Some might ask what I mean by that. Simply said, either financially or emotionally, the fans always pay the price for their love of sports. Be it baseball, basketball, football, hockey, or any of the major sports, fans pay for it no matter how high or ridiculous the cost.
A team builds a new stadium, fans pay for it whether they know it or not. Bonds, increased taxes, the city finds some way to put the cost on others, then they sit back and reap the benefits of the lease. Price increases at games are the norm now. And they have an even more ingenious way to separate you from your money with what they call premium packs. What is a premium pack? Usually, a block of tickets to see the better teams. And they increase the prices for those games too.
Think of it as the movies do. The most expected films usually have a higher admission price. You go to a game against the Rockies or Pirates, you pay less than for the Giants or Padres. Dodger Stadium is an old lady by comparison to some of the newer parks. But the owners have upgraded the ballpark a couple of times, so it still holds its own against the newer ones, but still does not have the same kind of atmosphere the new parks generate. One thing that never changes, two million-plus will trudge through those turnstiles as long as the team stays competitive.
Jersey’s, caps, t-shirts, and other memorabilia will fly off of the shelves as usual. Fans will pay enormous amounts of money for a 12 oz watered-down beer. The hot dogs even changed with a new company providing the dogs. Sorry, Farmer John’s version will always be the only Dodger Dog to me. But then, they do things as they did in December, and lock the players out until a new labor agreement is in place. Putting the fans in a state of limbo and emotional turmoil wondering when this BS will end.
I am old enough to have lived through all of the labor stoppages. None were pleasant for the fans. Probably pretty traumatic for the players too. But, the vast majority of fans are not availed the resources and perks the players and owners possess. This time it was stated that the players have a large war chest. This means the union has socked away millions so these millionaires do not go hungry. Meanwhile, the average fan is battling a pandemic, an economy that has had a serious increase in the cost of living, and for many, the loss of their jobs.
And in some states, their entertainment options are limited by mask mandates, limited seating, and some forms of live entertainment not being back in circulation yet. For instance, many musicians have not yet returned to touring. Too much fear. Some is justified, I will give you that.
But here we are, February 5th. No agreement in the last two months. Slight movement by the MLBPA on a couple of issues, but not many concessions from MLB. Dodger fans still waiting on a ruling in the Bauer debacle. Super Bowl in two weeks on the 13th of February, and right after that, pitchers and catchers normally would be heading to their respective camps. Kershaw is still unsigned as is Jansen. A lot of players in unemployment limbo. Most of them have money in the bank and marketable skills once the lockout is over. But many mid-level vets are going to find themselves in a very thinned out market once the lockout is over. Some, who think they deserve big paydays are going to be greatly disappointed.
Sometime down the road, the emotional toll will subside, those fans who felt betrayed by both parties will most likely look elsewhere to spend their entertainment dollars. True baseball fans will stick with the game, but they too will be a little less forgiving to both sides. Me, I love the team and the game. But financially, I do not contribute to their coffers anymore. I canceled my MLB package. I have not bought an MLB-certified souvenir in a long time. If I were to go to a baseball game, it would most likely be a minor league game. The Colorado Springs AAA team is about an hour away, and the tickets are a lot cheaper.
All in all, I am just not willing to pay the price MLB asks of me anymore. The Dodgers as a team will always have my loyalty. The players and MLB, not so much.
In “Call to the Pen” a couple of days ago, Rick Sossion actually asks Could the fans actually strike back at greed?
https://calltothepen.com/2022/02/02/mlb-lockout-fans-actually-strike-back-greed/
The older I get, the more I realize that all things ultimately change. I too was disappointed when I heard that Farmer John would no longer supply the Dodgers with their delectable dogs. And while I haven’t been to a game since the change, I have purchased the new dogs at the local Vons on several occasions and I will tell you that I was pleasantly surprised that the new company got it right. In fact, I feel like the new dogs are better in every way. Better taste and better texture, but close enough to the original that you don’t notice too much. I’m not sad to have an improved product produced by a smaller, family owned company.
