Despite Playoffs, Fans Still Making it to the Ballpark

Here at SeatGeek, we forecast the price of tickets using an algorithm that incorporates many factors that affect ticket prices on the secondary market.  One of those factors is other events, especially sporting events, that are occurring in the same city at the same time.  With that in mind, I set out to write about what I thought would be the decrease in ticket prices for baseball games in cities where their basketball and hockey teams had made it to the post season.  Upon analysis of the data, however, I was surprised to find that that was not the case.

Interestingly, our data shows that there is no drop in ticket price for baseball games when their city’s hockey or basketball team is playing in a playoff game in the same city, on the same night.  A great case to support this is Boston Red Sox ticket prices on May 28.  On this Friday night, the Red Sox were scheduled to face the Kansas City Royals.  Meanwhile, the Celtics were slotted to play the Orlando Magic in Game Six of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.  Despite the immensely important playoff game going on in the same city, tickets for the Red Sox game were in high demand.  The average price of tickets sold for that Red Sox-Royals game was $103, which is only $4 less than the $107 season average for tickets sold.  Considering the Royals are not a very desirable opponent to see, there generally would be a drop in ticket demand and ticket price for that game anyway.  But for there to be only a $4 drop in price from the season average while the Celtics were playing a playoff game is staggering.

Is the Green Monster green for the Celtics?

This case was not exclusive either.  Throughout the playoffs, tickets for baseball games have maintained their average price despite the postseason games going on down the street.  Nonetheless, luckily for those Bostonians that were in attendance for the Red Sox loss on the same night the Celtics advanced to the finals, the Celtics win meant at least two more home games in Boston.  Perhaps next time around our data will be different, and Boston fans will make sure to catch the game at TD Garden, rather than the game at Fenway.