I have see Major League Baseball played live in 17 ballparks, I have seen NHL hockey played in 4 arenas, I have seen NBA basketball played in 2 arenas, I have seen NFL football in 1 stadium—sorry not much of a football fan—as well as having seen Swedish Elite League hockey games in 3 arenas and Minor League and Spring Training baseball in various locations. What is my point you may ask? My point is that I have paid an awful lot for parking over the years.
More than anything, parking is a team’s monopoly to do what they want with. If a person is investing to go to a game and they buy their ticket and such, they will not get to the venue parking lot and turn away because they don’t like the price. That is just absurd. So really, fans are willing to spend whatever a venue tells them that they are going to spend. Fans are really at the mercy of the price-makers.
There are stadiums such as Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park with independent parking lots that operate near the stadium. And by independent, I mean there is no official stadium parking lot; just a series of random scattered parking lots which offer a price of there own choosing. In those places, a fan can hypothetically search for the best price available.
But while there are some places with this system, most stadiums have the Shea Stadium/Dodger Stadium system which basically consists of the stadium being surrounded by one huge parking lot. In places such as these, there is one universal price for parking. However, this universal price is determined by the team and as there is no alternative, fans are forced to pay the fee. And in most venues, the fee is not reasonable in any way.
Besides Nassau Coliseum which offers parking for $5.50 in a lot that is so easy to access from the roadways and which offers such short walking distance to the arena itself that it is a gratifying experience to park, in most venues, parking is sold at an absurd price. Prices have gone from $12, to $13, and even up to $20 at many venues and based on what is being sold—just parking—this is in my opinion is completely ridiculous. Every time I park at one of these venues, I feel my dignity being sucked directly out of me.
But if teams have a stranglehold, what you may ask can you do to save your dignity? Well, with the exception of the Meadowlands Sports Complex, ALL of these venues offer some form of mass transit to access the venue.
I come from New Jersey. I know all about people who are OBSESSED with taking their cars out of their suburban homes and driving to their destination wherever they may be, regardless of how difficult to reach their destination may be. What can I say, Jersey folk like their cars. I know what I am proposing is a tough sell. But seriously, taking mass transit to games is a simple, money-saving venture which based on the surroundings of many venues—Wrigley Field for example—which are so festive that passing through them is an enjoyable experience in itself, taking mass transit can even be a fun thing to do. Mass transit saves money, time, energy, and lessens road traffic near venues before and after games, and in many cases, as I said, is a very enjoyable experience. So really, consider taking mass transit to you local stadium or arena. Even if you have never ridden a subway or a bus before, just try it. You have nothing to lose—no you probably will not get mugged on the 7 train—and so much to gain—or retain in this case.
There are some places as I said such as the Meadowlands Sports Complex to which there is no form of mass transit system to access the facilities. Well, considering that the Devils have now vacated the Meadowlands, considering that there are plans for the Nets to vacate the Meadowlands in the next 3 years, and considering that there are proposals which would move the Jets and Giants out of the Meadowlands in the next few years, I think my point is proven. Facilities without the benefit of serviceable mass transit systems nearby are failing facilities which are unable to survive in the long run. As NFL teams, the Jets and Giants have maintained solid attendance over the years, but as for the Devils and Nets, despite tremendous success over recent years, they have never been able to maximize attendance in the Meadowlands and in my opinion, the lack of mass transit has hurt those teams. I mean, to access the Meadowlands, you MUST drive. Considering that New York City is a nearby potential source for spectators, considering that many people in New York City do not own cars, the Meadowlands becomes unreachable.
My point today is that I am suggesting that all fans try and take mass transit the next time you go to a game. It benefits you, it benefits the teams, and it benefits Jersey people like me who as I drive to games, will now have less traffic on the way out!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
Alternate Uniforms
You have all already heard my rant about Retro Jerseys. Besides serving the purpose of being nostalgia for sale, Retro Jerseys serve the purpose as being “something different to wear” for fans other than their teams’ traditional uniforms. Another phenomenon that has been created in recent years which also serves this purpose is the invention of the alternate uniform.
Way back when, teams had two uniforms; home and away. But into the 21st century, teams have created third and many times fourth uniforms that they wear in addition to their traditional home and away uniforms and to me, this definitely should raise a few eyebrows.
