Looking At Las Vegas As Possible New Home, Oakland Athletics Rank In Top Half Of MLB Teams For Cost Of Family Of Four To Attend Games
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
With all the talk of small Oakland Athletics crowds at their ballpark in Oakland and the team president’s chatter about Las Vegas as a potential future host city, the cost of a family of four to attend an A’s game in Oakland ranked 12th in the majors, higher than even the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres.
Team Marketing Report, a Chicago-based publication that measures the costs of attending major league sports, shared its “Fan Cost Index” numbers with LVSportsBiz.com Thursday. TMR’s Fan Cost Index measures the cost of a family of four to attend a big league game by tracking the average cost of tickets, parking, food, drinks, parking and even a hat.
Here’s the 2022 FCI for Major League Baseball. You’ll notice that the Red Sox, Cubs, Astros, Yankees and Dodgers are the top five most expensive for a family of four, with the Athletics’ $259.22 coming in number 12 out of MLB’s 30 teams. The average family of four cost in the 2022 MLB Fan Cost Index was $256.41, so the Athletics’ family of four costs was about three bucks more than the MLB average.
Team Marketing Report Publisher Chris Hartweg shared his thoughts on the report he just released:
The Athletics led by team president Dave Kaval say they have two sites in mind for a potential $1 billion domed ballpark in Las Vegas. They’re also negotiating with the city of Oakland over a ballpark deal in that city.
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak told LVSportsBiz.com just last month that there’s no public money for an Athletics ballpark in Las Vegas. Free government money to help build sports venue is the driving force why a major league team comes to a new market. Case in point: Southern Nevada’s $750 million contribution to help build the 62,000-seat domed stadium for the NFL Raiders.
TMR Publisher Hartweg offered some insight on why the Athletics’ family of four costs were so high,
“They should be in the top half based on the size and expense of the market they play in, as well as their record the last four seasons. They played almost .600 ball! Plus, the team has at least kept up with amenities like the recently added theater boxes, gathering spaces like the Treehouse and with mini-packages or $39 family-friendly deals.
“The obvious knock is that they play in what is, to put it kindly, a dump. They – and the Raiders – have long watched other teams get new ballparks. And – like the Raiders – it seems like the likely solution is to leave town. After the team traded away a slew of their core once the lockout was settled, fans seem to have revolted, with some ghastly 3K – 4K crowds turning out.
“In the grand scheme, I don’t peg the attendance issues on them being slightly above average in FCI costs. Look at the Giants – they’re $50 higher by FCI and they’re not having attendance woes,” he said.
Hartweg even sent over a graphic on ballpark beer costs, with a state-by-state analysis.
PSA
