The Law of Supply and Demand is alive and well, at least when it comes to baseball tickets.  Demand for tickets is down, so prices have fallen as much as 60%.  Even ticket resellers at StubHub.com and TicketsNow.com have seen decreases of 15% - 20% on ticket prices.  Ticket holders have struggled to get just a bit more than face value.  Here’s a chart showing the savings from this Yahoo Finance article:

The problem for me: it’s a year too late.  I took my family to old Yankee Stadium last summer for the final season.  Just about every reasonably-priced ticket was unavailable from the Yankees official ticket site, so they referred me to StubHub.  The Law of Supply and Demand was at play last summer, too, and because EVERYONE had the same idea that I had, I wound up paying through the nose for bleacher seats.

Obviously, I couldn’t wait until this year, because the old stadium has been mothballed, and the Yanks are playing across the street at The House That Greed Built.  If you’ve been able to watch any of their home games, you can see a lot of empty seats.  The team has been forced to re-think its pricing strategy, as the front rows look as empty as when Jerry Kenney and Celerino Sanchez were patrolling the infield.

I’m sure when the economy turns around, the expensive seats will be scooped up by corporations and trust-fund kids.  But until then, it’s a golden opportunity to go bargain hunting, and see a ballgame at a discount.

Another option is taking in a minor league game.  Passive Family Income lists this as a cheap summer vacation idea.  I love going to the local minor league ballpark.  It’s close to home, and the parking is free.

But make sure you bring enough cash to the ballpark.  I’m sure that they haven’t cut prices on beer and hot dogs.

What’s your favorite team?  Have you gone to any games this year, and did you pay less than last year?

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