Every big-time major league sport is expensive, it's a fact of life. It's no different in Houston than any where else. Some teams do a better job of making some limited seats available at affordable prices. I have 2 season tickets to the Columbus Blue Jackets and pay $60/seat for each game. I also know between going to the game and going out afterwards (usually on weekends) that I'll end up spending well over a $100 (not including the tickets) between $5.50 beers, $3.75 hot dogs, $10 parking, lots more $5.50 beers and eventually paying $3.00/beer at a bar afterwards. So being a fan can be expensive. I know people who buy cheaper seats "$22 tickets way on top" who are definetely great fans, but for me I enjoy going and havinbg a good time to watch my team play. I do feel sorry for families on budgets, but hay it's not my problem. I enjoy spending my money on the games, I wish it was cheaper but that's the cost of my lifestyle. Also the Jackets do some neat protions for families. They offer $88 dollar family nights which gets 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 cokes and 4 bags of peanuts for $88, which is really a good deal. Not great seats but a way for the family to go and be together. Also at least in Columbus we have a AAA baseball team which is great for family fun. Great tickets for $7 plus minor league baseball is great for promotons. One thing that always get great crowds is dime-a-dog nites. THey have oscar-myer hot tdogs for $.10!!! People go crazy. There is a limit of 5 dogs that you can buy each time in line but they sell tons of them. It's funny becasue after the 6th inning most folks are bloated and they go home! But minotr league sports know marketing, they have to rely on gimmics to get people in the seats!
I used to work in the front office for a minor league baseball team, and I remember being surprised at the sheer number of things that we sold sponsorships to. The on-deck circles could be emblazoned with a corporate logo for the right price. Visits by the San Diego Chicken were sponsored by local companies. Even the foul ball PA announcement was sold (to a company called MRL when I was there. It was a great deal for them. The call of "There goes another MRL Foul Ball" became so common that the crowds would chant along. There wasn't a person who attended a game who didn't know MRL by the time the game was over). Even the meals for the press box workers were sponsored. Even the fun gimmicks that the team had to lure fans were profit centers, the races between innings were sponsored, all the contests were sponsored. No gimmick was done unless it had a sponsor. It made the trip to the ballpark kind of cheesy (having a sponsor logo on everything except the players themselves can b eoverwhelming), but it did allow us to keep ticket prices relatively low (the high ticket was $8). But back to the subject at hand, there was an article in the Dallas Morning News a couple of years ago talking about the Rangers attendance going down. In the course of the article, it noted that because of ticket price increases during the offseason, the team actually made more money with the lower attendance number and the higher price than they did with the higher attendance number and lower price. Sometimes it can be a good business decision to have a higher ticket price and fewer full arenas (though I suspect that the team owners would prefer to have the higher prices AND the full arenas). Sometimes the equilibrium price is not a price that means a full arena... if that makes any sense.
mrpaige.. yeah i guess i was talking about advertised seats.. as far as advertised seats the mavs ones seemed cheaper.. those $10,000 seats are probably kinda like.. the ones the rockets have right at courtisde.. but you never see fans in them.. always comet players.. or the mayor etc.. yeah there are ways to go to a game fairly cheap etc.. but too often people are called out as non true fans for not goign to games when the team is losing.. i'd rather not pay to see bad basketball.. doesn't mean i dont support the team.. but just like i dont want to pay to see a bad movie. i dont want to pay to see boring basketball
