The Mets may have some trouble selling tickets for their own regular season games at Citi Field, but New Yorkers and baseball fans around the country sure are excited for a little midsummer exhibition at the new ballpark.
According to TiqIQ, the average ticket price for this year’s All-Star Game at Citi Field currently checks in at a whopping $1,052.53 dollars. While prices will almost certainly decline as the game approaches, this still figures to be the most expensive MLB All-Star Game ticket of the past four years.
Currently, this year’s game carries an 82% premium over last year’s game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, which had an attendance of 40,933. Citi Field’s stated capacity is 45,000, and seating is typically expanded for events such as the All-Star Game (for example, Kauffman Stadium has a stated capacity of 27,000). With an average ticket price of nearly double that of last year’s game despite far more tickets available, this year’s All-Star Game carries unprecedented demand.
2012 Kaufman Stadium = $576.96
2013 Citi Field = $1,052.53 (82% premium over 2012)
Back in 2011, the last time a National League venue hosted the All-Star Game, ticket prices reached a low point in recent times. With Chase Field filled to its 49,033 seat capacity, average ticket prices checked in at just $294.33 dollars. This year’s All-Star Game tickets price over 2.5x higher than those of 2011 in Arizona, with a similar quantity slated to be sold.
2011 Chase Field = $294.33
2013 Citi Field = $1,052.53 (258% premium over 2011)
Even with a substantial decline in price between now and July 16, Citi Field will still become the most expensive All-Star Game of the past four years. Currently, that title is held by Angel Stadium of Anaheim back in 2010. Filled beyond capacity, Angel Stadium sold 45,408 tickets which traded at an average price of $594.23 dollars on the secondary market. Tickets for the Citi Field game currently hold a ridiculous 77% premium over those of the second priciest recent All-Star Game. Needless to say, demand for the Midsummer Classic in New York is certainly very high.
2010 Angel Stadium = $594.23
2011 Chase Field = $294.33
2012 Kaufman Stadium = $576.96
2013 Citi Field = $1,052.53
After a 13-year stretch of American League All-Star Game dominance in which the AL went 12-0-1, the National League has taken three straight Midsummer Classics. Despite the AL’s dominance throughout the 2000s, going into this year’s game, the National League holds a 43-38 advantage of the American League. Winning the All-Star Game has indeed been of crucial importance in baseball since the tie of 2002 led to the rule change giving the winning league home field advantage for the World Series. In the 10 years since the rule change, the team with home field has gone 7-3 in the World Series. For three years running, that team has come from the National League.
