Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Going out to the ballgame now can cost an insane amount of money for the average fan or family. Baseball used to be a game largely attended by fans of the sport and by families. And going to a game used to be affordable sports entertainment. But now many parks are remodeling to cater to a different type of “fan” – corporations. Corporate boxes are purchased or leased from the teams. Corporations use these boxes to entertain clients, reward hard-working staff or dole them out as executive perks. The cost of these new stadiums, however, are typically funded by raising geo-specific taxes or by bonds. Many people think that the naming rights fees cover the construction costs of new stadiums, but no, this is not the case. In addition, new stadiums command higher pricing for season tickets. In new stadiums, optimum seating such as behind home plate or along the baselines becomes excruciatingly expensive. Tickets for the “Nosebleed” seating and obstructed seats may still be somewhat affordable to baseball fans, but these are obviously not the most desirable seats at the parks. And relative to spending at the game, many products available for purchase at ballparks are overly expensive. Cups of beer at $12 and cotton candy at $7 and hot dogs at $10 are not unusual prices to pay for stadium food and beverages. Concessionaires pay large fees to the teams to be able to sell their food and beverages and must recoup these fees by passing along the cost to the fans. Fair or unfair?

Many people use their credit cards to make baseball ticket purchases since they can purchase tickets online or purchase them at the box office if the tickets aren’t sold out. Almost all season tickets are purchased online using credit cards in advance of the season. Does anyone pay for anything with cash anymore? Most people don’t like to carry cash to ballgames. Carrying cash is a risk. Also, many merchants prefer to accept credit cards rather than have to worry about dealing with cash sales. Many merchants know it’s easy and safe to process credit cards using a company like PSBill. Take me out to the ballgame and use a credit card!