The Cost of the American Pastime

This year will be the first year in the last five that I have not been at an Indians game for my birthday.

This lovely tradition, started by my parents, has been the best part of my birthday, no matter what the outcome of the game.

This year, however, I will be unable to make it. Part of this is because of the gas it takes to get to Cleveland from my home in central Illinois. The most significant reason, though, is simply because the cost of a baseball game has increased so dramatically that it is no longer cheap to attend a baseball game.

According to a recent Sporting News article, the average price of a baseball game has risen 10.9 percent this season to $25.40. Around the league, 12 teams have raised their average cost to attend a game by 10 percent or more.

As an Indians fan, I feel lucky. Currently, seeing the Tribe is still close to that average; however, around the league (especially in the large markets like Chicago and New York) the cost is much steeper.

SN states that attending a Red Sox game will run about $48.80, and to root, root, root for the Cubbies, you will have to shell out $42.49 on average.

Finding a cause for this increase is not easy. One of my favorite fallbacks is to blame the players and their agents, who are demanding outrageous salaries and driving up the cost of tickets.

If A-Rod was playing for a more reasonable salary, would Yankees box seats cost $250 per ticket?

It's a reasonable question, and certainly interesting to consider, but the entirety of this increase cannot be blamed on the greed of the players. Certainly, other factors, like inflation, recession, and other fiscal hardships, have played a role in the rise of the costs.

What isn't hard to understand, though, is who is suffering from this increase: the fans. Most significantly, families. If it costs $25.40 for an individual to attend a game, a family of four would be forced to pay out more than $100 to attend a single game.

Team Marketing Research, whom SN received their information from, compiles a "fan-cost index" to determine the cost for two adult tickets, two children's tickets, two beers, four soft drinks, four hot dogs, two programs, and two adult caps. This index rose 8.3 percent to a staggering $191.75.

At such high prices, the American pastime is being taken away from the people who need it most. In a time where leisure spending is scarce, it is hard to justify the price of a baseball game for a family, or even a poor college student (such as myself).

The moral of this story is that something must be done to reduce the cost and make the game family-friendly again. I'm not in charge of Major League Baseball, I am not sure how to make such changes, but there is no doubt in my mind that something must change.

I want to be at Progressive Field next July 27, so for my sake Bud, make some changes?