I’m thinking of my beloved New York Mets as the perfect example of this. I mean, at home, they have all an all white uniform, a white uniform with pinstripes, and an all black uniform. On the road, they have a gray uniform and a black uniform. From there, you are really special if you can identify the rules they have for the different hats they wear. In the beginning, the Mets wore a plain blue hat with their orange logo. Now, in addition to the blue hat, they also have a black hat, and a black hat with blue bill. Well, the rules for these hats go as follows: If the Mets are home and wearing a plain white jersey, they can wear a blue hat or a black hat with a blue bill; if the Mets are wearing pinstripes, they can wear their blue hat or black hat with a blue bill; if the Mets are home and wearing black, they will always wear their all black hat. If the Mets are on the road and wearing gray, they will wear the black, blue bill hat and if they are wearing their road black, they will wear their all black hat. There, I just explained it as best I can, but please do not ask me how many combinations there are. In layman’s terms: 5 jerseys, 3 hats, 1 team. At Shea Stadium, amongst fans, you can see all different arrangements of these 8 articles of Mets gear—not including retro and PRACTICE jerseys. Wheew that’s a lot of uniforms. Any more uniform additions and a Mets’ fans’ closet may begin to resemble that of a rich debutant.
I love the Mets. I like their colors and their logo. But really, I’m fine if they just had 1 home jersey, 1 road jersey, and 1 mutual hat. It would be simple but effective. The uses of these additional uniforms definitely do not serve a practical purpose, but they do have a purpose as all combinations can be seen being worn amongst Shea Stadium fans. If all articles that a team is going to wear can actually be sold to fans, why not have a team wear and you as an organization in turn sell as many different articles as possible?
As a Mets fan, I know there is no hope in rectifying this situation. But it isn’t just the Mets. I mean the Braves wear an alternate red jersey, the Nationals wear and alternate red, the Marlins wear an alternate black and throughout baseball, a majority of teams wear an alternate 3rd jersey and/or hat. And for none of the teams do these alternate uniforms serve any practical purpose except the purpose of providing more choices for a fan in shopping season.
I’ll move on to my favorite sport, hockey. More than any other sport, the hockey jersey—sweater—is a work of art. I mean besides sporting colors that are more visible than any other sport, hockey sweaters sport huge crests—logos— and patches in many cases and in my opinion, hockey sweaters are more aesthetically beautiful—for the most part—than the upper-wear of any other sport.
But while most teams had assembled masterful uniforms into the 1990s, in the mid 1990s, many NHL teams began to wear a third sweater. For the most part, it is the newer expansion teams that continually add alternate sweaters. But besides the Nashville Predators addition of a mustard-color sweater and my Islanders addition of a neon orange sweater—of course I own one though—even many of the league’s original 6 teams have added alternate sweaters. I mean, the Rangers have an alternate sweater with the Statue of Liberty as the crest and the Bruins have this honeycomb yellow looking sweater with a bear head as the crest as opposed to the traditional B in a wheel that they have been wearing different forms of for decades. So really, while not all teams have added an alternate sweater, a high majority have and really, none of these sweaters seems to have any practical sense to them except for once again serving the purpose of promoting higher sales. While in the up-coming 2007-08 season, no NHL team will be wearing a third sweater; all teams will be wearing a new style of sweater known as “The Reebok Edge”. But stay tuned for my analysis on them. I have a lot to say on that issue.
What the average fan can do to stop all this I’m not exactly sure. I mean, I have been victimized. I have bought a Mets all-black jersey on 3—Piazza, Ventura, 2000 World Series edition—occasions, I still frequently wear my all black Mets cap, and I still have my Islanders orange sweater hanging in my closet. I guess though, if all fans just buy ONLY what their favorite uniform is, if the fans make a choice by overwhelmingly buying one uniform much more than they buy another, I guess then that management would be forced to make a decision. But that event and management abandoning their abundance of alternate uniforms, well the probability of that event’s occurrence is slim. So I guess that more than providing constructive advice as for how you fans can right and obvious wrong, I am just giving you a piece of my mind on an issue that really bothers me.
