Reds tickets prices go up... [Archive] - RedsZone.com - Cincinnati Reds Fans' Home for Baseball Discussion

KittyDuran

11-10-2006, 08:13 AM

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061110/SPT04/611100433

Reds tickets go up
Single-game tickets will cost more next year
BY JOHN FAY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
It's going to cost you more to go to a Reds game next year - particularly on a summer weekend - unless you're willing to buy a season-ticket package.

The Reds announced their ticket prices for 2007 Thursday. Prices are going up between $1 and $4 for non-premium seats. Most premium seats are going up $5. Diamond seats are going up $10.

But there's a catch. The biggest change is the Reds have gone to variable pricing. That basically means tickets will cost $5 more for three "premier" series and $2 more for four "select" series.

"Variable pricing has been something we've looked into for a couple of years," chief operating officer John Allen said. "It's something the sports industry is going into in general, rather than raising prices across the board."

The three premier series are Cleveland (June 8-10), St. Louis (June 29-July 1) and the Chicago Cubs (July 27-29). The select series are Texas (June 15-17), Arizona (July 6-8), San Diego (Aug. 10-12) and Florida (Aug. 24-26).

Basically all weekend games in June, July and August have an additional charge.

The Reds have made an effort to hold the line in some cases:

Outer-view level seats still will be sold at $5 for non-premier or select series and can be bought in advance this year.

Season tickets - purchased before Jan. 31 - will be sold at 2006 prices. That goes for both renewals and new purchases. After Jan. 31, they'll go up 22 percent.

"We wanted to hold the line for our most loyal fans," Allen said. "We haven't increased season-ticket prices since before we moved into the new stadium. The old blue seats from Cinergy were $32. They're still $30 at Great American."

Allen said the club will offer value packs as it did last season, which included Opening Day and seven other games. Pricing on those packages has not been announced.

Season-ticket packages go on sale Dec. 1 at Redsfest or at reds.com. Individual-game tickets are not on sale yet. Gift certificates can be purchased at reds.com or by calling 513-765-7400.

E-mail jfay@enquirer.com

KittyDuran

11-10-2006, 08:18 AM

11/09/2006 9:32 PM ET
Reds release updated ticket info
Slight changes to pricing in advance of sales open
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

CINCINNATI -- Ticket prices for the Reds' 2007 home schedule at Great American Ball Park were revealed on Thursday, with some changes from the 2006 season.
Outer view level seats will remain at $5 next season and will be sold in advance of game day. But depending on the location in other sections, ticket prices for non-premium seating will increase in a range of $1-$4. The club has combined or renamed some seating categories.

Ticket prices will be higher than the regular prices during three "premier series" and four "select series" games. Premier games are against the Indians (June 8-10), Cardinals (June 29-July 1) and Cubs (July 27-29). Select series will be against the Diamondbacks (July 6-8), Padres (August 10-12) and Marlins (August 24-26).

As an incentive to fans that purchase their season ticket packages in full by January 31 -- including current season ticket holder renewals and new accounts -- they will be priced at the 2006 season rates. Season ticket packages purchased by January 31 will include savings up to 34 percent over next year's individual ticket prices and will not be subject to all of the variable pricing scales.

Season ticket packages renewed or purchased after January 31 will be priced at 2007 season ticket prices but still will include savings up to 22 percent over next season's individual ticket prices.

Season ticket packages will go on sale Dec. 1 and can be purchased at Reds.com or at Redsfest. For more information on season ticket packages, contact the season sales department at (513) 765-7500.

Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

macro

11-10-2006, 08:41 AM

I think raising the prices for the most-demanded series is good business sense. It's goes along with supply and demand. Of course, rather than raising the prices of the summer weekend series, they could have lowered the prices of the other games instead. ;) :)

Chip R

11-10-2006, 09:42 AM

Eric in IL

11-10-2006, 09:57 AM

Don't mean to get away from the thread, but buyer beware on those WKRP DVD's. The DVD has not been officially released. It is still the #7 most requested unreleased title on tvshowsondvd.com.

I would guess those episodes are the syndicated versions with replacement music. There is so much original music in every episode I had heard the show may never be released in its original form. Same problem with many other shows such as The Wonder Years.

KittyDuran

11-10-2006, 10:05 AM

It's going to be a little tougher to get our seats, Kitty, now that they are selling them in advance.

