Rising Ticket Prices

... the safe, efficient way to give money to owners and players

LAST WEEK Team Marketing Report released its Fan Cost Index, an annual survey of how expensive it is to attend a game at each of the 30 big league parks. (The index takes into account the price of four tickets, food, drink, parking and souvenirs.) As usual Boston's Fenway Park topped the list: On average it will cost a family of four $313.83 to take in a game there this season. Fenway has been baseball's priciest park since 2001. Here's how ticket prices—the league average, the highest team and the lowest team—have risen this decade, charted along with what the World Series winner charged each year. Clearly, fans don't always get what they pay for.

[This article contains a chart. Please see hard copy or pdf.]

$50
$40
$30
$20
$10

'00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07

$28.33 (BOS)
34.86 (BOS)
39.68 (BOS)
38.59 (BOS)
40.77 (BOS)
44.56 (BOS)
46.46 (BOS)
47.71 (BOS)

$25.94 (NYY)
13.11 (AZ)
11.79 (ANA)
12.78 (FLA)
25.89 (CWS)
29.78 (STL)

$9.33 (MIN)
9.19 (MTL)
9.00 (MTL)
10.08 (MTL)
10.82 (MTL)
13.70 (TB)
13.71 (KC)
13.79 (AZ)

LOW*
AVERAGE*
HIGH*
WORLD SERIES CHAMPION*

*Average price of single ticket

PHOTO

WINFRIED ROTHERMEL/AP (WOMAN WITH SIGN)

PHOTO

JULIE CORDEIRO/BOSTON RED SOX (TICKETS)

PHOTO

JOHN IACONO (CARDINAL)

CHART