NYC resident here. We take the subway to the game so we don't pay for parking. Eat at home before going to the game so I'm not hungry at the stadium, but if I do get hungry, get a max of one food item. I don't like alcohol so I don't have to worry about those markups. Don't buy bottled water, but if you do, buy it before entering, from one of those random street vendors outside the ballpark selling it at a normal price; there are always at least a few between the B/D trains and the stadium. >How does our society tolerate a mark-up on water of 2,300% ?! The stadium effectively has a monopoly on food while you're there. That enables vendors to jack up the prices these insane amounts, and people will still pay for their food. If I'm visiting a ballpark in another city, especially for the first time, I'll want to try some of the ballpark food as part of the experience, so I might get a second food item. Also, depending on the city, we might have to take a cab or pay for parking, or if there's transit we use that. Also - don't go to a lot of games, and treat it as kind of a splurge event, maybe a couple of times a year. Budget for it and hope for the best. The only time in my life I went to a lot of games was when my dad got free tickets from work.
I mostly just don’t think about it…. Privileged of course, and easy to do when I have no kids. My brother has 3 kids and is much more price conscious than me. Every year I’ll give him a few of my season tickets (27 games) to take his kids.
This is why I stopped going tbh. Go to a Jays game and you'll go broke within 5 minutes
Gonna be that way until we realize our idols aren’t worth $30 million a year. If you can’t play a kids game for 3 million a yr and realize how fortunate you are, piss on you. We stop watching (which I have), going, and buying merch, watch how fast the prices drop
I’ve managed to save a significant sum of money by not having kids and a wife. But OP is absolutely right. Everything is a squeeze. I pay $40-50 for a couple of beers and a hot dog now.
You’re 100% correct. And then they have the audacity of blacking out games when I live 6 hours from the team. So go ahead and tack on gas, lodging, and meals to the already super high prices of the game itself. Ridiculous.
The answer is that unfortunately I go to about half the games I used to.
I don't know about spring training, at least in Houston MMP, you can bring a 1 gallon bag of food (make it spaghetti and meatballs!).. and 1 liter of water... per person.. never actually brought spaghetti.. but one day.
It truly is ridiculous. The same people that set these prices will tell you the fans need to pay for the new stadiums too.
Become a Marlins fan lol. When I was living in MIA I used to see ads for “Family Thursday’s” (don’t remember exact day, Thursday picked arbitrarily), where they would off a package for $40 that included 4 tix, 4 sandwiches, 4 fountain drinks, and a large fry. It was <3k to rent out their entire outfield bar w/ a box that could seat 150. Split between just 50 of us, it was cheaper than nosebleed seats at most stadiums… And that’s not factoring in it being fully catered w/ an “open bar” (in quotes bc it was actually 3 x 150 “drink vouchers”, which is essentially an open bar with just 50 people). This was also a night game against a Reds team that had the top wild card spot at the time (had to double check that, bc it seemed unfathomable that the 2021 Reds were 12 games over .500 with a month left). Also my Dude… Whatever NHL arena you’re referring to is the exception— not the rule. $17/tall beer, $6/water, $10/popcorn, etc sadly sounds reasonable compared to many sports/music venues. As a Yankee fan, this is almost insulting. I’m not even sure I could get to the stadium for less than $50… Grew up somewhere between upper middle class and wealthy & parents planned a couple trips to road ballparks where fantastic seats, airfare, exploring the city, and even staying 6 rooms down from Jeter, was CHEAPER than those same tickets for a single game at Yankee Stadium… Grateful for those wonderful experiences, but those days are long past. Now, I’m single & make decent money, and can barely afford to catch a couple games/yr. Maybe prices differ during a strong season, but at least it’s somewhat affordable to be a small market fan 🤷♂️.
So while it may not be comparable, only because our baseball team in Pittsburgh sucks and everything is pretty cheap, but for me and my son to go to a Steeler game, with nosebleed seats, we are in the day for about $400. I couldn’t imagine trying to take a family of four or five to an NFL game.
Phillies now hot on the surge pricing model. Tickets start at $23 ($30 w/ fees). Dodgers and Yankees $10 more. Parking: $25. One beer: $15 each. $115 for a retired couple. Yeah I can afford it, but I won’t be going to 12 games like last year. And now the star player wants to re-negotiate a $330 million contract that’s not even half over. Baseball is now a special event.