I am though curious as to what other peoples’ opinions of alternate uniforms are. I would appreciate it greatly if I could get some feedback on what all of your opinions are on alternate uniforms, in particular, if you have any specific examples of particularly agitating alternate uniforms that you can think of. I look forward to reading your feedback. Until next time, I’m out….
Way back when, teams had two uniforms; home and away. But into the 21st century, teams have created third and many times fourth uniforms that they wear in addition to their traditional home and away uniforms and to me, this definitely should raise a few eyebrows.
I’m thinking of my beloved New York Mets as the perfect example of this. I mean, at home, they have all an all white uniform, a white uniform with pinstripes, and an all black uniform. On the road, they have a gray uniform and a black uniform. From there, you are really special if you can identify the rules they have for the different hats they wear. In the beginning, the Mets wore a plain blue hat with their orange logo. Now, in addition to the blue hat, they also have a black hat, and a black hat with blue bill. Well, the rules for these hats go as follows: If the Mets are home and wearing a plain white jersey, they can wear a blue hat or a black hat with a blue bill; if the Mets are wearing pinstripes, they can wear their blue hat or black hat with a blue bill; if the Mets are home and wearing black, they will always wear their all black hat. If the Mets are on the road and wearing gray, they will wear the black, blue bill hat and if they are wearing their road black, they will wear their all black hat. There, I just explained it as best I can, but please do not ask me how many combinations there are. In layman’s terms: 5 jerseys, 3 hats, 1 team. At Shea Stadium, amongst fans, you can see all different arrangements of these 8 articles of Mets gear—not including retro and PRACTICE jerseys. Wheew that’s a lot of uniforms. Any more uniform additions and a Mets’ fans’ closet may begin to resemble that of a rich debutant.
I love the Mets. I like their colors and their logo. But really, I’m fine if they just had 1 home jersey, 1 road jersey, and 1 mutual hat. It would be simple but effective. The uses of these additional uniforms definitely do not serve a practical purpose, but they do have a purpose as all combinations can be seen being worn amongst Shea Stadium fans. If all articles that a team is going to wear can actually be sold to fans, why not have a team wear and you as an organization in turn sell as many different articles as possible?
As a Mets fan, I know there is no hope in rectifying this situation. But it isn’t just the Mets. I mean the Braves wear an alternate red jersey, the Nationals wear and alternate red, the Marlins wear an alternate black and throughout baseball, a majority of teams wear an alternate 3rd jersey and/or hat. And for none of the teams do these alternate uniforms serve any practical purpose except the purpose of providing more choices for a fan in shopping season.
I’ll move on to my favorite sport, hockey. More than any other sport, the hockey jersey—sweater—is a work of art. I mean besides sporting colors that are more visible than any other sport, hockey sweaters sport huge crests—logos— and patches in many cases and in my opinion, hockey sweaters are more aesthetically beautiful—for the most part—than the upper-wear of any other sport.
But while most teams had assembled masterful uniforms into the 1990s, in the mid 1990s, many NHL teams began to wear a third sweater. For the most part, it is the newer expansion teams that continually add alternate sweaters. But besides the Nashville Predators addition of a mustard-color sweater and my Islanders addition of a neon orange sweater—of course I own one though—even many of the league’s original 6 teams have added alternate sweaters. I mean, the Rangers have an alternate sweater with the Statue of Liberty as the crest and the Bruins have this honeycomb yellow looking sweater with a bear head as the crest as opposed to the traditional B in a wheel that they have been wearing different forms of for decades. So really, while not all teams have added an alternate sweater, a high majority have and really, none of these sweaters seems to have any practical sense to them except for once again serving the purpose of promoting higher sales. While in the up-coming 2007-08 season, no NHL team will be wearing a third sweater; all teams will be wearing a new style of sweater known as “The Reebok Edge”. But stay tuned for my analysis on them. I have a lot to say on that issue.
What the average fan can do to stop all this I’m not exactly sure. I mean, I have been victimized. I have bought a Mets all-black jersey on 3—Piazza, Ventura, 2000 World Series edition—occasions, I still frequently wear my all black Mets cap, and I still have my Islanders orange sweater hanging in my closet. I guess though, if all fans just buy ONLY what their favorite uniform is, if the fans make a choice by overwhelmingly buying one uniform much more than they buy another, I guess then that management would be forced to make a decision. But that event and management abandoning their abundance of alternate uniforms, well the probability of that event’s occurrence is slim. So I guess that more than providing constructive advice as for how you fans can right and obvious wrong, I am just giving you a piece of my mind on an issue that really bothers me.