As far as being priced out of the stadium, the one big takeaway from several economics, math, finance and accounting classes I had to take in business school is that price is a function of supply and demand and is not a function of expense times some kind of profit multiplier. This was etched into my brain by hundreds of calculus problems which is used to find maximums and minimums. The takeaway here is that the prices at the stadium are set by what people are willing to pay and not by what the team spends in it’s operation of the enterprise. Instead of blaming stadium upgrades and increased salaries on the price of the ticket, be thankful that the team is reinvesting that cash into the product on the field instead of being the McCourts and using those profits to buy properties for personal gain.
More infuriating to me is that politicians grab those dollars out of our collective pockets and yet we still vote to increase that theft with promises of programs that are seldom delivered. Just think about how many watered down beers you can buy if old Uncle Sam wasn’t pulling all those dollars out of your pocket. Pro Tip – Don’t buy draft beer at the stadium. They can’t water down the beer that they pour from a can or a bottle.
I’m less frustrated by the lockout than many are, I suppose. I lived through the strike cancelled season and still came back to watch the following year. The Rona cancelled more games in a season than a strike or lockout ever cancelled and I came out fine at the end of that. Sure, I’m anxiously anticipating when they lift the curtain and the final details are dotted on the roster, but I’m not going to let it ruin my life. I have my own feelings that the players are being a bit greedy here. After all, Max Scherzer with career earnings in excess of $350M when it’s all said and done is tweeting about how he wants changes to the system even though he’ll be playing for just three more years. Or looking at what CT3 will earn as a solid player who’s never been a starter. I just think it’s a pretty bad optic that they want 21 and 22 year olds making millions as soon as they step onto the field so they can buy some thicker gold chains? All for playing a game, just like every year they played since they were 5 years old? The owners, at least have skin in the game as they invested their own fortunes to purchase the team in the first place. If the team loses money, they have to come up with the difference. The players don’t lose money with their guaranteed contracts, they get paid whether or not they get injured or just start sucking. All the while both sides are exploiting the minor leaguers who never make it.
Looking at the bright side. If people walk away from the game after being disgruntled by the work stoppage, ticket prices will go down as demand will decrease. Simple economics.
On another note. I watched a Dodgers Nation video yesterday that makes me believe that Freddie Freeman will be a Dodger. He’s spending a lot of time near his Newport Beach home this offseason and isn’t denying the possibility of coming over to the Dodgers when approached by passers by. Before the lockout he was apparently engaged in talks with the Dodgers and Brian Snitker had some words related to notion of preparing for the upcoming season without Freeman.
I believe Freeman to be the kind of player that the Dodgers would want to pursue. I think he’s extremely consistent delivering great offensive production year after year with solid power and very good contact skills. Perhaps a little better in both areas than Seager’s bat which he’ll be replacing in the lineup.
I think the Dodgers are just two moves away from being the most complete team in the league. I would love to see Freeman and Montas as those two moves. I’ve missed Frankie a bit ever since they traded him for the most hated player in recent memory in Josh Reddick and beloved Dick Mountain. I sure would like to see Montas and look alike Graterol pitching in the same game this upcoming season in Blue.
Freeman would likely push Mad Max back to where he started at second base. I think this is less of a concern with rangey Trea at SS than it was with Seags. Or, Max could possibly take up a full time DH spot while recovering from his season ending injury. Could Max turn into a 3rd baseman?
Betts RF (R)
T Turner SS (R)
Freeman 1B (L)
JT 3B (R)
Max DH (L)
Smith C (R)
Belli CF (L)
Pollock LF (R)
CT3 / Lux 2B (R/L)
What a lineup!
Well, there is no end to greed.
Either the players or the owners. Prices just keep rising. Now with inflation soaring there seems little doubt that everything will take huge price jumps at Dodger Stadium.
Now if players were really concerned about those who don’t get the mega money, they would simply raise the minimum to at least $750,000 or more and let the rest go. That would benefit every player at one point or another.
I agree, Bear, about fans eventually looking elsewhere to spend their entertainment dollars. I’m guessing baseball, players and owners, are so consumed by all the additional revenue streams and club values that they don’t see the cliff ahead. If you price out families, that’s bound to hurt the future fan base, which in turn will hurt the bottom line.
Although I have already paid for season tickets for 2022, I did cut down the number I normally get as part of a group. Next year I will probably pass. Since it seems likely that spring training will be pushed into April, unless something suddenly changes, regular season games will likely be lost.
That was the assessment of Jerry Hairston, who said there seems to be no sense of urgency on either side to reach a deal.
