Cheap baseball tickets are not hard to find
Now that the 2014 MLB season is underway, you definitely are looking at what games you can possibly go to and how much tickets will cost. Cheap baseball tickets are easier to find than you might think. If you are looking for a way to go to some games (or at least one) without breaking the bank, here are some tips to make it to the park to watch your favorite team win. You might even become their good luck charm.
Check Stubhub
Cheap baseball tickets are all over StubHub
This is the first place I always check baseball ticket prices for a game I want to go to. Most baseball teams have ridiculously high prices and it makes it tough to warrant paying them game after game. Stubhub may or may not have lower prices depending on which teams are playing, day of the week, etc but you will likely find some good deals when searching resell outlets. There are always tickets available in a variety of places in the park, so you’ll have the option to pick your seats and pick your price. Many tickets can be downloaded right after you purchase them as well so be sure to look for listings with electronic downloads unless you have plenty of time for the tickets to come in the mail.
Don’t buy too far in advance
Ticket prices for a game three months away are usually much higher than they are the week of the game and the day before the game. If you check the re-seller sites, people will often start their listings higher the further out the game date is and lower them as the game gets closer. People always have tickets they are trying to give away, whether it’s because they just can’t go, they got the seats for free, or just don’t want them anymore. Regardless, don’t pay the high prices just because you don’t want the seats to disappear. If it is front row seats you just have to have, then go ahead and buy them when you see them. Front row is hard to come by after all. At the same time, the bigger the game, the bigger the demand for tickets will be. Don’t wait until the day before Game 7 of the World Series to find a good deal. Cheap baseball tickets are almost impossible to come by for the World Series. Use this strategy during the regular season when there are 162 games to choose from.
Choose a game against a bad opponent
Bad teams usually mean cheap baseball tickets
Most teams have begun implementing different pricing strategies based on the opponent. These prices can change from series to series and what you pay one day can and will be different from what you pay a different day. Teams like the Red Sox and Cardinals will have the price you pay be much higher than teams such as the Astros and Padres. This is based on the larger fan base of the more popular teams and a bigger demand for tickets. Unless you want to see a particular opponent, check the schedule and see when the “bad” teams are coming to town. You’ll save some money and have a better chance of seeing your team win.
Go to a stadium in a small market
Smaller markets tend to have smaller followings and thus have lower ticket prices to entice fans to come to games. I lived in Tampa for a few years and could find tickets under ten dollars on a consistent basis for Rays’ games despite that they were competitive and winning. If you go to a game at Yankee Stadium, there is no shortage of demand for tickets and it is much harder to find deals. If you are able to visit a city with a smaller fan base, look for tickets to the game regardless of how good or bad the team is because they probably have deals or everyday low prices to get as many people in the stadium as possible.
Buy the cheap seat and move around
This may not work with a group of people if someone doesn’t like sitting anywhere besides the seat printed on their ticket, but if you are going alone or only have two people, you can very well buy the cheapest ticket you find and sit in better seats once you are in the ballpark. You will have to look out for ushers checking tickets and not get too greedy (the first base line is much easier to walk into than behind home plate), but if you find the right spot it is well worth it. Most teams don’t sell out every game which means empty seats in the stadium. You can fill these empty seats by getting into the stadium and then easing your way closer and closer until you can actually catch a foul ball that comes your way.
Find free parking
Every team charges for parking. They always have and always will. If you can find free parking a few blocks from the stadium, you’ll save a lot of money that you could put towards a ticket if you are buying the day of the game. I don’t know the layouts around the stadiums of all 30 teams, but there is bound to be a cheaper alternative, if not free, than going to the stadium parking lot.
With these strategies you’ll be getting sunburned from going to so many games in no time. All these tips won’t apply to every team, but they work very well in finding the best value for the cost of a baseball ticket. The difference in baseball versus a sport like football is that there are only 16 games in an NFL season. There are 162 in an MLB season. This means that there are many more choices and opportunities to go see a game. Cheap baseball tickets are easy to come by when you know how to find them. Take advantage and go watch the greatest sport ever invented!
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