The Red Sox will take all your money if you go to their games
Jim Rogash/Getty Images
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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
-
Putin says Russia isn't weakened by Syria setback
Speed Read Russia had been one of the key backers of Syria's ousted Assad regime
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Georgia DA Fani Willis removed from Trump case
Speed Read Willis had been prosecuting the election interference case against the president-elect
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Democrats blame 'President Musk' for looming shutdown
Speed Read The House of Representatives rejected a spending package that would've funding the government into 2025
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published