Author Topic: Nats ticket prices for a sub-standard product  (Read 4922 times)

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Offline CowherPower

  • Posts: 255
Nats ticket prices for a sub-standard product
« Topic Start: March 05, 2023, 08:35:23 PM »
While I can't stand the Phillies, I've always wanted to check out their stadium.  So, I looked at getting tickets to a Nats game up there sometime this summer and what struck me is that their seats were about 25% cheaper than comparable seats at Nats Park.  What??  The Nats will be lucky if they avoid losing 100 games again this year and the Phillies are a legit World Series contender.  How in the world can the Nats justify what they are charging (fleecing) fans for tickets??  I guess this is why I won't be a season ticket holder for the first time ever since the Nats came to town.

Online HalfSmokes

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Re: Nats ticket prices for a sub-standard product
« Reply #1: March 05, 2023, 08:43:39 PM »
The team is for sale. The lerners are going to take current season ticket holders for every dime the can. I’d expect game day tickets to be much cheaper. If holders don’t renew, it’s the next guy’s problem

Offline Count Walewski

  • Posts: 2689
Re: Nats ticket prices for a sub-standard product
« Reply #2: March 05, 2023, 08:50:44 PM »
The DC Metro Area and the Philadelphia Metro Area are nearly identical in population. However, the DC metro area is the wealthiest in the United States (yes richer on average than NYC or SF) and has an average household income over 2x that of the Philadelphia area. I suspect this is part of your answer.

Also, you can get tickets on StubHub on the morning of a game for significantly below face value, even after all of SH's stupid fees.

Offline CowherPower

  • Posts: 255
Re: Nats ticket prices for a sub-standard product
« Reply #3: March 05, 2023, 08:56:30 PM »
Example: The cheapest tickets in Section 210 (club level looking up the 1st base line) at Nats Park for a game on Sunday 7/9 against the Rangers are $94 (before fees).  Tickets in Section 227 (club level looking up the 1st base line) for the Nats game in Philly on Sunday 7/2 are only $74.

Maybe the DC area is slightly richer than Philly, but given the MASSIVE disparity in the prospects of the two teams, it still doesn't add up.  I think the Phillies games are priced right but the Nats are WAY over-priced.

Offline KnorrForYourMoney

  • Posts: 16254
  • pissy DC sports fan
Re: Nats ticket prices for a sub-standard product
« Reply #4: March 05, 2023, 09:30:08 PM »
Maybe the DC area is slightly richer than Philly, but given the MASSIVE disparity in the prospects of the two teams, it still doesn't add up.  I think the Phillies games are priced right but the Nats are WAY over-priced.

Makes sense to me.  At the risk of going way off topic: have you ever seen the housing market?  Pay 300 grand for a crummy home (or just open land) in one city, or get something nice in another area.

There's also what HalfSmokes said.  They probably know they have an attendance "floor" so they're going to squeeze whatever they can out of the guaranteed 10-15 thousand fans who are likely to show up every day.  The Phillies have a better chance at drawing casual fans who want to see a good (potentially championship-winning) team, so they're going to price competitively to attract those fans.

Offline Senatorswin

  • Posts: 1751
Re: Nats ticket prices for a sub-standard product
« Reply #5: March 05, 2023, 10:07:19 PM »
The team is for sale. The lerners are going to take current season ticket holders for every dime the can. I’d expect game day tickets to be much cheaper. If holders don’t renew, it’s the next guy’s problem

But game day tickets aren't cheaper are they?

Offline imref

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  • Re-contending in 202...5?
Re: Nats ticket prices for a sub-standard product
« Reply #6: March 05, 2023, 10:41:16 PM »
But game day tickets aren't cheaper are they?

They are through stubhub. This won’t be a season to buy tickets at face value.

Online Natsinpwc

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Re: Nats ticket prices for a sub-standard product
« Reply #7: March 05, 2023, 10:52:45 PM »
The Phillies are trying to recover from a decade of diminished attendance after they had sellouts in 2008-12.  I am sure once attendance picks up they will be gouging their fans also! 

Offline IanRubbish

  • Posts: 556
Re: Nats ticket prices for a sub-standard product
« Reply #8: March 06, 2023, 10:30:53 AM »
I live in the Bay Area, which has a lot of high income areas like the DC area, and ticket prices between the Nats and Giants are comparable.  The difference is the Giants would never tank like the Nats are right now.  They're a mediocre team this year but they made an effort with Carlos Correa and even without signing him have over 2x the Nats payroll.  The Giants owners take pride in the product year after year unlike the Lerners, who are probably hurting the value of the team by forcing the next owner to rebuild the fanbase.

I can get past the ticket prices, but the way the Lerners try to insult our intelligence has always been an issue for me.  They send out Rizzo, and used to send out Stan Kasten, to provide PR shields for their salary dumps.  Rizzo's "reboot" was a weak attempt to cover for their cheapness, although the Hall of Fame winner was in 2006 when Kasten tried to spin the Livo for Garrett Mock and Matt Chico trade as an investment in the future.   

