Fans get right to be stuffed at Dodger Stadium next season

[El Kabong]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers11jan11,1,2297514.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-mlb-dodger&ctrack=1&cset=true

Fans get right to be stuffed
Dodgers converting right-field pavilion into an all-you-can-eat section and raising the cheapest seat to $10.

By Bill Shaikin, Times Staff Writer
January 11, 2007

You won't be able to buy a ticket for under $10 on game day at Dodger Stadium next season, but you will be able to pay $40 for a bleacher seat and an endless supply of Dodger Dogs.

The Dodgers are converting the right-field pavilion into an all-you-can-eat section. They also are raising the price of the cheapest game-day ticket, in the top deck, from $6 to $10, matching the price in the left-field pavilion.

A ticket to the right-field pavilion ? at $35 in advance and $40 on game day ? will entitle fans to an endless supply of ballpark staples, including hot dogs, peanuts and soda but excluding beer, which hasn't been sold in the pavilion for years. The Dodgers tested the concept several times last season.

"The fans really liked it," spokeswoman Camille Johnston said. "We know it's a good option for groups."

Fans spend an average of $12.30 on food and drink per game, a major league executive said. The all-in-one package affords fans the opportunity to "spend a few extra dollars and have everything taken care of," said David Carter, executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute. "Most people probably believe they're into a ballgame for $40, even if they're just in general admission."

The Dodgers raised other game-day prices by $3 to $25 per ticket, with increases ranging from 11% to 36%.

With the right-field pavilion no longer an option, the number of seats with a game-day price no higher than $10 fell from about 9,500 to about 6,200.

The Dodgers advanced to the playoffs last season and sold a record 3.76 million tickets along the way. But the team should be wary of raising the price of the cheapest tickets and limiting their supply for fear of losing families, particularly at a time children might prefer to play video games or extreme sports, said Cal State Fullerton marketing professor Thomas Boyd.

"The lowest-priced ticket should be about introducing your next generation of fans to the game, not just about filling seats," Boyd said.

[Dave B]

I really have no desire to go to LA, but their stadium does look pretty nice.  A basic old school laid back feel

[Senators2005]

I went to Dodger stadium back in 2003...it's a great ball park.  It sits on top of a hill above that cesspool called Los Angeles.  Surrounded by palm trees....there's nothing better on a Southern California evening than to be sitting in the upper deck chompin' on a Dodger Dog, downing a beer and looking out over left field with the words THINK BLUE out in the middle of a grassy hill.

Dodger stadium is actually a direct cousin of RFK stadium - they were both built by the same architects and at around the same time.  Too bad it's in the Democratic People's Republic of Mexifornia.  

[Nat of the Living Dead]

Mmmmhmmm...nothing like taking in smog and all the pork you can eat while watching America's Pastime.