CHICAGO (AP) - Major League Baseball ticket prices are flat for the first time in two decades.
The average is $26.92 this year, up 1 cent from last season and the smallest increase in the survey’s 21-year history, the Team Marketing Report said Friday. That’s a 1.5 percent increase in 2010 and 1.2 percent last year.
The average was $77.36 in the NFL last year, and $57.10 in the NHL and $48.48 in the NBA in their current seasons.
Boston has the highest average for a nonpremium ticket at $53.38, followed by the New York Yankees at $51.55.
Moving into their new ballpark, the Miami Marlins had the highest rise, a 36.5 percent increase to $26.02. Pittsburgh’s average increased 15.3 percent to $17.74 and Kansas City’s went up 15.2 percent to $21.84.
The Chicago White Sox cut their average 28.7 percent to $29, and the Los Angeles Dodgers slashed theirs 24.1 percent to $23.22 after seeing attendance drop last season under owner Frank McCourt, who is in the process of selling the team to Magic Johnson’s group. The New York Mets, coming off three straight losing seasons, dropped their average 15.5 percent to $27.24.
San Diego has the lowest average at $15.67, just beneath Arizona’s $15.74.
Among premium tickets, the Yankees lead at $305.11, followed by the Dodgers ($222.38), Boston ($172.51) and Washington ($166.25). San Diego is last at $37.83, and the MLB average is $87.16.
TMR’s Fan Cost Index, which includes four average-price tickets, two small draft beers, four small soft drinks, four hot dogs, parking, two programs and two adult-size caps, averaged $207.34, up 2.3 percent. The FCI ranged from $336.99 for the Red Sox to $145.94 for the Diamondbacks. The FCI is $427.29 in the NFL, $326.45 in the NHL and $301.06 in the NBA.
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