Offline Count Walewski

  • Posts: 2689
Re: Nats ticket prices for a sub-standard product
« Reply #9: March 06, 2023, 10:36:54 AM »
Maybe the DC area is slightly richer than Philly

I hate to belabor the point, but the DC area isn't slightly richer than Philly: it is over twice as rich.

Offline imref

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  • Re-contending in 202...5?
i can't believe we're still having the LAC debate.


Offline machpost

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Example: The cheapest tickets in Section 210 (club level looking up the 1st base line) at Nats Park for a game on Sunday 7/9 against the Rangers are $94 (before fees).
Around 10 years ago I was part of a ticket group with seats in 219 and they were about half that price. I'm not sure how they can justify charging that much, and it really shows in the huge number of empty seats in those sections these days.

Offline IanRubbish

  • Posts: 556
I hate to belabor the point, but the DC area isn't slightly richer than Philly: it is over twice as rich.

Depends how you measure.  DC Metro median household income is $110k, Philly $80k, so about 40% higher in terms of income.  DC is #2 in median HHI after the Bay Area. 


Offline IanRubbish

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Around 10 years ago I was part of a ticket group with seats in 219 and they were about half that price. I'm not sure how they can justify charging that much, and it really shows in the huge number of empty seats in those sections these days.

I'm expecting a lot of articles in the Post around late April/May/June about how bad the Nats attendance is.  However, they will likely leave out the impact of ticket prices.  The Nats at 17-18k per game likely produce the same revenue as many teams at 25k-27k per game.

Online Natsinpwc

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Depends how you measure.  DC Metro median household income is $110k, Philly $80k, so about 40% higher in terms of income.  DC is #2 in median HHI after the Bay Area.
Not sure that is relevant anyway as the ticket sales are to the high end of the population in any city. I suppose you could argue that there are more high end folks in DC but the Phillies sold out for around five years when their ticket prices were high. And resale tickets were off the charts that time.

Online HalfSmokes

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i can't believe we're still having the LAC debate.



They are clearly cutting costs on the way out. The payroll sans Strasburg (who has barely pitched since 2019) is going to be 29th in the league. Strasburg and Corbin combined are 2/3rds of roster.
https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/

Online Natsinpwc

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They are clearly cutting costs on the way out. The payroll sans Strasburg (who has barely pitched since 2019) is going to be 29th in the league. Strasburg and Corbin combined are 2/3rds of roster.
https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/
Yes. We have become the Pirates. But at least have a recent World Series title to look back on.  Let’s check with Royals fans to see how long that feeling lasts.

Offline Five Banners

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Yes. We have become the Pirates. But at least have a recent World Series title to look back on.  Let’s check with Royals fans to see how long that feeling lasts.

I still reminisce about the Bullets getting it done, as you got to take it when you get it.

Offline IanRubbish

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They are clearly cutting costs on the way out. The payroll sans Strasburg (who has barely pitched since 2019) is going to be 29th in the league. Strasburg and Corbin combined are 2/3rds of roster.
https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/

Candelario is the highest paid offensive player with a 1 year/$5m deal that was likely done to have something to offer at the trade deadline.  People make comparisons to the Royals or Pirates not spending, but the Savannah Bananas probably spend more than the Nats on hitters.


Offline GburgNatsFan

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They are clearly cutting costs on the way out. The payroll sans Strasburg (who has barely pitched since 2019) is going to be 29th in the league. Strasburg and Corbin combined are 2/3rds of roster.
https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/

Problem is there are no owners on the way in.

Offline imref

  • Posts: 42525
  • Re-contending in 202...5?
They are clearly cutting costs on the way out. The payroll sans Strasburg (who has barely pitched since 2019) is going to be 29th in the league. Strasburg and Corbin combined are 2/3rds of roster.
https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/

I don't think it's a matter of being cheap though versus not overpaying for guys who will turn the club from a 65 win team to a 68 win team and potentially block younger guys from getting a shot. This is a rebuild.

Online Natsinpwc

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I don't think it's a matter of being cheap though versus not overpaying for guys who will turn the club from a 65 win team to a 68 win team and potentially block younger guys from getting a shot. This is a rebuild.
Plenty of room for everyday payers on one or two year contracts.  They will not be blocking anyone.  They are simply trying to cut costs.  Even though tanking has no benefit this year. 

Offline catocony

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If the Lerners hadn't had a high payroll for a decade, the constant griping about how the Nats are now a small market team would hold some water.  Guys, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Cincy and a few others a small market teams because they don't have a massive population pool - a literal small market of eyeballs to watch games in person or on TV.

That isn't the DC market.  At all.  Is the payroll currently small?  Yeah, but it isn't a permanent position caused by being in a small market.

Wasn't the payroll like the 8th highest just a season and a half ago?

Offline imref

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  • Re-contending in 202...5?
DC is the ninth biggest media market in the US, the Nats are in no way a small market team.


Online HalfSmokes

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DC is the ninth biggest media market in the US, the Nats are in no way a small market team.



Media market is meaningless if you aren't getting paid for media rights