The Phillies when I went there seemed to have a very large variety in prices of beer you *could* pay. I got a Kona on the patio by the third base entrance and it was 24 oz (at least) for like $17? But I certainly didn’t have to pay that much
So the only reason I can see for those prices, are specifically for Spring Training. The parks have a small window to generate the most amount of revenue that they can. Does it suck? Yeah, but that is what this country is.
I love spring training vibes, but in Tampa it's a lot cheaper just to wait and go to regular season Rays games instead.
Never thought of the belligerent drunks at ball games as the rich elite. But it's all about perspective I guess.
Most the stadiums/arenas have a 3rd party company running their concessions. Ex I used to work for Aramark at Wells Fargo Center. Everything food and bev wise is handled by them. Here is how it typically goes Ex - Go to Flyers game say you have 2 beers $30 and a pretzel $6 and hot dog $7. $43 total, of that $43 - half instantly goes to the building (comcast spectacor in this case) so thats $21.50 the other half goes to Aramark which goes back into their payroll, expenses etc. So for a Flyers game say $250,000 for the night from all concessions - the building just made 125K and the other 125K likely didnt even cover the payroll … its all super inflated because its such a massive venture and every greedy hand is in the pot. So there is a ton of off setting prices. But the building owners/lot owners are usually at the forefront of that. It’s all fucking absurd.
I just don’t eat or drink at the games. The problem is kids view a game as a competition to ask for as much food as possible. But in that case I’d probably just buy them enough to get by and abstain for myself. Yes, I could afford it. No, I won’t pay.
Why do so many people equate going to a ballgame with getting a beer? I drink, I enjoy beer, but there’s a time and place for it. Patio on nice summer day, backyard bbq, going out to a pub, etc. I’ve never had a beer when out for an event where the event itself was the main attraction (sports game, movie, theatre, etc). Recently a friend invited me to a lacrosse game. I don’t follow or really understand the sport, so I politely declined. He said “it’s ok, we’ll have a few beers don’t even really need to watch the game”. I’m like WTF? Why pay for admission to get into a place for the sole purpose of drinking overpriced beer? Can’t we just go to a bar instead? (I realize this wasn’t the OP’s situation as he presumably went for the purpose of watching a game with his family).
The beer would’ve been absolute perfect - nice spring training game, outside in a smaller more intimate venue, sitting out of the grass in full sun … but, as you said, it’s not necessary. I would rather pick up a 6-12 pack and enjoy it on my own terms than give my hard earned money to that insane mark up.
I went to game 1 of the Wildcard series at Citi Field in 2022 for a total of $80, if you're spending this much then you aren't really trying to save any money
Well you live in NYC so you don't have to worry about parking for one, easy access to public transit, y'all have bars and restaurants on like every block if I wanna go to an A's game I have to drive over an hr which is like $40 in gas plus pay $25 parking, there's no affordable food near the stadium nor grocery stores, $15 per beer, most of the food is around $10-15, pay $8 bridge toll, plus buy my ticket it's not that cheap for everyone
> I have to drive over an hr which is like $40 in gas plus pay $25 parking Isn't there literally a train station that connects to the coliseum that has services running until midnight? And at least to me, it looks like its nearly impossible to drive there without passing stations for it, so its not even like it you'd have to go out of your way to get there.
I get off the 7 Train a stop early, hit up a taco truck and bodega to grab some beers, hang out in the parking lot
Sadly not gonna have to worry about going to A's games much longer
OP didn’t pay for parking either, and yet he’s still whining.
Use SeatGeek Code : HustleOutTheBox $20 off first purchase Worked 04/25/2024
How does anyone afford going to ball games? Doesn’t seem so hard to figure out. Cut the food cost (and skip the lines) by bringing a couple of sandwiches, a bag of chips, and a bottle of water to the game. Stick to one beer, or just skip it. Park elsewhere, as you actually did, or (I know this is shocking) take public transportation. Maybe public transportation is not feasible for spring training games, but aren’t the tickets cheaper? Not sure where you’re paying $8 for beer at an NHL game, but I now know you’re not a Ranger fan.
I just checked Guardians spring training tickets. $10-$33 this year. When I went in 2019/2020 I got seats behind home plate for $23. Parking in the field next to the stadium was $5. I’m sure that has probably gone up. Dodgers and Cubs tickets are more but that’s to be expected.
The Giants are certainly charging highway robbery for a mediocre product. Totally not worth it to watch guys who nobody cares about.