EDITOR'S NOTE: I wanted to write a small aside for the critics among us, dealing with some criticism I've read/heard about toward the methodology of the FCI. We at Team Marketing Report understand that you don't have to buy two hats or two programs.

Crazy as it may seem, this survey isn't meant to tell fan how much they should spend, or what they should spend their money on when they attend a baseball game this year, but rather how much you can expect to spend if you buy the cheapest of everything (if something is wrong, like say, you can't find a $5.50 beer somewhere, let me know. But make sure you're right.)

We at TMR know you can spend as little or as much as you would like. It's a free country, no matter what the "Tea Party" would have you believe. The reason we have kept such simple, and perhaps quaint, concession and merchandise examples is fairly simple: This is the formula that was established back in 1991 when the FCI was created. So for continuity's sake, we kept it, and it makes sense because these are things available at every stadium, arena, center, centre, ballpark and ballyard. Perhaps we will adjust in the future and I'm happy to take any ideas.

Also, and I know this will blow some minds, you don't have to buy the most expensive ticket. If we say the average ticket to a Cubs game is $52.56, you can spend less.This goes for the other 29 baseball teams, and every other sport outside of say, high school football and basketball.

We include free access to the pdf chart so you can see how costs match up, and we feel that the FCI can predict how much a family of four, not four guys only drinking beer, would spend on an outing to a Major League Baseball game. Try and keep track the next time you go to a game with a group of four, be it a family or four guys getting drunk. Let me know what you spend. It's always interesting to hear fan experience stories.  - Jon Greenberg, Executive Editor. jgreenberg@teammarketing.com

2010 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL FAN COST INDEX

After a drop in attendance of more than 6 percent in 2009, ticket prices stayed mostly stagnant around Major League Baseball, with a slew of teams cutting ticket prices and offering cheaper concession items in 2010.
The average ticket to a Major League game is up slightly this year at $26.74, while the total price to take a family of four to a game dropped by more than a dollar to $194.98, according to Team Marketing Report’s exclusive Fan Cost Index for 2010. (The average FCI was off by  10 cents in the release, due to an error on my master sheet. It is now fixed on the pdf.)
The 1.5 percent increase is the smallest since the FCI's inception in 1991. The previous low was 1.6 percent in 1995, the year after the baseball work stoppage.
The Boston Red Sox regained the top spot in the FCI at $334.78, about $5 more than the Chicago Cubs and $18 more than the New York Yankees.
But Boston, with an average price of $52.32, has been overtaken for the second straight year, if only by a few cents, as the most expensive ticket, by the Cubs at $52.56.
The Cubs, now under new ownership, had the secondhighest increase at 10.1 percent, with the team putting more games into its highest ticket category.
The Cubs, which put very few tickets into the premium category, divide all tickets, even those in season plans, into four pricing tiers. This year, they have 26 games in the most expensive tier and 30 in the second-most expensive. In 2009, the team had 14 games in its most expensive category and 34 in the second.
Last year was the first since 1996 that the Red Sox didn’t have the most expensive ticket and the first since 2001 they weren’t atop the FCI chart.
The Yankees topped the survey last year, but a change in the way TMR calculates their seating, along with additional information provided by the team, dropped their average ticket price dramatically. In order to make the comparison more accurate, TMR retroactively adjusted their  2009 ticket information.
The Yankees’ initial listed average in 2009 was $72.97, but in 2010, it is $51.83, which is essentially even with the Red Sox and the Cubs. The Yankees’ adjusted average of $51.64 last year would have still been higher than the Red Sox and the Cubs.
The new Yankee Stadium received no shortage of bad press for its expensive premium seating, forcing the team to adjust prices in the middle of the season, an unheard-of move. Of course, the bad press was quickly forgotten when the Yankees won the World Series.
Last year TMR figured the “average” premium seat at the stadium at $510.08. This year it is $312.11, still the highest in baseball.
Premium seating figures, located on the chart  should be looked at closely. According to data provided by 29 teams (Colorado did not provide seat scaling), premium seating makes up a little more than 12 percent of available seating, on average. 
Teams have the freedom to classify seats as premium. Premium seating is classified as seats having extra amenities, or the rights to certain exclusivities, like private clubs. Luxury suites are not included in calculations.
TMR began separating general and premium seating in 2003. While there is still reason to do so today, despite the rising number of seats considered “premium,” it’s important to note both figures.
The New York Mets, which dropped prices on both general and premium tickets in their second year at Citi Field, have the highest percentage of seats considered premium, according to data they provided in 2009, at 37 percent. The Atlanta Braves are next at 23 percent, followed by the Boston Red Sox at 21, San Francisco Giants at 20, Texas Rangers at 19, Los Angeles Angels at 18 and Yankees at 16. All percentages are rounded off.
The Cubs have the lowest percentage of seating classified as premium at 1 percent, though this doesn’t include their auction seats, which are sold on a season or game-by-game basis. The team has also added a new premium club, the PNC Club, which is carved out of luxury suites.The Padres only classify 2 percent  as premium.
It is interesting that these two teams have such low numbers of premium seating, given that the Cubs have the second-highest average ticket at $52.56 and the Padres have the second-lowest at $15.15.
Six teams showed a decrease in average ticket prices this year, while 13 stayed flat, or in the Yankees’ case, showed an increase under 1 percent. Eleven teams showed increases, most notably the Minnesota Twins, which moved into open-air Target Field this season.
After leaving the cavernous Metrodome, the Twins’ average jumped 45 percent from $21.70 to $31.47, while their FCI went up 21.8 percent to $206.88. (If you would like to see how other teams increased prices in the first year of a new stadium, sign up for TMR archives at teammarketing.com) The Twins’ payroll has jumped as well, as they now have the 10th highest at $97.56 million. Last year they were 24th at $65.3 million.
The Padres cut tickets dramatically this season, dropping from 16th on the FCI list last year to 29th. Their FCI total is $120.60, 29.9 percent less than last year. In 2009, the Padres dropped their FCI by 14.7 percent.
San Diego’s average ticket went down 15.4 percent, after a 27 percent decrease in 2009.
The cheapest average ticket belongs to the Diamondbacks, for the fourth straight season, at $14.31. The D-Backs have the cheapest FCI in baseball at $115.24, an increase of $1 from last year.
The Detroit Tigers dropped their average ticket by 14.2 percent, after declining attendance and a bad economic market greeted an 8.3 percent increase last year. (The Tigers’ 2010 numbers were reported late this year.)
Why did the overall FCI go down this year? Several teams are offering cheaper concession items, and nearly every team has some kind of value meal proposition. The Cincinnati Reds  have $1 soft drinks and $1 hot dogs for the second consecutive year.
Some teams started offering smaller options, or cheaper parking and hats. Both of which contribute greatly to a team’s average.
After setting a professional sports record with their 17th straight losing season, the Pittsburgh Pirates kept ticket prices the same and cut their FCI by 6.3 percent.
The Los Angeles Angels remain baseball’s best bargain. The reigning AL West champions dropped tickets 5.6 percent to $18.93 and thus, its FCI fell 6.6 percent to  $131.80.