On a totally unrelated note, did anyone else see the ad on the side of the page that they were selling DVDs for WKRP in Cincinnati?I was thinking the same thing about the $5 seats... but I wonder if they will sell them as season tickets??? (I doubt it).

KittyDuran

11-10-2006, 10:07 AM

Well, I've put in my budget for next year a weekend season ticket package maybe in the moon deck...

KittyDuran

11-10-2006, 10:07 AM

From Marc's blog:

Thursday, November 09, 2006
Ticket prices announced

The Reds released their ticket prices for next season, with a couple of increases, but not too drastic

From Reds:

The Cincinnati Reds today announced ticket prices for individual games at Great American Ball Park during the 2007 regular season.

Depending on seat location, ticket prices for non-premium seating categories will increase from $1 to $4. Some seating categories have been combined and renamed for convenience to fans in selecting seating options.

The popular outer view level seats will remain $5 and next season will be sold in advance of game day. Approximately 38 percent of the ballpark seats will be priced at $19 or less.

Next season there will be three Premier Series against the Cleveland Indians (June 8-10), St. Louis Cardinals (June 29-July 1) and Chicago Cubs (July 27-29) and four Select Series against the Texas Rangers (June 15-17), Arizona Diamondbacks (July 6-8), San Diego Padres (August 10-12) and Florida Marlins (August 24-26).

Season ticket packages purchased in full by January 31 - including current season ticket holder renewals in addition to new accounts - will be priced at the 2006 season rates. Season ticket packages purchased by January 31 will include savings up to 34 percent over next year’s individual ticket prices and will not be subject to all of the variable pricing scales.

Season ticket packages renewed or purchased after January 31 will be priced at 2007 season ticket prices but still will include savings up to 22 percent over next season’s individual ticket prices.

All season packages will be available for sale December 1 at Redsfest or by visiting reds.com. For additional information on season packages, contact the Reds’ season sales department at (513) 765-7500.

Gift certificates for the 2007 regular season now are available in $10 and $15 increments. They can be purchased online at reds.com or by phone at (513) 765-7400. Gift certificates also will be available at Redsfest.

2007 Ticket Prices At Great American Ball Park

Regular Select Premier
Infield Box $40 $42 $45
Diamond Seats $225 $227 $230
Field Box $32 $34 $37
Scout Seats $75 $77 $80
View Level Box $20 $22 $25
Lower Club $65 $67 $70
Mezzanine $20 $22 $25
Dugout Box $65 $67 $70
Sun Deck/Moon Deck $20 $22 $25
Club Home $65 $67 $70
Terrace Outfield $19 $21 $24
Club Seating $50 $52 $55
View Level $13 $15 $18
Bleachers $10 $12 $15
Outer View Level $5 $7 $10

remdog

11-10-2006, 11:08 AM

I like the fact that they are asking those loathsome Cubs fans to pay more of our expenses this year. :laugh:

Rem

LawFive

11-10-2006, 11:17 AM

terminator

11-10-2006, 11:44 AM

I'd complain but it's still pretty reasonable in comparison with everything else. Heck, a cheap seat to the Cyclones' game costs $12 now.

Chip R

11-10-2006, 12:58 PM

Ltlabner

11-10-2006, 02:03 PM

They're really beginning to drive the lower and middle class out of the market. With 140 games on TV, what family of 6, college couple, retired person, etc. is going to break their budget when they can watch from the comfort of their own home?

Well, if you take your family of 6 and sit in the Outer View Level at $5 a pop, that's a whopping $30 for tickets. At 3 hours of entertainment for 6 people that's $1.66 per hour per person. Unless a family is in real desperate straights financially (in which case going to a baseball game doesn't make much sense) I don't see how that would "break the budget".

If you plan ahead and don't try to feed your family of 6 a full course meal at the stadium, park on the street, etc a baseball game is, in fact, a very good return for your entertainment dollar.

That is, of course, if you consider the Reds this decade as "entertaining".

Ltlabner

11-10-2006, 02:10 PM

My father and I looked into getting a weekend package for the Club Home Seats (sections 220 to 228?). First, they don't do a weekend package for those seats(I could have sworn they offered one in the past, but perhaps I missread something). You have to get the whole season ticket package.

And they want a 3 year commitment. So for two seats, for three years = $24,600.

