This year, Spring Training is just about as long as the regular season, thanks to the World Baseball Classic. Curiously enough, it’s almost just as expensive to attend an exhibition game as it is to attend the real thing, especially in Florida, according to our first-ever Spring Training Fan Cost Index.
With the economy hurting all sports, including spring training attendance, according to USA Today, high spring ticket prices could be obstructing sales.
The average price to take a family of four to a game in Arizona or Florida this month is $165.82. Last year’s Major League Baseball FCI was $191.92. The average price of a ticket to a spring game is $17.33, which is $8.10 less than an average ticket to an MLB game in 2008.
The top seven teams in the FCI list play in the Sunshine State.
Three teams, the Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins and Minnesota Twins, actually have a higher average price for their spring games than they did for their regular season games in 2008. A simple explanation for this pricing oddity is that every team has more inventory to sell for regular season games, and thus, a stockpile of cheaper seats to push. Also, it’s important to note that we lumped all tickets for spring games into one category, whereas in the MLB survey, we separate tickets into general and premium categories.
Nine teams have average tickets that are $20 or higher, though no team has an average price that is higher than the Major League average of $25.43. The New York Yankees are close, naturally. The Yankees’ average ticket of $25.12 helps them top the FCI chart with an average of $208.48. This comes with a caveat of my own, and an important one. While the Yankees list the prices of their seats, TMR couldn’t get a breakdown of their sections, and used estimations and on-site reporting to come up with their ticket averages and concession prices.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Marlins have the next priciest tickets in their shared stadium in Jupiter, at $24.29. These prices are why the teams are tied for second in the FCI list. Atlanta’s location in the Disney World sports complex probably explains how the Braves prices are greater than the team’s 2008 numbers. The Mouse ain’t cheap.
The new Glendale, Ariz. complex shared by the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers made headlines for its $100 seats. In truth, the teams only offer 200 such seats, and for regular-priced games, those seats run for $90. What a deal, right? The Glendale complex is the priciest outing in Arizona at $182.93.
Also, TMR didn’t count premium games into our calculations, and listed which teams offer variable pricing. All told, 12 teams, according to TMR research, bump up prices for weekend games or special matchups.
If you want to take a family of four to the Cleveland Indians’ new park in Goodyear, Ariz., (which will be shared by the Cincinnati Reds starting next year) , it’ll run you $167.63, just slightly over the MLB average.
ABOUT THE FAN COST INDEX: Average ticket price represents a weighted average of season ticket prices for general seating categories, determined by factoring the tickets in each price range as a percentage of the total number of seats in each venue. Premium seating (tickets that come with at least one added amenity or is classified by team as premium) is usually separated in the FCI, but for the Spring Training edition, it was not.
The Fan Cost Index™ comprises the prices of two (2) adult average-price tickets, two (2) child average-price tickets, two (2) small draft beers, four (4) small soft drinks, four (4) regular-size hot dogs, parking for one (1) car, two (2) game programs and two (2) least expensive, adult-size adjustable caps. Costs were determined by telephone calls with representatives of the teams, venues and concessionaires. Identical questions were asked in all interviews.
