Ticket Prices During the Recession: Why the NFL, Nets Prevail Over Red Sox
Nov 18th 08
The Red Sox have made the decision to keep ticket prices exactly the same for 2009, as the NFL has decided to cut its playoff ticket pricing by 10%. The New Jersey Nets are going even further to help their fan base, as they are offering tickets to unemployed fans, and even sending the fans resumes to companies so they can find jobs!
Larry Lucchino & Friends
You would think that Larry Lucchino, Werner, and John Henry would’ve done something better for their fans, but they have instead opted to gouge their fans wallets as the recession looms over the world economy.
“We have been listening to fans, friends, and family about the challenges they are facing in light of the current adverse economic conditions,”
- Larry Lucchino, CEO, Boston Red Sox
Hahaha!! You were listening to the fans, during the worse conditions in the financial system since the Great Depression, and you decided to throw the Red Sox Nation a bone by NOT RAISING PRICES?
…We hope our ownership’s decision to hold prices for the upcoming season will in some way help ease the burden on Red Sox Nation.”
- Larry Lucchino
The Red Sox brass hope to “ease the burden” of families losing their homes, losing their jobs, and losing their savings, by keeping the most expensive ticket and total entertainment cost in the entire league? This is the equivalent to a supermarket not having any sales so can feed your family easier during hard times. What type of bullshit logic is that?
WEEI Minions, Attack!
Adding to the Red Sox report, ownership sent out memos to their radio media hounds ( for this paragraph I will use the example of “Dale and Holley Show on WEEI”) to cheer-lead the ticket price freeze for 2009.
Michael Holley, and I give him great respect for his ability to see multiple sides of stories, was so zealous in defending the actions of the team ( remember, WEEI is owned by the Red Sox, and seldom you will hear anything against Red Sox ownership, if ever ).
One caller had talked about working with a company that uses some extra money to buy season tickets for its executives, and that this year the economic squeeze has forced them to pass on the tickets. The caller, I’ll name him “Joe” since I forgot his name, had said that he could foresee the Red Sox attendance sellout record cease in 2009 if these tickets stand at this price.
Holley had continually stated that the Red Sox don’t have to lower ticket prices, and that fans will continue to buy seats for the games. Joe the caller asked if the Red Sox should try to lower them to help fans, and Holley replied that the Red Sox should only make decisions which are in their best interests, as do all businesses.
Logical, but is this a type of answer you give to a fan on an afternoon radio show who won’t be able to see Red Sox games next year because of a tightening economy? Not saying Holley was wrong, but his words were clearly influenced by whatever the Red Sox are going to tell him. Holley even tried to slam the ticket price cost index, saying that the Yankees “hide” certain luxury prices to keep their index down.
Throughout all of this, the conversation turned NOT to the Red Sox enormous ticket prices, but to the expensive parking arrangements around the stadium. Both Holley and Dale Arnold were up in arms about how $40 parking kills the Red Sox fans wallets, and not the $100 ticket prices. Hmmm…
NFL & New Jersey Nets Play Robin Hood on Themselves
Clearly, the same day Michael Holley and Dale Arnold were unzipping Red Sox ownership’s pants, the NFL had announced that all of their playoff tickets would be reduced by 10% to help struggling fans buy tickets for important games. This even makes more sense, since most regular season tickets for many teams are already sold out.
“Our belief right now is let’s invest in people who might invest in us later. In doing so, we can help people who need it most.”
-Nets chief executive Brett Yormark
Doesn’t this sound like ownership that actually cares about the fan base? In addition, he is sending out resumes to other companies and corporate sponsors! Both the Nets decision and the NFL’s decision showcase good foresight, and a great sense of goodwill, for people who will need it during these hard times.
For the Red Sox to come out with their media megaphone to suggest apathy as the best remedy, without any ethical incentive to help their fans, clearly show they are not keeping up with their fan base.
Looking At The Greener Grass
Some might say its because the fans that can afford the ticket prices are the most affluent ( the ones who buy the luxury boxes, and the media outlets, corporations etc. ), it makes little sense to turn down prices since this base has money regardless of economic conditions. In the book Baseball Between the Numbers
, a quote by sports economist Allan Sanderson sums up the viewpoint of high-priced baseball ticket sales:
“Certainly, people in the upper half of the income distribution the last twenty years have done quite well. Those in the lower ranks have not, but those are not the ones going to sporting events.”
With the recession looming, it seems that the Red Sox are fine with forcing Red Sox nation to keep up with the Joneses. As more have-nots join the ranks on the not-so-green-side in sports enthusiasm, when will the Red Sox understand that although sports has survived other recessions and depressions, that the fortitude of sporting popularity was defined by the common fan and cheap seats throughout history ( see: Baseball Between the Numbers Again
If the Sox take a chance on the elite portion of sport enthusiast, and continually alienate more of the people that enjoy their team and sport, they risk losing the people that truly love them. When the sellout streak ends, and empty seats start fluttering around Fenway Park, I do hope Larry Lucchino and Friends reflect on the time they turned their back on the Boston faithful.
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Nice writing. You are on my RSS reader now so I can read more from you down the road.
Allen Taylor
Only thing lowering prices will do is make more money for the scalpers. They buy up all of the tickets and set the prices anyway.
are you kidding me, the NFL gives 10% off, oooooh wow, i saved 10 bucks on my ticket, yet snacks drinks and ANYTHING else you buy in the stadium makes the movie theater snack prices look downright cheap!
as far as the NJ Nets are concerned, they could probably reduce the price to FREE and still not sell out a game.
the Red Sox are THE team of this decade, and while i personally would never waste my cash to see a game that can be watched (and actually SEEN) better for free on the tv.
that is all
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