So we're just going to get the same seats on the 20 game weekend package we did last year and upgrade to Club Home seats the day of the game when they are available. The feal of the entire game is somehow different in those seats. Our actual seats on the weekend package were really nice but the Club Homes just seem....more a part of the game?

But I have to be honest, those are some flat out awesome seats. If I had the funds, time and a very understanding wife, I'd serriously consider the investment.

KittyDuran

11-10-2006, 02:43 PM

They're really beginning to drive the lower and middle class out of the market. With 140 games on TV, what family of 6, college couple, retired person, etc. is going to break their budget when they can watch from the comfort of their own home?College couples get half price nights (in advance of game day), then there family nights when the head of household pays full price and the rest of the family gets in half price, if a person is retired and a senior citizen they get special games as well. Now if you want to attend on the other days...

But I agree with abner - it can be done on a budget but you have to plan ahead.

redsfan4445

11-10-2006, 07:04 PM

Could the ticket price increase mean its being done with thoughts the reds are going to get players with higher pay?? to offset the cost?

just curious

Spring~Fields

11-10-2006, 07:53 PM

Could the ticket price increase mean its being done with thoughts the reds are going to get players with higher pay?? to offset the cost?

just curious

See Crosby as in indicator of the things to come!

redsfanmia

11-10-2006, 08:26 PM

Lets see the team posts its fifth strait losing record so they raise ticket prices? Thanks Mr Castellini. My veiw of new ownership is starting to dim. The more things change the more they stay the same.

Falls City Beer

11-10-2006, 08:30 PM

Not that it ultimately directly affects me, but this is disappointing on the part of ownership.

5DOLLAR-BLEACHERBUM

11-10-2006, 09:16 PM

wa wa wa tickets went up im disappointed, ownership this ownership that, give it a rest. The info on here is great but sometimes the negativity drives me mad.

Falls City Beer

11-10-2006, 09:19 PM

You're right. Raising ticket prices for a horrible product is smart business. Stupid me.

5DOLLAR-BLEACHERBUM

11-10-2006, 09:23 PM

Well, if you take your family of 6 and sit in the Outer View Level at $5 a pop, that's a whopping $30 for tickets. At 3 hours of entertainment for 6 people that's $1.66 per hour per person. Unless a family is in real desperate straights financially (in which case going to a baseball game doesn't make much sense) I don't see how that would "break the budget".

If you plan ahead and don't try to feed your family of 6 a full course meal at the stadium, park on the street, etc a baseball game is, in fact, a very good return for your entertainment dollar.

That is, of course, if you consider the Reds this decade as "entertaining".
Thank you for this post, I want to a ton of games last year and spent very little on tickets. Now my little Budweiser habit is a different story. Bought the power package last year in the five dollar seats and had a blast. You dont have to sit with the players wives to enjoy yourself at the ballpark. If you can hold out Hooters across the river has all you can eat wings on the weekends, or atleast they did, so eat after the game.

redsfanmia

11-10-2006, 09:31 PM

Its still very affordable to go to games and the ticket prices dont affect the 5 or 6 games I go to every year but its just bad karma to raise ticket prices when you had to cut prices in half to fill the stadium last year when we were in contention. Bad move by a new ownership who has vowed to change things. I will be very surprised to see any moves adding payroll this off season.

George Foster

11-10-2006, 11:30 PM

Well, if you take your family of 6 and sit in the Outer View Level at $5 a pop, that's a whopping $30 for tickets. At 3 hours of entertainment for 6 people that's $1.66 per hour per person. Unless a family is in real desperate straights financially (in which case going to a baseball game doesn't make much sense) I don't see how that would "break the budget".

If you plan ahead and don't try to feed your family of 6 a full course meal at the stadium, park on the street, etc a baseball game is, in fact, a very good return for your entertainment dollar.

That is, of course, if you consider the Reds this decade as "entertaining".

For adults, sitting in the outfield bleachers are ok, but with 2-4 kids...come on...you can't even see the scoreboard.

Unassisted

11-10-2006, 11:35 PM

Small increases every year are smarter in the long run than big ones every few years. This small-market team needs to get the most that it can out of every revenue source to stay competitive.

If you want a bigger payroll, you should be willing to pay more to watch.

Falls City Beer

11-10-2006, 11:37 PM

If you want a bigger payroll, you should be willing to pay more to watch.

Still waiting on that mythical "bigger payroll." So far it's been talk. Not saying it won't increase, but it's a bit of the "known unknown" at this point.