I am though curious as to what other peoples’ opinions of alternate uniforms are. I would appreciate it greatly if I could get some feedback on what all of your opinions are on alternate uniforms, in particular, if you have any specific examples of particularly agitating alternate uniforms that you can think of. I look forward to reading your feedback. Until next time, I’m out….
Sunday, September 9, 2007
The Retro Jersey
For as long as I can remember—well 4 years anyway—one of my personal style trademarks has been that I always wear all white Nike sneakers. Twice annually, I set out to find new white Nike sneakers that while appearing similar to many, are actually VERY different shoes. Of late, I have found that Champs Sports on the first floor of the Rockaway Mall in Rockaway New Jersey—they didn’t even pay me to say that—offers a great selection of white Nike sneakers—and white shoe polish! But this summer, when I made my semi-annual run to Champs Sports, I actually took time to look throughout the store and not just at the shoes. I had always known that the store is engulfed in sports jerseys, but what I kind of thought was odd was that the most prevalent jersey in the store was an old-time Lawrence Taylor jersey. Even though I’m not much of a football fan, even I know that LT hasn’t played a game in well over a decade. I then began to examine an unbelievable phenomenon that has been present in sports stores throughout recent years, Retro Jerseys.
Besides the numerous #56 LT jerseys in Rockaway, there were many Retro Jerseys. I mean there were Joe Namath jerseys, San Diego Charger powder blue jerseys (from the 1970s), and even ugly Houston Astro snow-cone style jerseys. I mean, more than current jerseys, the store was packed with Retro Jerseys.
I am not immune to being attracted to these old-time jerseys. I remember a night last winter when I was out at an Islander game at Nassau Coliseum and saw a retro Mike Bossy jersey up for sale. Considering that I had often worn Bossy’s #22 in tribute when I played hockey growing up, I was immediately interested in purchasing the former-sniper’s old jersey. But then when I saw the price tag! It was over $300! A non-used, non-signed jersey of a player who hasn’t played a game in over 20 years. As much of a shopping addict as I am, even I realized that this would be an insane buy which even I couldn’t make. And when looking at the LT jerseys and the Namath jerseys, I realized something very interesting; they are just as expensive, if not MORE expensive than current jerseys. Immediately, I thought to myself, “Wow, they really have found another market to make money.”
While I balked at making the alluring Mike Bossy purchase, there are many people who do spend their hard earned pay check on these old time jerseys. I mean, I wear an Islander jersey when I go to Islander games and I wear a Met jersey when I go to Mets game, but really, wearing a jersey that the team itself has not worn in years or of representing a player who hasn’t played a game in many years at least seemed a little silly to me. But then I thought again.
There are only so many David Wright or Michael Strahan jerseys that can be sold. I mean after a while, although each of these players sells millions of jerseys, eventually, people want to be a little different. Or maybe, when a fan reaches his 20s or 30s—and beyond—the players of today are not able to gain that importance to a fan that their childhood heroes had to them. Really, Champs Sports and all of these stores are not selling retro jerseys, they are selling nostalgia. I mean, on the flip side, I would get a bit of a laugh if I saw a 50-something Mets fan wearing a Jose Reyes jersey. But I wouldn’t think twice if I saw that same fan wearing a Tom Seaver jersey. And because even in the 60s, Tom Seaver jerseys were not sold—selling jerseys wasn’t yet a market—for that 50 something Met fan to wear a Tom Seaver jersey in 2007, it would have to have been made and purchased at some point in the 21st century.
I think this is a fantastic marketing campaign that allows people to honor their favorite players. But where the money wasting aspect comes into play is when people wear jerseys of players who they never even saw play. At that point, they are really just spending money on something that is apparently trendy or looks appealing in the stores. So my rant is targeted at young fans.
I am talking to the 20 something Yankee fan who wears a Babe Ruth jersey or the teenager wearing a racing stripes style Strawberry Mets jersey. I mean, act your age. You just spent a couple hundred dollars to represent a player that you never even saw play. The whole idea of retro jerseys are to allow older fans to honor their past heroes; not for a bunch of youngsters to pose as fans of players they never even saw play. I mean, that is a waste of money because quite frankly, you are not fooling anybody.
