Mets Raising Ticket Prices for 2008 and other Ticket News

[Gwreck]

No, they haven't officially announced the prices yet but since I got my renewal invoice for my ticket plan much of the information can be deduced or is available if you count up the little boxes on the schedule they sent.

Ticket Price Categories
In 2003, the Mets introduced a system by which they would sell tickets in different pricing categories. For the 2008 season, the Mets are increasing the number of games in the highest pricing categories. A comparison with previous seasons:

Games Per Pricing Category
Category	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Platinum	0	0	4	4	4	5
Gold	17	14	16	14	19	22
Silver	21	22	16	21	22	20
Bronze	27	32	32	27	24	22
Value	16	13	13	15	12	12

Ticket Prices
Not only have the Mets increased the number of higher-priced games, they are also increasing ticket prices.

Mezzanine Reserved Ticket Prices
Category	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Platinum						$29	$33	$35	$47
Gold				$27	$27	$27	$29	$31	$39
Silver				$25	$25	$25	$27	$29	$35
Bronze	$21	$23	$23	$23	$23	$23	$25	$27	$27
Value				$19	$19	$19	$19	$21	$23

Other Miscellaneous Ticket News
The "Platinum Games" this year are opening day, the series vs. the Yankees, and also the last regular season game at Shea.

Look for the same ridiculous "lottery" they used last year to return, for the aforementioned games.


[Edit: I don't know why there are huge spaces between the text and the HTML tables. Can anyone assist?

Yes. Done. Just don't put line breaks between the tags in your tables.

Edited December 15, 2007 by Guest

[A Boy Named Seo]

Get rid of any spaces in your table and you should be cool.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Silver (20.7%) and Bronze (22.2%) games using those numbers are taking it the hardest: Fewer games and higher percent price increases. Your "value" goes up if you can afford the Gold and Platinum, and since the supply there is greater, you might have to.

Heartless **********s the Mets are. I mean, I'm sure they'll do 3 mills easy, but still

[nymr83]

all i care about is the price of the cheapest ticket that'll get you into the building, is the upper deck going up?

[Frayed Knot]

Essentially they're taking advantage of the fact that they expect a buying bump from the great Shea farewell tour. IOW, it's basic supply and demand even though I'm sure many will jump on the increase as unwarranted due to last season's late-season collapse and the mistaken assumption that record and seat price should somehow directly correspond.

[Gwreck]

Frayed Knot wrote: and the mistaken assumption that record and seat price should somehow directly correspond.

There's nothing mistaken about that.
Where is the money going from the increased ticket prices?

What improvements have they made to the game experience at Shea? (Answer: none).

What improvements have they made to the product on the field?
(Answer: none).

What reasonable justification do they have for so arbitrarily raising the prices?
(Answer: none).

In fairness, more even than the ticket price increase, I'm pissed as a plan holder because they supposedly give us a "pre-sale" for single game tickets. But then they exclude the games (opening day, last game of the season, Yankees games) that I would actually use the benefit for. I mean, I'm already buying 25 games. They can't even give me the presale access for opening day, I have to enter the lottery like everyone else who isn't investing in the ticket plans?

[nymr83]

of course if they did give you access to those games in a "pre sale" other people would complain that there were no tickets for them and that only mr. rich guy with a ticket plan gets to attend opening day, so the Mets can't win either way there.

[Guest Kid Carsey]

Gw: >>>What improvements have they made to the product on the field?
(Answer: none)<<<

What? Those two studs they got from Washington ain't doin' it for ya?

[Frayed Knot]

Gwreck wrote: - Where is the money going from the increased ticket prices? - What improvements have they made to the game experience at Shea? - What improvements have they made to the product on the field? - What reasonable justification do they have for so arbitrarily raising the prices?

Are there businesses you deal with that DO give you itemized reasons for an increase as well as an updated accouting their spending when they raise their prices?

No one's saying you have to like the increases. But sports fans are too often under the impression that the laws of supply and demand should get suspended when it comes to ticket prices, or that there has to be some sort of direct correlation to ML payroll size (what direction are the cost of tickets to college football/hoops trending?).

The Mets are coming off a year with (a big) increased demand and they're banking on next year being another one. If they're right they stand to add a good chunk of revenue towards their bottom line. And if they're wrong they'll take a hit on this both in bad pr and in empty seats which will make them think twice about doing it again.

[Fman99]

Real nervey of a team that performs the biggest September choke job in the history of baseball to then jack up the prices. Good stuff.

I'll be enjoying all but 1 or 2 these games from home on SNY and XM, thanks.

[Gwreck]

Frayed Knot wrote: No one's saying you have to like the increases. But sports fans are too often under the impression that the laws of supply and demand should get suspended when it comes to ticket prices

I don't think it's necessarily a stretch to suggest that adhering to the law of supply and demand only is not appropriate for things like entertainment, the arts, professional sports, etc.

Without some checks on pricing, the law of supply and demand would simply remove a certain portion of the population's access to them and such things would effectively be reserved for the wealthy and super-wealthy.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I have no problem with supply and demand setting the price, even if it knocks some folks out of the stadium.

I do have a problem with certain professional sports leagues having monopolistic rights to their region, handicapping real alternative leagues and teams who might come in and compete for that demand.

[Gwreck]

Some updated information:

Mezzanine Reserved prices were actually $47/$39/$35/$27/$23. I have updated the table.