Unassisted

11-10-2006, 11:45 PM

Still waiting on that mythical "bigger payroll." So far it's been talk. Not saying it won't increase, but it's a bit of the "known unknown" at this point.

I know what you mean. But I have more faith in this ownership group to ante up than I did in the last group.

You have to admit that the "bigger payroll" is closer to mythical without a bigger pot of money to draw from. This is an obvious way to make the pot bigger.

vaticanplum

11-10-2006, 11:47 PM

They're really beginning to drive the lower and middle class out of the market. With 140 games on TV, what family of 6, college couple, retired person, etc. is going to break their budget when they can watch from the comfort of their own home?

Those 140 games are only on cable TV. I believe the absolute most basic cable in Cincinnati costs $40 a month. That's $480 a year. I can see a pretty fair amount of baseball games in person for $480 a year. Even have a few beers.

It's all priorities. Your argument assumes that even the "lower and middle class" can afford cable TV. And much of the population can in fact bother to scrounge that up. So even disregarding the direct comparison, I still think this is quite an affordable activity for a family on occasion if they want it to be.

And for the record, I find the ballpark just as comfortable as my own home, when the weather's right anyway ;)

buckeyenut

11-11-2006, 06:46 AM

macro

11-11-2006, 07:24 AM

2007 Ticket Prices At Great American Ball Park

Regular Select Premier
Infield Box $40 $42 $45
Diamond Seats $225 $227 $230
Field Box $32 $34 $37
Scout Seats $75 $77 $80
View Level Box $20 $22 $25
Lower Club $65 $67 $70
Mezzanine $20 $22 $25
Dugout Box $65 $67 $70
Sun Deck/Moon Deck $20 $22 $25
Club Home $65 $67 $70
Terrace Outfield $19 $21 $24
Club Seating $50 $52 $55
View Level $13 $15 $18
Bleachers $10 $12 $15
Outer View Level $5 $7 $10

I'm sure many here remember when it was as simple as blue, green, yellow, and red. You paid one price for blue seats regardless of thier location, two prices for green, depending on their proximity to home plate, another for yellow, and two prices for red seats, depending on whether they were "lower red" or "upper red". I can't say that that system was fair, because there was not much difference in price between the best seats in the house and some that weren't so great, but it was pretty simple.

The pricing scheme they've got now makes my head hurt. :laugh:

Ltlabner

11-11-2006, 10:55 AM

For adults, sitting in the outfield bleachers are ok, but with 2-4 kids...come on...you can't even see the scoreboard.

I guess I'm coldhearted but most (most, not all) youngesters (say 5 to 12 year olds) aren't really going to be tuned into an entire baseball game and loose interest. If they are going to not pay attention and frankly, not really know what going on (talking about causual visitors so the parents aren't really teaching the children the game) then why on earth do they need to sit in towards the front row or in the lower sections.

Once they get older, and are capabile of 3 hours of attention then sitting in better seats makes more sense.

Besides, I see these young kids, in the lower seats, not paying attention, distracting other people and generally just being there. IMO it's unsafe because of foul balls, flying bats. etc. It's a smaller issue to me than what I said above, but a consideration, none-the-less.

To me, it's all about choice. If you choose to sit in more expensive seats where their cheaper options, choose to eat dinner at the GABP when there are cheaper options, and choose to spend more money on souvineers when you don't have too then you can't really complain that it's not affordable or that it's too high priced.

Just my opinion.

Falls City Beer

11-11-2006, 01:55 PM

I don't get the complaining about the price increase, although quite frankly, there is less than I expected.

Costs go up, so prices go up. It is a fact of life. It is called inflation. Gas prices have gone up. The price of a Starbucks has gone up. Why shouldn't baseball tickets?

You can't really use the analogy of gas prices. But your Starbucks comparison is an interesting one; I'd argue that Starbucks makes a product that people really want. Going on seven straight seasons, the Reds haven't created a product that the fan desperately wants.

Matt700wlw

11-11-2006, 01:57 PM

You can't really use the analogy of gas prices. But your Starbucks comparison is an interesting one; I'd argue that Starbucks makes a product that people really want. Going on seven straight seasons, the Reds haven't created a product that the fan desperately wants.

If they don't want it....why do they go? Why are TV ratings up? Why did they expand the TV coverage to 140 games?