I mean, I’m thinking of buying a pin-stripe 1993-esque Bobby Bonilla Mets jersey. He hit 2 home runs in the first game I ever saw and he is still my favorite player. But if I saw a 10 year old wearing a Bobby Bonilla jersey, although that is VERY unlikely, I would be a bit ticked off. I would know right off the bat that this kid never even experienced Bobby Bonilla as a Met and I would feel that this kid was at least cheapening the righteous homage I was making to my hero.
My point is that Retro Jerseys are not complete money wasters. They can allow fans remember a time in their life which was innocent, a time in their life which they never want to forget, and I am all for that. But what is silly is when young kids wear jerseys of players they never saw play and likely know nothing of. Those people, I am afraid are just posers and based on their obvious age, they NEVER fool anybody. By wearing a jersey of a player you never saw play, well you are cheapening the tributes payed to this player by fans who did see them play and based on these facts, if you are wearing a jersey of a player you never saw play, you are not rekindling a childhood rooting interest and if you are subsequently spending significant money to partake in this practice, well you are just wasting your money. So to you youngsters, take off the Keith Hernandez jersey and go out and buy an Oliver Perez jersey or something!
P.S. Even I think wearing a Keith Hernandez jersey might be a little bit awesome!
Besides the numerous #56 LT jerseys in Rockaway, there were many Retro Jerseys. I mean there were Joe Namath jerseys, San Diego Charger powder blue jerseys (from the 1970s), and even ugly Houston Astro snow-cone style jerseys. I mean, more than current jerseys, the store was packed with Retro Jerseys.
I am not immune to being attracted to these old-time jerseys. I remember a night last winter when I was out at an Islander game at Nassau Coliseum and saw a retro Mike Bossy jersey up for sale. Considering that I had often worn Bossy’s #22 in tribute when I played hockey growing up, I was immediately interested in purchasing the former-sniper’s old jersey. But then when I saw the price tag! It was over $300! A non-used, non-signed jersey of a player who hasn’t played a game in over 20 years. As much of a shopping addict as I am, even I realized that this would be an insane buy which even I couldn’t make. And when looking at the LT jerseys and the Namath jerseys, I realized something very interesting; they are just as expensive, if not MORE expensive than current jerseys. Immediately, I thought to myself, “Wow, they really have found another market to make money.”
While I balked at making the alluring Mike Bossy purchase, there are many people who do spend their hard earned pay check on these old time jerseys. I mean, I wear an Islander jersey when I go to Islander games and I wear a Met jersey when I go to Mets game, but really, wearing a jersey that the team itself has not worn in years or of representing a player who hasn’t played a game in many years at least seemed a little silly to me. But then I thought again.
There are only so many David Wright or Michael Strahan jerseys that can be sold. I mean after a while, although each of these players sells millions of jerseys, eventually, people want to be a little different. Or maybe, when a fan reaches his 20s or 30s—and beyond—the players of today are not able to gain that importance to a fan that their childhood heroes had to them. Really, Champs Sports and all of these stores are not selling retro jerseys, they are selling nostalgia. I mean, on the flip side, I would get a bit of a laugh if I saw a 50-something Mets fan wearing a Jose Reyes jersey. But I wouldn’t think twice if I saw that same fan wearing a Tom Seaver jersey. And because even in the 60s, Tom Seaver jerseys were not sold—selling jerseys wasn’t yet a market—for that 50 something Met fan to wear a Tom Seaver jersey in 2007, it would have to have been made and purchased at some point in the 21st century.
I think this is a fantastic marketing campaign that allows people to honor their favorite players. But where the money wasting aspect comes into play is when people wear jerseys of players who they never even saw play. At that point, they are really just spending money on something that is apparently trendy or looks appealing in the stores. So my rant is targeted at young fans.
I am talking to the 20 something Yankee fan who wears a Babe Ruth jersey or the teenager wearing a racing stripes style Strawberry Mets jersey. I mean, act your age. You just spent a couple hundred dollars to represent a player that you never even saw play. The whole idea of retro jerseys are to allow older fans to honor their past heroes; not for a bunch of youngsters to pose as fans of players they never even saw play. I mean, that is a waste of money because quite frankly, you are not fooling anybody.
