September 8, 2014

THE COST OF LOYALTY

There were many fans who grumbled about paying premium prices for less than minor league talent for the past four seasons. There were thousands who canceled their season ticket packages because they could not even give away their spare tickets. The Cubs refused to lower ticket prices during their "blow up the team" rebuild.

The Sun-Times reported on Saturday that the Cubs will not give long time suffering fans a break. 

The Cubs’ biggest prospects have barely started paying dividends on the field, but the club has decided to raise ticket prices for some of the most popular sections at Wrigley Field in 2015.

Season-ticket prices will increase an average of 6 percent in the club, field and lower terrace reserved sections of the park. That increase will affect 20 percent of season-ticket holders, while the other 80 percent will have no change or a price drop.

According to Team Marketing Report, the Cubs had the third-highest ticket price in baseball this season at $44.15. The price is high despite the fact Cubs attendance has been on the decline since 2008. 

The Cubs sent invoices to fans a month earlier than usual to give them more time between making the down payment and full payment.. The earlier timeline is one of a handful of changes being made to the renewal process.

Ten percent of the balance must be paid by Oct. 13, with the remainder due by Jan. 13, 2015. Fans can also opt instead for the four-month installment plan and pay 25 percent at a time.

The club has set up a website to ease the payment process. Account holders will have personalized Web pages with tabs to provide information about their account and the renewal process.

The price hike coincides with the renewed fan interest in the club, as young prospects appear on the roster.

It still is a money first, performance second strategy from the Cubs.