If they don't want it....why do they congregate on a message board to discuss the team?

Falls City Beer

11-11-2006, 02:00 PM

If they don't want it....why do they go? Why are TV ratings up? Why did they expand the TV coverage to 140 games?

If they don't want it....why do the congregate on a message board to discuss the team?

You know I'm not talking about the dyed in the wool fan here. You know I'm talking about the casual fan.

And if you remember correctly Big Daddy Castellini had to give away tickets to a crucial homestand in the heat of a pennant race this season.

Falls City Beer

11-11-2006, 02:02 PM

? Why did they expand the TV coverage to 140 games?

It's called: creating demand where it doesn't currently exist. Corporations do it all the time: you NEED this; you NEED that, when, of course, you don't in reality.

Matt700wlw

11-11-2006, 02:23 PM

I need it, because I'm stuck at work and can't go :D

redsmetz

11-11-2006, 06:00 PM

They're really beginning to drive the lower and middle class out of the market. With 140 games on TV, what family of 6, college couple, retired person, etc. is going to break their budget when they can watch from the comfort of their own home?

They're always having good offers. I've gotten together some groups (such as from church or the cousin's on one side of the family) and gotten nice View Level seats for half price. That will be just $6.50 this year - that's cheaper than a movie by far. Plus they've been liberal with some of their promotions. They had a college night and it was good for students and alums (much to my daughter's relief now that she's out of college). And I agree that they ought to be bumping up these large enemy draws such as the Cubs. Let them Chicago folks pay the high rent.

macro

11-12-2006, 07:34 AM

redsmetz mentioned college night, and I have always had a question about that. They always say "half-price tickets when purchased in advance of game day". How do they ensure that college students buy these tickets on behalf of people who are not in college? Do they check college IDs at the door? Same for senior citizens dates and family nights. What prevents someone from buying six tickets for their "family" and then taking five grown adult friends along? Are the tickets somehow marked as being for a "family" or "senior citizen"?

George Foster

11-12-2006, 11:22 PM

I guess I'm coldhearted but most (most, not all) youngesters (say 5 to 12 year olds) aren't really going to be tuned into an entire baseball game and loose interest. If they are going to not pay attention and frankly, not really know what going on (talking about causual visitors so the parents aren't really teaching the children the game) then why on earth do they need to sit in towards the front row or in the lower sections.

Once they get older, and are capabile of 3 hours of attention then sitting in better seats makes more sense.

Besides, I see these young kids, in the lower seats, not paying attention, distracting other people and generally just being there. IMO it's unsafe because of foul balls, flying bats. etc. It's a smaller issue to me than what I said above, but a consideration, none-the-less.

To me, it's all about choice. If you choose to sit in more expensive seats where their cheaper options, choose to eat dinner at the GABP when there are cheaper options, and choose to spend more money on souvineers when you don't have too then you can't really complain that it's not affordable or that it's too high priced.

Just my opinion.

My guess is you don't have children. Try telling a 7 and 3 year old they can't eat at a ball game, when that is all they see....ice cream, cotton candy, etc.
The score board keeps them interested and in there seats. When they are older and have a better attention span, you can set in the outfield. I'll take them to 1-2 games this year. They love fireworks. Having 140 games on TV makes it awlful easy to stay at home with $200 bucks in my pocket and not facing a 4 hour round trip. They love "sparklers" too in the back yard.:laugh:

Ltlabner

11-13-2006, 08:44 AM

My guess is you don't have children. Try telling a 7 and 3 year old they can't eat at a ball game, when that is all they see....ice cream, cotton candy, etc.
The score board keeps them interested and in there seats. When they are older and have a better attention span, you can set in the outfield. I'll take them to 1-2 games this year. They love fireworks. Having 140 games on TV makes it awlful easy to stay at home with $200 bucks in my pocket and not facing a 4 hour round trip. They love "sparklers" too in the back yard.:laugh:

You can guess that, but you'd be wrong. :)

I never said they couldn't eat at the ballpark. I just think it's foolish to expect to feed them dinner AND drinks AND snacks AND ice cream (along with sitting in the best seats) and then complain about it being too expensive. There are other options. Why not eat dinner before the game (which usually start at 7pm anyway so there is time) at a far cheeper location, thus saving a ton of cash and then get snacks or ice cream at the park? Why not sit in the less expensive seats so you can afford to buy them a trinket at the gift shop? Then everybody is happy; Mom/Dad, kids, and mr. pocket book.