I mean, I’m thinking of buying a pin-stripe 1993-esque Bobby Bonilla Mets jersey. He hit 2 home runs in the first game I ever saw and he is still my favorite player. But if I saw a 10 year old wearing a Bobby Bonilla jersey, although that is VERY unlikely, I would be a bit ticked off. I would know right off the bat that this kid never even experienced Bobby Bonilla as a Met and I would feel that this kid was at least cheapening the righteous homage I was making to my hero.
My point is that Retro Jerseys are not complete money wasters. They can allow fans remember a time in their life which was innocent, a time in their life which they never want to forget, and I am all for that. But what is silly is when young kids wear jerseys of players they never saw play and likely know nothing of. Those people, I am afraid are just posers and based on their obvious age, they NEVER fool anybody. By wearing a jersey of a player you never saw play, well you are cheapening the tributes payed to this player by fans who did see them play and based on these facts, if you are wearing a jersey of a player you never saw play, you are not rekindling a childhood rooting interest and if you are subsequently spending significant money to partake in this practice, well you are just wasting your money. So to you youngsters, take off the Keith Hernandez jersey and go out and buy an Oliver Perez jersey or something!
P.S. Even I think wearing a Keith Hernandez jersey might be a little bit awesome!
Monday, September 3, 2007
"Happy" Labor Day
I really wasn’t sure as to what subject I should begin to warn you all about first until a light bulb went off in my head this morning. This morning I was having an Instant Messenger conversation with an old friend from high school which while the conversation was brief, it really brought an important issue to the forefront to me. Our conversation—about a whole 5 minutes—was basically us just asking each other what our plans for Labor Day were. Of course, my plans were to watch San Pedro Day—what Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson calls everyday that Pedro Martinez pitches— as Pedro Martinez made his first start—a win—in 11 months. However, my friend told me that she was home from college visiting her family for a Labor Day barbeque. She of course went on to mock me as barbeques have never been favorite events of mine—I don’t eat burgers or hot dogs—but as she mocked me, something popped into my head.
I started thinking of that Chevrolet commercial that is played during baseball games. I’m sure you have all seen that commercial with the utterly ridiculous jingle; “We love baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet….” Yeah that commercial has always driven me up the wall. It’s just so stupid. Before it gets really stupid by mentioning Rally Monkeys and using modern technology to make it seem as if a younger Jimmy Carter is talking about Rally Monkeys, it mentions hot dogs. Considering that my friend had just mentioned that she was going to a barbeque—hot dogs likely—and I had just mentioned that I was going to watch a baseball game—where hot dogs are sold—it all seemed to come together for me. Hot dogs as food are not sold at baseball games. Hot dogs as an institution are sold at baseball games. The reason that hot dogs are by far the most widely served, sold, and eaten foods at baseball games has nothing to do with how they taste—horrible if you ask me—it has to do with the fact that they are tradition. So the first subject I would like to discuss with you my readers is the many money traps that are peddled to baseball fans across America on a regular basis.
I do not want to sound un-American, I don’t want to trump tradition, and I don’t want to sound like some joint smoking—supposed to be funny—conspiracy theorist. But really, I’m just going to do a quick run through of my memories of going to baseball games as a kid.
As soon as my father and I would walk through the gates at Shea Stadium, we headed straight for the concession stand where we would easily spend more than $30 on our FIRST trip. Then we would buy a program and head off to our seats. Some point during the game, usually during the 6th inning or so, I would buy one of those ice creams served in the little plastic baseball helmet. Then when the games were over, without failure, we would hit the souvenir stand where we would either buy a pennant, a T shirt, or some other form of paraphernalia representing the Mets or some other Major League team, most likely, whoever the Mets opponents had been that night. Then we would go home.
As I said, I don’t want to mock these experiences that I and so many other kids have had. These memories are some of the best memories that I have of childhood. But now, I cannot help but read further into these past experiences.
