Team Marketing Report put out their annual report measuring the cost of a family of four to attend a ballgame. This shouldn’t completely surprise you, but for the first time ever, the Chicago Cubs are the most expensive MLB team to watch.
According to their report, the Cubs edged out the Boston Red Sox as the most expensive team to watch at the ballpark. This is the first time since 2009, and second time since 2000 that a team unseated the Red Sox on the report.
How they grade
TMR notes that they compile the costs using these criteria:
- Four average weighted non-premium tickets
- Four sodas
- Four hot dogs
- Two beers
- Two souvenir caps
- Parking
So, while it is expensive for a family to attend a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, several of these costs can be eliminated. First, there are tons of very aggressively priced tickets on Stub Hub (I’ve seen them as low as $6). There are tons of other options instead of driving to the ballpark. If you are from the suburbs, you take Metra you immediately cut out parking costs. If you take that train on a weekend you can travel to the city and back all weekend for only $10. Finally, if you want a hat, MLB Shop is $15 cheaper than in the stadium.
List
Here are TMR’s complete findings.
The Cubs boasted a modest increase of 0.1% increase in the cost of general admission and a 0.3% increase in the total costs. Their hoping over Boston has more to do with the Red Sox drop in costs as opposed to the Cubs increases.
If you look at the average cost of a premium ticket, the Cubs are the third highest ticket, behind the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals.
Visiting Wrigley on a Budget
Like mentioned above, there are many ways to visit Wrigley on a budget. I personally bought tickets for the first Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers game at Wrigley for $6 (plus Stub Hub fees I’m up to $40 something). That knocks out more than $150 of that initial cost.
You can take several other ways to the park, trains, the Red Line, busses and even a Cubs shuttle. While there are still costs involved, not nearly as much as the costs of parking outside Wrigley.
Eating, I’d suggest grabbing a slice outside the ballpark or even parking a sandwich to eat on one of the many public transportation offerings. But, as a rule, I always splurge for a Wrigley hot dog and an Old Style. But you can reduce the costs of food rather easily by just visiting a Wrigleyville establishment.
If you want a hat or other Cubs merchandise, please visit here or here or even shop at your local Dick’s Sporting Goods or Lid’s. The same product is often 30% less expensive than even one of the shops just outside the ballpark.
I know many people complain about ticket prices, and I get it, but if you really want to see the Cubs at Wrigley, there are very affordable ways to do so.
