I am not sure how Forbes calculated their figure, but it can be found by searching “baseball valuations” on Forbes.com.

Also, the TMR is notoriously flawed so I am not sure how accurate their figures are. Besides, using median price makes much more sense than average price. What’s more, TMR ignores that the Yankees have discount dates and lower advance prices. Finally, TMR does not take into account the secondary market, where the Yankees greater capacity (the Yankees still have the second largest baseball capacity in the majors) makes their tickets more favorable to the demand side.

@ williamnyy: “IFor starters, you need to compare the average (or better the median ticket price), not the top ticket. Forbes lists the avg. Yankee ticket at $41 and the average Red Sox ticket at $50.”

How did they figure those numbers? Call me very skeptical, given that there are 4500 seats in Yankee Stadium that cost $325 or more, when $325 is the top price the Sox charge. And the Team Marketing report has the Yanks’ average ticket price at $72.97:

http://www.teammarketing.com/blog/index.html?article_id=69

G.I. Joey wrote:

Its annoying to go to your seat, and have people, or worse a crowd there, to have a mess made (drinks spilled, garbage left behind, etc).
____________

It’s one thing if people with Legends seats complained about this, but that is not the case to my knowledge. The team put this policy into effect before the season started. If there’s a mess, I’m sure someone in that over-staffed stadium can clean it up. Personally I don’t give a crap about going down to BP, so I am not jealous nor do I have an inferiority complex. I just think it’s messed up that a guy or gal can’t take their kid down to field level before the game.

The policy may have kicked in this year, but I’m sure its been a past complaint. I lucked out to a couple of games last year, and it was frustrating getting to my seat, and having a crowd there, that didn’t want to move, and soda or something all over my seat.

Could someone have cleaned it up? I have no idea, I know I did, and I know I would have been happier if I didn’t have to clean the seat and deal with wrappers and other garbage being strewn all over the place. At the time, I thought that was basically the trade off (i.e. good seats near the field, but have to deal with the crowd and junk before the game starts).

The Yankees got rid of that trade off, now you might think its unfair that someone can’t take their kid down to the field level before the game, I think its unfair to pay that kind of money for those seats, and have to deal with a crowd being there and leaving a mess behind. If your going to gouge the living hell out of fans for those kinds of seats, then the least the team can do, is make sure the area is clean and not a mess and if that means keeping out the folks who don’t have tickets for those seats (and who create the mess in the first place), then I will tip my hat to the team and applaud them for making at least one good decision.

FWIW: If they slashed the prices like crazy on those seats, to pretty much below market, then that would be different, because they would have the moral high ground in saying “You got a good deal, your paying less then you should, so deal with it, its the price you gotta pay for spending less then you would.”

For starters, you need to compare the average (or better the median ticket price), not the top ticket. Forbes lists the avg. Yankee ticket at $41 and the average Red Sox ticket at $50. The reason that’s the case is because while the Yankees have a select number of very expensive seats, the Red Sox price more aggressively in areas frequented by the common fan. For example, a Yankee bleacher seat is $12, while one at Fenway is $26. Behind the plate in the grandstand is $25 for the Yankees, while at Fenway it is $50.

If the Yankees wanted to really max out their revenue, they could probably raise the bleachers and Grandstand once the economy recovers.

@ williamnyy: “It’s completely unfair to say the Sox’ tickets are a bargain when the Yankees over 10,000 more to sell.” Then shouldn’t the Sox tix be more expensive, due to the scarcity? They’re not.

“Besides, what you are describing indicates that attending Yankee games is very affordable this season.”

That was certainly not the Yankees’ intention, that’s for sure.

It’s completely unfair to say the Sox’ tickets are a bargain when the Yankees over 10,000 more to sell. A Yankee fan can still go to just about any Yankee game this season, while a Red Sox fan has been sold out of attending games.

Besides, what you are describing indicates that attending Yankee games is very affordable this season.

@ Steve Lombardi: Believe it or not, the Sox tickets are a bargain, comparatively speaking, to the Yanks: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/seating.jsp .

@MJ: You wrote, “Are the non-premium sections of the ballpark filled? Are the bleachers filled? The upper deck seats and the non-premium seats in the middle deck? I’d say they are. As a result, it is obvious that THOSE sections of the ballpark are appropriately priced and therefore affordable to the “non-affluent.””

Yes and no. I got a terrace seat for half price for Yankees-Red Sox, and a main outfield seat, which retails for $60, for $12 for an Oakland game. There is a huge glut of tickets on the secondary market, which means that prices are going for way below cost. Many fans don’t seem to want to pay even face value for Main Outfield, Field Outfield, or Terrace seats, not even for Yankees-Red Sox games.

And a lot of fans who bought season tickets with the expectation of selling the tix they can’t use at a profit, or even at face value, are taking a bath this year. My guess is that there will be a lot fewer season ticket holders next season.

MJ wrote:

That was my experience also, as there was an usher of sorts stationed in the aisle of my section (I’m a season ticket holder) and made me show my ticket each and every time I got up.

Gotta say, I’ve been to 3 games this year so far – and this has never happened to me. Then again, with a mug like mine, maybe the usher just remembers me?

BTW, did I ever mention my diet pepsi story, from the last time I went to a game, on the blog so far? Maybe I should do a search on that…and add it, if I haven’t shared it so far.

PS – it’s a pro-new Stadium story.

Its annoying to go to your seat, and have people, or worse a crowd there, to have a mess made (drinks spilled, garbage left behind, etc).
____________

It’s one thing if people with Legends seats complained about this, but that is not the case to my knowledge. The team put this policy into effect before the season started. If there’s a mess, I’m sure someone in that over-staffed stadium can clean it up. Personally I don’t give a crap about going down to BP, so I am not jealous nor do I have an inferiority complex. I just think it’s messed up that a guy or gal can’t take their kid down to field level before the game.

but the team is, IMHO, squatting and defecating on fans with the prices and the treatment of their non-affluent fans.
——–
Perhaps with their treatment, since Yankee Stadium customer service is rather famous for being lacking.

I totally disagree that the team is “squatting and defecating with the prices” of their non-affluent fans. Are the non-premium sections of the ballpark filled? Are the bleachers filled? The upper deck seats and the non-premium seats in the middle deck? I’d say they are. As a result, it is obvious that THOSE sections of the ballpark are appropriately priced and therefore affordable to the “non-affluent.”