First we would buy food—usually hot dogs and soda. Not only were we buying food at the games, by buying food, we were foregoing a chance to have a good meal at home or at a New York City restaurant. But whatever the case, we always ate at the games we went to. In fact, it never seemed to us then as if we even had another choice. I don’t even want to go into what those hot dogs we ate were probably composed of, so I will just simply say that they were FAR from a nutritionist’s delight. But besides being a heart attack in a bun, these hot dogs were unbelievably expensive. If my father and I each ate 2 hot dogs—we probably ate at least twice that—then we could easily spend $20. At well over $4 a piece for food items that stadiums acquire at cheap prices, for every hot dog sold at baseball games, stadiums turn a huge profit. And between $5 sodas—I won’t mock beer prices because anything to keep excess beer out of crazed New Yorkers hands is a good thing in my opinion—and ice creams, and peanuts, and whatnot, at every professional baseball game, stadiums turn huge profits from the food they sell.
In the realm of souvenirs, we would first buy a program. Originally, in the old days, programs served the purpose of allowing fans to more easily identify players on the field. But in the modern day, with 70 foot jumbotrons introducing all players—players also now where their names on the back of their jerseys—it is probably easier to identify a player by listening to the P.A. announcer or by looking at the jumbotron as opposed to squinting to read the small writing in the program. There is another $7 down the drain. Then there are the post game souvenirs. I know that in stores throughout the metropolitan area, it is very easy to finds Mets hats, Mets shirts, Mets whatever, but for some reason, it is always presented as more alluring to buy a shirt or a hat in THE stadium itself. This concept is all well and good, but while this idea is presented, it is also likely that stadiums charge at least 25%--an estimate— more for a shirt or hat than say a Modell’s would. So once again, between programs that are unnecessarily sold and over priced shirts and hats, stadiums turn an unbelievably high profit based on the relatively low costs in putting these items up for sale on their shelves.
You may ask as to what my point is. I’m sure you all know that going to games is expensive. Well let’s just take an alternate point of view. Although people have to eat and eating will always costs something, just try eating dinner—or lunch—at home before going to a game. While your home meal will cost something, it will definitely save you a significant amount of money—and cholesterol. Then say you go online and print out both team’s rosters, stuff them in your pocket, and bring your office paper to the game. The cost of two sheets of paper is almost nothing compared to the cost of a program. Then say on the way home, you stop at a Modell’s—or whatever store—and buy a T shirt that you could wear to the game the next time you go. There is another $15-$20 saved. With this alternate plan, the average fan could easily save $40 per person for every game they go to. While this plan might seemingly make the event of going to a game seem less fun, let’s just examine this. If 1 fan saves $40 and many tickets—not field level or even second level—cost about $40, then by making these minor spending changes, a fan will allow themselves to go to twice as many games as they would otherwise be able to go to.
Of course, the whole process of going to games that includes overspending one’s money is a tradition that I’m sure many people do not want to part with. But I just wanted to let you know that there are alternatives. And while I’m sure it would be tough for many people to part with their traditions, with the benefit of saving money and perhaps going to twice as many games being out there, I feel it is something that should definitely be considered.
I understand my views on these issue are different from many people, so I would love to hear comments as to whether or not you feel I have hit the nail on the head by discussing poignant issues or if you think I’m completely off base—to these people I say I guess my wallet will be thicker than yours! Just kidding…
I started thinking of that Chevrolet commercial that is played during baseball games. I’m sure you have all seen that commercial with the utterly ridiculous jingle; “We love baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet….” Yeah that commercial has always driven me up the wall. It’s just so stupid. Before it gets really stupid by mentioning Rally Monkeys and using modern technology to make it seem as if a younger Jimmy Carter is talking about Rally Monkeys, it mentions hot dogs. Considering that my friend had just mentioned that she was going to a barbeque—hot dogs likely—and I had just mentioned that I was going to watch a baseball game—where hot dogs are sold—it all seemed to come together for me. Hot dogs as food are not sold at baseball games. Hot dogs as an institution are sold at baseball games. The reason that hot dogs are by far the most widely served, sold, and eaten foods at baseball games has nothing to do with how they taste—horrible if you ask me—it has to do with the fact that they are tradition. So the first subject I would like to discuss with you my readers is the many money traps that are peddled to baseball fans across America on a regular basis.
