Thursday, February 26, 2009

Partial view, partial price

At least they are putting up TV's to see what you're missing. Then again, you can do the same at home without paying a boatload in parking.

The price of watching a fraction of Yankees games dropped to a fraction of its original cost yesterday, with obstructed-view bleacher seats abruptly falling from $12 per game to $5.

Lonn Trost, the team's chief operating officer, made the announcement during an interview on WFAN. The ticket price applies to about 600 seats on either side of a sports bar that extends to the centerfield wall.

"Those seats are being sold at $5, not $12,'' he said. "I think some seats may have gone out improperly invoiced. Those are going to be corrected, but those 600 seats are going to be $5.''
[...]
"When we built the sports bar we knew architecturally there is an architectural shadow,'' he said. "And that means there are a group of seats that are in the bleachers that if you are sitting very close to either the rightfield or leftfield side of the sports bar, you may not see the opposite side."

We knew that going in, and to that extent we pre-prepared to put televisions in the wall, as well as that big screen so you don't miss anything.''
"Architectural shadow"??? Say what? You mean you couldn't have figured out a way to NOT block the sight lines of your most loyal and ferverent fans? No? You'd rather jut a sports bar out and block their sight lines and put up some flat screens to compensate. After all, they're only the $12/ticket customers, not the "high value" ones in the sports bar, eh?

BLECH

3 comments:

Ralph said...

Jason,

I remember when this issue first came up a few months ago. I think the only reason that they've decided to drop the price of these seats is because of the outcry in the past week with the season ticket holders.

Once again, it's the most loyal fans that are getting screwed here. I've been a season ticket holder for years and this will be the first year in a LONG time that I won't be at opening day. I'll admit, I'm contemplating not going to the stadium this year, just because I don't like the way the Yanks have handled the whole thing with the new stadium...but I know that'll probably be an exercise in futility.

Ron Rollins said...

Why would they even build a stadium with obstructed seat views? Especially at taxpayer expense.

That's like building an airport with no taxiways.

Incredible. Meanwhile, Kaufmann Stadium, starting it's 37 year, is still the best place to watch a game in the majors.

Jason @ IIATMS said...

Ralph:

It's totally cutting off your nose to spite your face. But, whatever your reason, you are voting with your wallet and that's cool by me.

As am I. I'd LOVE to go to a few games but I can't see me doing it much, as my boys (and wife) would like to go. Four tickets, plus snacks and stuff (I hit the deli by the stadium and bring in subs beforehand) and that's a $400 bill, if not worse (depending on the seats). I know my wife has NO interest in letting that happen.

Not that I blame her. We're both lucky to have jobs right now, but that can change tomorrow.