Red Wings giving great deals to fans

November 20, 2008   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

Everyone knows how poor the economy is these days. With unemployment up all over the country, it’s no secret that the cost of living has become a huge issue for Americans trying to get by during tough times.

It’s impact is also being greatly felt in sports where attendance is not a given at many events due to ticket prices. That’s why it’s commendable to see an Original Six franchise like the Red Wings giving such great deals to their fans in Michigan.

The club announced that they’re making nine dollar tickets available for December and January with fans able to purchase as many as four seats per game. Despite being the third highest draw in the NHL, if you ever have seen a Detroit game, you know better as there are always empties which means quite a few of those seats sold aren’t being filled.

It’s not just the Red Wings as this is a league wide problem. The cost of going to a game for a family of four is astronomical. Just looking at what the Rangers charge where it can cost at least 40 dollar value to sit in the cheap seats makes it nearly impossible for parents to treat their kids to a game. Especially when you factor in food prices where hot dogs run five bucks and one beer will cost you nearly nine dollars. Soda isn’t exactly a bargain either. And five dollars for regular water bottles is a complete ripoff!

As a season subscriber, we get the benefit of reduced prices which helps greatly because saving every earned buck matters. We don’t attend every game. So, we will put games up on the Ranger Ticket Exchange or even see what a legit person on the street can get. If it sells for 25 bucks a pop, that’s a victory in itself which tells the paying customer where the prices should really be.

Try telling James Dolan. It wasn’t too long ago that our same seats cost between 20 and 25 dollars. But making the postseason three years running and the Conference Semis twice was enough for a significant raise. What if they’d somehow reached the Stanley Cup? How much are we talking?

Speaking of which, last Spring, had the Rangers advanced to the Conference Finals, paying customers were looking at ridiculous prices just for making the Final Four. Had they somehow gotten to the Finals, our family likely wouldn’t have been able to afford it.

How is this kind of greed fair to the loyal fan? We’ve been on a season plan for over a decade now and this is our first full season. But when is enough enough? What would it take for Cablevision to realize that the costs are too high and need to be lowered? With the current state of things, shouldn’t they adjust?

Heck. The Yankees are desperate to get rid of the remaining unsold luxury boxes at their new cash cow. Anyone think they’re going to lower costs? There’s a better chance of Hell freezing over with the Yanks not severely overpaying for C.C. Sabathia or A.J. Burnett.

At least the defending Cup champs have gotten the message.