I do not want to sound un-American, I don’t want to trump tradition, and I don’t want to sound like some joint smoking—supposed to be funny—conspiracy theorist. But really, I’m just going to do a quick run through of my memories of going to baseball games as a kid.
As soon as my father and I would walk through the gates at Shea Stadium, we headed straight for the concession stand where we would easily spend more than $30 on our FIRST trip. Then we would buy a program and head off to our seats. Some point during the game, usually during the 6th inning or so, I would buy one of those ice creams served in the little plastic baseball helmet. Then when the games were over, without failure, we would hit the souvenir stand where we would either buy a pennant, a T shirt, or some other form of paraphernalia representing the Mets or some other Major League team, most likely, whoever the Mets opponents had been that night. Then we would go home.
As I said, I don’t want to mock these experiences that I and so many other kids have had. These memories are some of the best memories that I have of childhood. But now, I cannot help but read further into these past experiences.
First we would buy food—usually hot dogs and soda. Not only were we buying food at the games, by buying food, we were foregoing a chance to have a good meal at home or at a New York City restaurant. But whatever the case, we always ate at the games we went to. In fact, it never seemed to us then as if we even had another choice. I don’t even want to go into what those hot dogs we ate were probably composed of, so I will just simply say that they were FAR from a nutritionist’s delight. But besides being a heart attack in a bun, these hot dogs were unbelievably expensive. If my father and I each ate 2 hot dogs—we probably ate at least twice that—then we could easily spend $20. At well over $4 a piece for food items that stadiums acquire at cheap prices, for every hot dog sold at baseball games, stadiums turn a huge profit. And between $5 sodas—I won’t mock beer prices because anything to keep excess beer out of crazed New Yorkers hands is a good thing in my opinion—and ice creams, and peanuts, and whatnot, at every professional baseball game, stadiums turn huge profits from the food they sell.
In the realm of souvenirs, we would first buy a program. Originally, in the old days, programs served the purpose of allowing fans to more easily identify players on the field. But in the modern day, with 70 foot jumbotrons introducing all players—players also now where their names on the back of their jerseys—it is probably easier to identify a player by listening to the P.A. announcer or by looking at the jumbotron as opposed to squinting to read the small writing in the program. There is another $7 down the drain. Then there are the post game souvenirs. I know that in stores throughout the metropolitan area, it is very easy to finds Mets hats, Mets shirts, Mets whatever, but for some reason, it is always presented as more alluring to buy a shirt or a hat in THE stadium itself. This concept is all well and good, but while this idea is presented, it is also likely that stadiums charge at least 25%--an estimate— more for a shirt or hat than say a Modell’s would. So once again, between programs that are unnecessarily sold and over priced shirts and hats, stadiums turn an unbelievably high profit based on the relatively low costs in putting these items up for sale on their shelves.
You may ask as to what my point is. I’m sure you all know that going to games is expensive. Well let’s just take an alternate point of view. Although people have to eat and eating will always costs something, just try eating dinner—or lunch—at home before going to a game. While your home meal will cost something, it will definitely save you a significant amount of money—and cholesterol. Then say you go online and print out both team’s rosters, stuff them in your pocket, and bring your office paper to the game. The cost of two sheets of paper is almost nothing compared to the cost of a program. Then say on the way home, you stop at a Modell’s—or whatever store—and buy a T shirt that you could wear to the game the next time you go. There is another $15-$20 saved. With this alternate plan, the average fan could easily save $40 per person for every game they go to. While this plan might seemingly make the event of going to a game seem less fun, let’s just examine this. If 1 fan saves $40 and many tickets—not field level or even second level—cost about $40, then by making these minor spending changes, a fan will allow themselves to go to twice as many games as they would otherwise be able to go to.
Of course, the whole process of going to games that includes overspending one’s money is a tradition that I’m sure many people do not want to part with. But I just wanted to let you know that there are alternatives. And while I’m sure it would be tough for many people to part with their traditions, with the benefit of saving money and perhaps going to twice as many games being out there, I feel it is something that should definitely be considered.
I understand my views on these issue are different from many people, so I would love to hear comments as to whether or not you feel I have hit the nail on the head by discussing poignant issues or if you think I’m completely off base—to these people I say I guess my wallet will be thicker than yours! Just kidding…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)