Assuming the weather cooperates, both the Mets and Yankees will see first action in their new ballparks tonight in exhibition games. Because the games don’t mean anything — they’re basically a weekend-long photo op for everyone in attendance — tickets for tonight and tomorrow were less expensive than regular-season ones. But when the teams open the stadiums for real (the Mets’ first home game is April 13 against San Diego; the Yankees’ is April 16 against Cleveland), how much will a day at the park cost the average fan? According to a just-released report, quite a bit, especially if you’re a Yankees fan.
According to a Team Marketing Report study, the average Yankees ticket rose an astounding 76.3 percent this year, to $72.97, the highest in the majors. The average Mets ticket rose a modest 8.6 percent to $36.99, good for fourth in the big leagues. Then there’s the so-called Fan Cost Index, or the total cost of a day at the park for a family of four. At Citi Field, it’s only slightly higher than it was at Shea Stadium last year, at $258.97. (The Mets actually lowered their prices on a few food items this year.) But at Yankee Stadium, the FCI rose 49.4 percent to $410.88. Of course, this should be taken with a grain of salt, because the Fan Cost Index includes a lot besides four game tickets: two beers, four sodas, four hot dogs, parking, two programs, and two caps. Has no one ever heard of taking the subway and just bringing in peanuts from the outside?
Fan Cost Index [Team Marketing Report]
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