That after people going through two years of Covid. Timing is everything and the fact that owners and players are totally clueless in how all this looks to fans appears to paint
a somewhat troubling picture, baseball’s version of a let them eat cake moment.
You love baseball. But does baseball love you back? Only if you’re willing to pay top dollar, which increases every year for a game that has far less action than it once did. Takes longer to play too.
As to movies, I pay the same for blockbusters as I do for other films, at least that’s the way the local Cinemark operates. You do pay more to watch it in the IMAX. You pay less for the first showing of the day or Tuesday discount day.
For Dodgers games, season tickets are one price and parking is discounted.
Good write-up, Bear.
Good comments fellas. As everyone, I’m just waiting to see who really wants to get a deal done and who doesn’t. The Union refusing mediation intervention doesn’t scream urgency to me. I’ve been typically on the player’s side but not with some of the proposals I’m seeing now.
I’m with you Bear. While I have never purchased a jersey or tee shirt, I am a hat-guy. I have hundreds and all mean something to me. But I’ve purchased my last MLB hat or anything. I did break down in fall ball and buy a draft beer and a pseudo Dodger Dog for $17 bucks. The ticket to get in was $7.00, so I splurged.
SBuffalo is right on that “baseball don’t love you back”. There are so many things that are effected by both parties being unable to reach a deal. Besides the more obvious, a delayed spring train or cancelled spring training, dramatically effects communities in Arizona and Florida. Communities all around Phoenix have made major investments in the construction of training facilities and ballparks, leased by MLB franchises. Glendale borrowed $200 million to build Camelback Ranch. 9 other communities made huge investments to build facilities to accommodate Spring Training. Millions more was paid in interest when the Arizona economy tanked. But the economy rebounded big-time and interest in spring training exploded. The Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority was able to finally start reimbursing for construction costs to these communities. The incentive to build these complexes was starting to pay off in tourism dollars. Then in 2019, Spring Training was cut in half by Covid. Last year, attendance was limited to about 25%. This year it could be zero. The tourism spinet is off. These places are staffed by mostly unpaid volunteers, many of whom rent in Az for a month. What do you suppose their plans are this year?
I own a condo and spend 1/2 the year near Camelback Ranch. Around here now, nothing can be predicted. Nothing can be planned; No quarenteed income from condo rentals. No air fares, No rental cars, No restaurants attended, Nothing. Many condos in my complex are rentals and spring training is the busiest time. Owners get $1000 a week and up, That’s a lot of money for private owners. No spring training appears to be no worry at all for the owners and players. It’s small potatoes. It isn’t the slightest concern to the billionaires fighting the millionaires over shit like the “Pre-arbitration Bonus Pool” amount.
A long time ago I whimsically suggested that I wanted to start the National Fan Association and be the President. I would charge dues and finagle a seat at the table to represent the fan interests in negotiations. It’s not a dumb idea anymore. In the real world, the fans need a voice. And some clout. It seems it would take a fan base committed to boycotting everything including Tickets, TV, sponsor’s products, all MLB and team store crap…everything., until fan interests were considered. We could all start in on crocheting projects. We could have our own lock-out. The reality is, once this is settled most everyone will gravitate back to watching again and attending like sheep. The enthusiasm will build again and even fans with a little more scar tissue will be back. Maybe.
… but maybe not!
A couple of news items. Adrian Gonzalez formally retired today. A-Gone spent some time in the Mexican League last season and hit over .300. His last MLB season was 2018 when he spent some time with the Mets. Yasiel Puig arrived in Korea to begin his tenure with his KBA team. He vowed to play hard and give the fans some exciting baseball. Finally, I have no sympathy for the owners. Why should I ? The Texas Rangers spent 500 million dollars to sign FOUR PLAYERS! FOUR! Costs go up because teams spend outrageous amounts of money. And these four players are going to a mediocre team. Even the lowest paid MLB players make more money in a month than I do all year, so I have no sympathy for them either. The greed has no end.
When we talk about baseball, we share ideas that are our own. Personal histories, different perspectives, clever analysis. We surprise each other with different angles and nuances. We take apart the mysteries of baseball and solve its problems, like today. When we talk politics, we inevitably choose the words of others that we have picked up along the way, that are not enlightening or persuasive.
Let’s stick with the Dodgers or I’m liable to say something to Mark which I’ll surely regret.