At Pricey New Stadiums, Is Baseball Taking a Backseat to Business?

Despite the economy, ticket sales are brisk at the new homes of the Yankees and Mets—but many longtime fans are shut out by high prices

By Rick Horrow and Karla Swatek

1. "Shock and Awe": Yankee Stadium Debuts This Week …
The New York Mets' Citi Field opened on Apr. 13, but even that monumental occasion was overshadowed, as many things Mets tend to be in New York City, by the debut of the new $1.1 billion Yankee Stadium on Apr. 16. As The New York Times writer Harvey Araton describes it, "Of New York's two new houses of baseball worship, Citi Field is the cozy cousin. Yankee Stadium is shock and awe."

Right up until the home opener, the Yankees continued to run Times ads announcing the availability of the "Greatest Seats in the World." Industry sources claim secondary ticket market traffic for the opening game drew prices comparable to September's closing of the House That Ruth Built. On StubHub, baseball's official ticket resale partner, ticket sales for the Yankees' opener were averaging $397, close to the $380 for the last game at the old facility. The average sale for the Mets' opener, meanwhile, was $327, much greater than the $171 at the Shea Stadium finale.

Overpriced tickets—not to mention the $6 hot dogs—continue to be the main knock on the landmark Yankees facility, which boasts fan-enhancing cutting-edge technology from Cisco Systems (CSCO), high-end locally themed food by Food Network celebrity chefs, and baseline suites. At $2,650 per ticket, however, many top-tier Legends Suite seats are still looking for well-heeled fans, and even seats deep in right field are going for $85 per seat, per game. It's no surprise that hundreds of longtime Yankees season-ticket holders are now saying fugghedaboutit … especially since the highly paid squad got off to a 3-4 start.

2. … As Does Citi Field, New Home of the Mets
On Apr. 13 the New York Mets opened their new $800 million Citi Field to an anticipated capacity crowd of 41,007 … with a stray cat on the field and a 6-5 loss to the San Diego Padres. ESPN aired the game as part of its Monday Night Baseball lineup, with coverage also on ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV. Popular ESPN reporter Erin Andrews gave televised tours of the new ballpark throughout the telecast, and New York City's Empire State Building was illuminated all day in Mets orange and blue.

While crowds were heavy throughout the ballpark, particularly in the Jackie Robinson Rotunda and the bridge walk overlooking the right-field bullpens, the crowd flow seemed to work and people were overheard describing the ballpark as "cozy" and "comfortable," as reported by local news media. Many fans also "seemed impressed with the wide variety of food, the open concourses, and the plentiful views of the field from different parts of the park." But others "sitting in the upper deck, especially deep in left field, echoed what others have said: The warning track and a large chunk of left and center field were out of view," according to SportsBusiness Daily.

Even though home tickets for the Mets are up 8.6% from last year, and two-thirds of their games are in the team's costliest tiers, single-game sales are on pace to be double those of last season when accounting for the smaller ballpark. On the high end: A pair of tickets to the home opener owned by Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities sold on eBay (EBAY) for $7,500. The tickets, each with a face value of $525, "solicited 68 bids before the auction ended" Apr. 12.