Friday Funny: Take Me (And Your Wallet) Out To The Ballgame

Baseball season is officially underway, which means fans are heading out to their favorite Major League Baseball stadiums to watch a game and of course, have some traditional baseball snacks and drinks. Depending on which MLB team you cheer for, however, those hot dogs and beers might be a lot costlier for some fans than others. (Spoiler: If you’re a Red Sox fan, you’d better be prepared to pony up.)

major league baseball
(PRNewsFoto/GOBankingRates)

Although some MLB stadiums cater to their fans with affordable tickets and food prices, others (like the Red Sox) are notorious for some pretty steep charges. Personal finance website GOBankingRates.com conducted a cost analysis of attending a game at all 30 MLB stadiums, comparing the price of four factors:

  • Two tickets
  • Two hot dogs
  • Two beers
  • Parking

While the average cost of spending a day enjoying America’s pastime is $77.92, fans attending a game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim pay the cheapest per-game average cost ― $47.60 ― whereas Boston Red Sox fans pay the highest per-game average cost at Fenway Park ― $157.

“Seeing a baseball game in person is an experience well worth the price, especially for die-hard fans,” said Elyssa Kirkham, lead reporter on the study for GOBankingRates. “But ticket prices keep rising each year ― up 3.3 percent in 2015 ― which might price some fans out of the ballparks. Some franchises definitely are cheaper for their fans, which makes it more affordable for people to enjoy a stadium game or even more than one in a season.”

major league baseball
Credit: Jupiterimages

Location definitely plays a role in stadium costs: The three cheapest stadiums to catch a game are in the West ― Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Dodger Stadium, and Chase Field, where the Arizona Diamondbacks play. The three most expensive stadiums to attend a game include the aforementioned Boston’s Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox; Chicago’s Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs; and New York’s Yankee Stadium.

Want to know how much money to bring to the next MLB game you attend? Click here to find out exactly where your team ranks (and if you’ll need to take out a personal loan first).