My point is that people who complain about ticket/food prices usually give the example of sitting in the best seats, eating dinner at the ball park, getting a bunch of snacks, buying suvineers, etc. Their conclusion becomes "if I do all that, it will cost a bazillion dollars and I can't afford that". It would be like going to a restuant, ordering lobster when there are less expensive options available, and then complaining that the bill was too expensive.

There are plenty of ways for people who are resourcefull and can excersize restraint to make a trip to the ballpark both fun and affordable. My goal isn't to make it a draconian experience for the kids, but there are only so many dollars in the bank account. And, frankly, I want my kids to see me exercising financial discipline in hopes they pick a little of it up along the way. Don't want to get too preachy there, that's just my opinion and what works for us.

But when there are cheeper options available then I don't buy the "their pricing out the middle class argument". It's too expensive because people choose to make it too expensive.

KittyDuran

11-13-2006, 08:58 AM

My guess is you don't have children. Try telling a 7 and 3 year old they can't eat at a ball game, when that is all they see....ice cream, cotton candy, etc.
The score board keeps them interested and in there seats. When they are older and have a better attention span, you can set in the outfield. I'll take them to 1-2 games this year. They love fireworks. Having 140 games on TV makes it awlful easy to stay at home with $200 bucks in my pocket and not facing a 4 hour round trip. They love "sparklers" too in the back yard.:laugh:I wouldn't expect you or your family to go to that many games with the 4 hour drive and little kids - going to a game is an event or a mini vacation - and then you spend money w/ or w/o kids. But there is really no reason to eat at the park if you live within the area when can bring in food at GABP in small coolers. A co-worker took his 3 year old to a game this year (his first) and was ready to shell out serious bucks because the kid likes to eat. I told him he and his father can each bring in a small cooler filled with snacks and unopened plastic containers. The result - the kid was happy with foods he was used to and dad saved a lot of money. The only drawback was the fireworks - he was a little spooked by them.

There was another thread about the price of going to the games on the cheap vs the price if you have kids (at any age). My theory is that if you are the one that wants to go to the games and you need to bring the kids along - be prepared to fork over the cash. The kids probably know that Dad or Mom wants to watch the game and to keep them from bothering you - you let them have what they want. It was a trick that me and my sisters would pull on my Dad all the time when we went to KY to his family's reunions - anytime Dad would get into the car we'd pile in knowing that he would stop off at a store and meet up with friends/relatives. To keep us amused and quiet he'd give us money to buy ice cream, candy, comic books, 45s, etc.

Now, when we would go to the Reds games in the 70s as a family - I was the only one who was the fan. My Dad would refuse to buy anything other than pops (two to be split between four people) and a bag of peanuts which he would purchase outside. If I wanted anything else it came out of my allowance.

TeamCasey

11-13-2006, 09:01 AM

I'm sure many here remember when it was as simple as blue, green, yellow, and red. You paid one price for blue seats regardless of thier location, two prices for green, depending on their proximity to home plate, another for yellow, and two prices for red seats, depending on whether they were "lower red" or "upper red". I can't say that that system was fair, because there was not much difference in price between the best seats in the house and some that weren't so great, but it was pretty simple.

The pricing scheme they've got now makes my head hurt. :laugh:

;) Me too.

I'm a little surprised they're doing this considering the # of empty seats last year. I suppose it'll all even out if they make these increases now and announce specials throughout the season.

redsfanmia

11-13-2006, 05:32 PM

Ltlabner

11-13-2006, 05:36 PM

The cost of tickets, food and drinks are not going to stop me from going to games. That being said I cant see how new ownership can justify raising ticket prices after stooping to gimmicks to get people out to the ballpark in a season where the team was in contention. The attendance last sesaon was not great and to think that the team is going to contend next season is probably wishfull. If the casual fans didnt come out last season then i doubt they will come out for a .500 team next. The hardcore fans are always going to be there, the casual are the ones the Reds need to lure and raising ticket prices for a bad product is no way to get the casual fan to the game. Very bad business in my opinion and a bad sign of whats to come with our new ownership.

Another way to look at it: the hardcore fans will always be there so why not raise prices a bit since chances are good it woln't result in a downturn in attendence? And the only thing that is going to attract the casual fans is lowering prices to some crazy amount (which hurts the team) or putting a good team on the feild.

