1, 2, 3 strikes you’re broke at the old ballgame.
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We’re just a couple months into the season and, already, a kid in Milwaukee has hit for the cycle, a rookie Nat whiffed 14 in his professional debut—and two perfect games have been served up. (We almost saw another, but we won’t get into that muffed call in the Motor City.)
Baseball’s a funny game. Despite all the tradition, purity and rules, you just never know what’s going to happen between the lines from pitch to pitch, inning to inning, stretch run to stretch run. And that’s why we love it.
A few things remain constant. Ticket and concession prices continue to skyrocket. And rabid baseball fans coast to coast will fork over whatever it takes to get in come game day. But a day at the park for the average Saver can be outrageously expensive, if not prohibitive. Here’s a little ‘round-the-horn’ numbers crunching for a family of 4:
Take Us Out to the Ballgame? Yikes.
• 4 tickets ($100)
• Gas/tolls ($15)
• Warm beer ($7)
• Cold hot dog ($5)
• Soft(ish) pretzel ($5)
• Bottled water/soda ($4)
Bare minimum, that’s a $200 ballgame, give or take a box of Cracker Jack’s. Here at We, the Savers, we don’t mind if you indulge your baseball habit a little (or a lot.) But we think there’s a few ways to get through some games without feeling the financial squeeze:
Don’t get scalped. Go online and get the best ticket deals on reputable ticket sites. Avoid the sketchy scalper dude at all costs. You’ll pay through the nose and there’s a better-than-.300 average chance that it’s counterfeit.
Pick a Cheap Game. All the Major League parks host Fan Appreciation Nights, Heritage Nights, Dollar Dogs, or bobble head and miniature baseball bat promotions. Check out the team and stadium websites and circle a date for late summer/early fall.
Find family-friendly grub. One of our favorite and most beautiful local ballparks features a family friendly “fun zone.” Check to see if your park has a special food cart for kids. They have child-sized portions—aka “normal-sized”, only for a lot less money. Oh, and you don’t have to be a kid to buy from the cart.
Share a ride. Ask a friend to drive (offer to split the parking), find off-street parking that’s free, take public transportation—there are plenty of ways to get to the game cheaply and safely. If you’re lucky enough to walk to, say, Fenway, lucky you. Make sure to wear comfortable Sox.
Pack a snack. You won’t be able to BYO beers, of course, but most parks will let you carry in bottled water. And that homemade ham sandwich pulled out from under your team hoodie is certainly fair game. Ballpark food adds up, so eat beforehand, or throw some peanuts & Cracker Jack from home into your bag.
Option yourself to the Minors. Minor league baseball’s a ton of fun and way more affordable than the Majors. Not to mention the awesome team nicknames (River Rats, Blue Rocks, Mud Hens, etc.).
So those are just a few game savers, but we’re sure you have plenty more in your starting lineup. Because you can’t always rely on your friends with the great seats and sweet corporate hook-ups.
Tags: Baseball
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Living here in Red Sox Nation where tickets are scarce (with nearly 600 consecutive sellouts), fan appreciation doesn’t include discounted tickets. (Nonetheless, I saved a ton for about three years when I couldn’t manage to get my hands on a single ticket.)
Through a connection, I am now able to go a few times a year for face value but won’t pay for one of my young kids to go - the least expensive seats at Fenway are still very pricey. I go with a friend and only one of us drives in. We don’t park that close to save on parking,
Your last two bullets are tremendous for my daughter and I. When I take my 5-yr old to a game, it’s up to Portland, where a ticket is five bucks and street parking is free. We bring plenty of snacks and we look forward to her running around the bases at the end of the game. You sit closer, deal with no traffic, relax more comfortably, and make memories.
All while saving. Now that’s a beautiful day.
We used to love “Thirsty Thursdays” aka dollar beer night at our minor league stadium in Tulsa…