Upper Reserved prices for 2008:
$35 - Platinum
$25 - Gold
$20 - Silver
$10 - Bronze
$5 - Value

[nymr83]

]Upper Reserved prices for 2008: $35 - Platinum $25 - Gold $20 - Silver $10 - Bronze $5 - Value

last year the upper deck was 25/20/17/9/5

theres no reason NOT to raise the prices on the platinum games (which amount to opening day and the skankees) they'll sell those out even at $50 i'd guess

the big jump on the gold games tells me that they really expect a huge boost from this being shea's last season... or maybe they're trying to get the fans conditioned to think these prices are fine when the new joint opens.

]I do have a problem with certain professional sports leagues having monopolistic rights to their region, handicapping real alternative leagues and teams who might come in and compete for that demand.

there is nothing stopping other leagues from opening up.
the only thing being prevented right now is another MLB team moving into the area and on that point i'd be willing to agree that the teams should be able to go wherever the heck they want

[Guest Edgy DC]

I agree. But one thing stopping startup leagues from entering territory of established leagues is the sweetheart deals established leagues have gotten on homes.

[nymr83]

Edgy DC wrote: I agree. But one thing stopping startup leagues from entering territory of established leagues is the sweetheart deals established leagues have gotten on homes.

I think you're complaining about government here, not anything specific to MLB. These same things happen in all fields of business, the government is going to give the estblished entity (be it a hotel chain, a supermarket chain, whatever) tax breaks or other benefits because the government thinks there is either a real beneit or perceived benefit (in the eyes of those who must re-elect them) in doing so. No help will be forthcoming for Joe Shmoe's Motel chain compared to the new Hilton.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I didn't mean to suggest such sweetheart deals were specific to MLB.

[Valadius]

I think this has to do with their need to raise prices next year when they have fewer seats in the park.

[metirish]

Neil Best

[Valadius]

It's just stupid, in my opinion. In the largest market in the country, why the hell would they make a smaller stadium? It robs a hell of a lot of fans the chance to catch a game.

[Vic Sage]

its not stupid at all, from a business perspective. As the article points out, an additional 5,000-10,000 seats would cost more to build but generate the least revenue. Also, the perception of "scarcity" allows them to charge more, and encourages people to buy in advance, which both consitute additional profit to the team.

so why is it "stupid"? Because you don't like it? Well, i don't like it either. But lets be clear... it's anything but stupid. It's just the typical exploitation of the working class by the owners of capital, and it makes perfect sense, in an amoral economy.

[Valadius]

It's doing a disservice to the fanbase. Not everything should be about money.

[nymr83]

exploitation? please.
watch on tv or not at all if you don't like the prices, which by the way are still a hell of alot lower than the other sports.

[Vic Sage]

Nymr83 wrote: exploitation? please. watch on tv or not at all if you don't like the prices, which by the way are still a hell of alot lower than the other sports.

i just KNEW i'd get a rise out of you with that one.

And Valadius, why wouldn't it be about money? Its a comercial enterprise, not a non-profit institution with a public purpose. If you want your economy to have some morality, NYM83 will deride you like the pinko you are!

[nymr83]

communist propoganda generally gets a rise out of me, yes.

in any case we're talking about a baseball game here ... please explain how it is "exploitation" or even "unfair" to raise prices on an entertainment for which there are many alternatives?
if people don't like the ticket prices they can spend their money at the movie theater, buy a video game, read a book, etc. people "vote" on ticket prices with their wallets as it should be.

[Guest Edgy DC]

We're all perfectly free to enjoy non-profit baseball. We can even market it ourselves.

[nymr83]

who is the first pick in the new not for profit CPF league? can anyone here pitch?

[Guest Edgy DC]

I can pitch woo.

[Vic Sage]

Nymr83 wrote: communist propoganda generally gets a rise out of me, yes. in any case we're talking about a baseball game here ... please explain how it is "exploitation" or even "unfair" to raise prices on an entertainment for which there are many alternatives? if people don't like the ticket prices they can spend their money at the movie theater, buy a video game, read a book, etc. people "vote" on ticket prices with their wallets as it should be.

your typical bullshit.

the "exploitation" comes from excluding those least able to buy their product. They cut seating capacity by 10,000 seats. These aren't field level box seats they're cutting... its the cheap seats in the upper deck. So the working poor, who used to take their family to 1 or 2 games a year for $5/ticket have been priced out of the market, so Wilpon can sell more luxury boxes. These families aren't deciding between a Mets game and a book. Books don't cost $100 (4 tix, plus a program, and train fare to our new park). They'll have to choose between a Mets game and rent.

And your "let them eat cake" response that they should "go watch it on TV" doesn't deal with (1) the fact that Mets games are mostly on pay cable, not free broadcast, so it still costs alot to see them, even on tv, and (2) the fact that going to a game is a different experience entirely... for some of us, a life-changing experience... that working class people will be effectively excluded from.

I understand that this is fine with you. But as i said to Valadius, if he wants a society with some kind of morality built into the allocation of resources, a pure market economy is not the way to go.

[nymr83]

this is YOUR typical bullshit.

this isn't exploitation, there are plenty of other forms of entertainment out there and the idea that you are entitled to this one at a price of you choosing is bullshit

"working class" people are hardly being excluded from anything, there were (last year i dont have a 2008 schedule) 37 home games which yo could get into for either $5 or $9 (this year $5 or $10) per ticket. take public transportation (i do) dont buy their expensive food (i sure don't, unlike the football stadiums shea will let you bring in anything except glass bottles), dont buy a program (when i used to keep score, which i dont anymore, i printed out a scorecard off the internet- i even modifioed it to make it more to my liking than the one you can buy). you don't have a leg to stand on here, if you cant afford $10 a seat thats not the Mets' fault and it shouldn't be their problem.