By now, we’ve all heard and read about the slash in season ticket prices at Citi Field next year. Well that’s just dandy, isn’t it? Season ticket holders – those who are fortunate enough to be in a position to afford them – get the break. Reminds me of my many years in the banking industry, where those who had high enough balances were able to avoid a monthly fee on their accounts, while those living paycheck to paycheck had to hand over $10-$20 a month for “maintenance”. Why should they be “punished” for not being wealthy?
Is that the same punishment the average Mets fan has to endure – maintenance? And what exactly are we helping to “maintain”? A less than decent team that I can’t even settle for anymore. In the last month or so of this dreadful 2009 season, I’m lucky (and I do mean lucky) if I watched nine innings in total, no less an entire game. Even when I was at Citi Field last week, I spent the whole evening in the Acela Club with family and friends, enjoying their company, rather than the Mets’.
If you ask me, a good chunk of season ticket holders aren’t even true fans. They are small business owners who purchase the plans as a write-off. They use the seats to “entertain” clients or potential clients, as a way to “sweeten” the business deal. That’s something else I learned when I was a business banker. I even had business owners offering me tickets!
If the wealthy fans are the ones the Wilpons choose to value, then so be it. They may be able to get the money, but they won’t get the support. What else is new with Corporate America?
