Do you love baseball, but don't want to burn all your cash catching a game live? Then avoid the Red Sox, and go see the Diamondbacks instead. That's because the cost to attend a game and buy goodies at Fenway Park is absurdly high relative to the rest of the league, according to data compiled by Team Marketing Report.
In the group's annual rundown of average game expenses across the league, the reigning World Series champions captured the ignominious honor of having the most expensive fan experience, edging past the Yankees and dwarfing most everyone else. The following chart uses the group's "Fan Cost Index," which includes the sum of four average-price tickets, four small sodas, four hot dogs, two small beers, two adjustable hats, two game programs, and parking for one car.
Boston's Fan Cost Index is a little more than 60 percent above the MLB average, and nearly three times higher than Arizona's. And as you'd expect, the top of the list is heavy with big-market teams, while the bottom features some perennial penny-pinchers.
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Unsurprisingly, the Red Sox also had the most expensive average ticket price at $52.32. Part of that has to do with the team's success over the past decade and change, but it's also the result of a high-demand market and a tiny stadium; Fenway is the fourth-smallest park in the pros.
Meanwhile, average tickets for a Padres game go for a league-low $16.37. Yet for overall value, no team beats the Diamondbacks. They're one of only two teams to sell hot dogs for under three bucks, and their $4 beers are an absolute steal.
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