Since the hard core fans are not likely to quit going to games because of a few dollar increase in prices, attendence will at least be the same as last year but revenues will increase. In theory, increased revenews means increased payroll means increased competitiveness.

Again, in theroy anyway.

redsfanmia

11-13-2006, 05:46 PM

Another way to look at it: the hardcore fans will always be there so why not raise prices a bit since chances are good it woln't result in a downturn in attendence? And the only thing that is going to attract the casual fans is lowering prices to some crazy amount (which hurts the team) or putting a good team on the feild.

Since the hard core fans are not likely to quit going to games because of a few dollar increase in prices, attendence will at least be the same as last year but revenues will increase. In theory, increased revenews means increased payroll means increased competitiveness.

Again, in theroy anyway.

I didnt say they should lower prices and to be honest with you the Reds dont want just the hardcore fans at the games or they wouldnt have came up with cheerleaders, have giveaways, have pepsi stacks, do the kiss cam or anything other that just put the product on the field. Baseball teams cannot count on hardcore fans fill the stadiums because its just not going to happen. Your theory really makes no sense atleast to me it doesnt.

Ltlabner

11-13-2006, 06:00 PM

I didnt say they should lower prices and to be honest with you the Reds dont want just the hardcore fans at the games or they wouldnt have came up with cheerleaders, have giveaways, have pepsi stacks, do the kiss cam or anything other that just put the product on the field. Baseball teams cannot count on hardcore fans fill the stadiums because its just not going to happen. Your theory really makes no sense atleast to me it doesnt.

I agree that they have to increase attendence beyond the causal fan. The only way to do that is to put a competitive team on the field. One part (certinally not the only part) to putting a better team on the field is to increase payroll.

To increase payroll they have to increase revenues. One way, of many, is to increase prices. They aren't going to run off the casual fans because frankly they aren't getting them now. They aren't going to run off the hard core fans, because they are going to the games (mostly) no matter what.

The fact is, they aren't going to attract too many casual fans with reduced ticket prices. There's been too much crappy baseball for too long and people have put their disposable income into the other myrid choices available.

redsfanmia

11-13-2006, 06:13 PM

I agree that they have to increase attendence beyond the causal fan. The only way to do that is to put a competitive team on the field. One part (certinally not the only part) to putting a better team on the field is to increase payroll.

To increase payroll they have to increase revenues. One way, of many, is to increase prices. They aren't going to run off the casual fans because frankly they aren't getting them now. They aren't going to run off the hard core fans, because they are going to the games (mostly) no matter what.

The fact is, they aren't going to attract too many casual fans with reduced ticket prices. There's been too much crappy baseball for too long and people have put their disposable income into the other myrid choices available.

Huh? What was the attendance at the games that were half price last season? What was the attendance at the games that there were givaways? What was the attendance at games other than opening day? Casual fans drive the attendance period, thats who the reds need to get to come to the games.

Ltlabner

11-13-2006, 06:24 PM

Huh? What was the attendance at the games that were half price last season? What was the attendance at the games that there were givaways? What was the attendance at games other than opening day? Casual fans drive the attendance period, thats who the reds need to get to come to the games.

I agree totally.

You are proving my point. It took 1/2 price discounts to get the casual fans to come to the park despite the team being in the hunt for a while (and IIRC other more modest ticket discounts like the family pack). Offering those tickets for 1/2 price for one series is one thing. That is a short term way to increase attendence but I think it would be a step backwards for the orginzation to cut ticket prices in 1/2 for the entire home season.

I doubt some modest ticket price reduction would significantly increase attendence of the casual fans. It would take something drastic like a 50% reduction. We have evidence from last year that modest promotions didn't produce much result. Couple that with a team that didn't distinguish itself from previous years and I think a significant price reduction would be neccessary to regularly attract more casual fans. A significant price reduction = significant reduction to revenue = significantly less to invest in the team.

The best long term solution to increasing attendence is putting a better team on the field. One way (again, of many) is to increase payroll and use it wisely to increase the tallent on the field, scouting departments, quality of coaching etc. You aren't going to increase payroll by cutting the revenues by 50%.

I'm not suggesting that increased payroll is the only way to increase attendence by the casual fan - a winning team will do that. But I am suggesting that increasing revenews and the money invested in the team is part of the way to get us to a competitive team.

