The White Sox had an excellent off-season.
And now, the team is bucking the trend of increasing ticket prices for part of the season.
ESPN reported that fans can buy a package of 11 weekday home games in April and May is near
impossible, except if you sell them for close to nothing.
That's
exactly what the team is doing, announcing the "Ballpark Plan" that
gives a fan every home game the team plays on a Monday through Thursday
in the first two months of the season -- for $29 total. The cheapest
ticket sold separately this season is $7.18.
"Given the weather we
have and the product we've had in the past, we've had crowds under
20,000, it made sense for us to use these games to get people to sample,
or snack, on us," said Brooks Boyer, the chief marketing officer of the
team.
Actual seat locations for these games, for fans who buy the
package, will be based on availability and will be sent to the phones
of those fans on the day of the game.
The ultimate goal is to turn the fan into a season ticket holder.
The White Sox are offering another package, which includes every game in April and May for $49. That's $2.33 a game.
Both plans don't include Opening Day or May 23, fan favorite Paul Konerko's retirement ceremony.
Stub Hub ticket prices straight from the box office in order to get more people into the ball park is an excellent idea. Each team has an inventory of seats to sell, and if they don't sell there is no revenue. And once the game is over, unsold seats is lost revenue opportunities so getting anything for the attendance is a positive.
It also brings some tangible proof that some teams are aware that the average cost of going to games is cost prohibitive for a family of four or more. The "affordability" of the game is a sore point in some communities. The White Sox are at least giving every demographic the opportunity to see the team (even if it is in the colder part of the season).
