Cubs, Sox Among Most Expensive Ballpark Visits
By Chuck Sudo in News on Apr 30, 2012 8:45PM
The Street has an interesting article today about the average price of a ticket to a major League Baseball game and the ten teams whose prices are above the average. Let's just say we pay a lot for bad baseball on both sides of town.
According to the article the Cubs have the third-highest average ticket price at $46.30, while the White Sox' average ticket price is $29, well above the MLB average of $26.98. What struck us as odd was the $15 difference between the two ballclubs. Why the wild difference between both sides of town?
Both teams have drastically cut payrolls from 2011 to 2012. The White Sox' $97.9 million payroll is a 24.3 percent decrease, while the Cubs have cut nearly 30 percent of player salaries off their books and now have a payroll of $88.2 million. The White Sox, who have retooled seemingly every year in order to compete for postseason success, have the better value. But the Cubs have the more loyal fan base willing to shell out the bucks to enjoy some fun at Wrigley Field. The team also is shedding large contracts signed by former GM Jim Hendry to make the team attractive to Ricketts and other suitors when the Tribune Co. owned the club.
The Street also noted the Sox dropped their ticket prices to accommodate for lowered expectations this year. They also play in U.S. Cellular Field, which is owned by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, allowing them to keep their ticket prices low. The Ricketts family bought Wrigley Field along with the Cubs and, since they're one of eight MLB clubs operating in violation of the league's debt service rules, need every penny they can get. Which is also why the average price of a small draft beer at Wrigley is $7, the fifth-highest average in the league.