Ltlabner

11-13-2006, 06:46 PM

Frankly, the math of the idea of "reduce prices and get more fans" doesn't work either.

Assume 2,000,000 attendence over 81 home games at an average ticket price of $15. That equals $30,000,000 in revenue and means they have to average 24,691 people per game.

Cut the price in half and you increase attendence and your revenues increase right? Nope....At an average ticket price of $7.50, it would take an increase to 4,000,000 annual attendence to reach the same $30,000,000 revenue. That's 49,382 people per game. I don't think GABP even holds that many people and even if it did that means they would have to sell out every home game for 81 games and they wouldn't be any further ahead than when they charged $15.

Cut prices by 25%? That means they'd have to increase attendence by 666,666 people to 2,666,666 total to get back to the same $30,000,000. That's 32,921 people per game, every game. Monday night durring the school year. Wednesday nights when it's a slow cold rain. All of em. Besides being a demonic number, it just isn't realistic.

You can target price cuts here and there to boost attenence for specific series where you might have been predicting poor attendence. That makes sense. But they just can't reduce prices enough to attract enough casual fans to increase revenes ultimatley because the number of seats in GABP is static.

Chip R

11-13-2006, 07:00 PM

Perhaps if more people had come out during those half-price games, they wouldn't have had to raise ticket prices.

But I can see their logic. They figure if people aren't going to come out and watch them even with $1 hot dogs and half price tickets, they aren't going to come out at all so why not get more money from the people who do attend games.

redsfanmia

11-13-2006, 08:26 PM

I agree totally.

You are proving my point. It took 1/2 price discounts to get the casual fans to come to the park despite the team being in the hunt for a while (and IIRC other more modest ticket discounts like the family pack). Offering those tickets for 1/2 price for one series is one thing. That is a short term way to increase attendence but I think it would be a step backwards for the orginzation to cut ticket prices in 1/2 for the entire home season.

I doubt some modest ticket price reduction would significantly increase attendence of the casual fans. It would take something drastic like a 50% reduction. We have evidence from last year that modest promotions didn't produce much result. Couple that with a team that didn't distinguish itself from previous years and I think a significant price reduction would be neccessary to regularly attract more casual fans. A significant price reduction = significant reduction to revenue = significantly less to invest in the team.

The best long term solution to increasing attendence is putting a better team on the field. One way (again, of many) is to increase payroll and use it wisely to increase the tallent on the field, scouting departments, quality of coaching etc. You aren't going to increase payroll by cutting the revenues by 50%.

I'm not suggesting that increased payroll is the only way to increase attendence by the casual fan - a winning team will do that. But I am suggesting that increasing revenews and the money invested in the team is part of the way to get us to a competitive team.

I never said the Reds should cut the prices of tickets, what I was saying is as follows. The Reds should not raise prices because they contended last season and still didnt draw that well and they had to stoop to gimmicks to get crowds. What is going to happen next year when odds are the Reds wont contend most of the season? Lower attendance thats what. Higher ticket prices and premium series tickets even higher than the increased priced tickets are going to do nothing but make people no come even more. At the end of the day the new ownership did some good things this past season and in one swoop (the new ticket structure) has dinged thier reputation and makes some think they are alot like the old regime.

Ltlabner

11-13-2006, 08:39 PM

I never said the Reds should cut the prices of tickets, what I was saying is as follows. The Reds should not raise prices because they contended last season and still didnt draw that well and they had to stoop to gimmicks to get crowds. What is going to happen next year when odds are the Reds wont contend most of the season? Lower attendance thats what. Higher ticket prices and premium series tickets even higher than the increased priced tickets are going to do nothing but make people no come even more. At the end of the day the new ownership did some good things this past season and in one swoop (the new ticket structure) has dinged thier reputation and makes some think they are alot like the old regime.

Since the bulk of the attendence consists of season ticket holders and "hard core fans" who will likely go to the games no matter how crappy the teams are, I don't think a ticket price increase is going to effect attendence in any signficiant way. The casual fans really aren't attending anyway and until a good team is feilded with some consistancy they woln't.

Most people can't even name the key position players and coaching staff let alone tell you the seating price structure from last year and the amount of increase. So I don't think the casual fan will even really notice the price increase of $1 to $4 on non-premium seats. It's a crappy team that causes people not to attend games, not a price increase on ticket prices.