nick pitts/asst. sports editorBoy, is it a good thing that those Philadelphia Flyers got into the playoffs this year. I’ve got a bone to pick with them.
It is fairly common knowledge that going to a Flyers game means you are going to dish out quite a lot of money. It is one of, if not, the most expensive ticket for a sporting event in town, which is unlucky for me because it is my favorite to attend as well.
Guess what folks, ticket prices for every seat are going up. Is that any way to treat last year’s most indimidating fans in hockey?
Currently, if you want a nice seat, let’s say first level; it’s going to cost you $73 for the face value, let alone the surcharges that follow.
VIP parking? Only if you’re willing to fork over another $20. Oh yeah, and if you plan on eating, and your feeding more than one person, you had better have another Andrew Jackson in that wallet. Food at the Wachovia Center is no less than $3, for a hotdog!
So, altogether for a night out at the Flyers, it’s going to cost you over $300, or roughly $150 a person.
Now I know that there are less expensive tickets you can opt for, such as the family section, where ticket prices lurk around $25. Well, if you’re a family of four, than that number multiplies rather quickly.
The Flyers announced on March 12, that the price for every seat in the house will go up about $5.
Let’s play around with some numbers. So the Flyers sell out a game, which means 20,000 tickets are sold. Multiply that number by the $5 average for the raise in ticket prices and you get $100,000. One game alone, based on those numbers will allow the management to collect $100,000 more than the year before, per game!
I can’t even speak for those poor season pass holders down there at ice level. They are currently paying $73, but thanks to a whopping 140 percent increase, the tickets will now be worth $175.
How do you justify that? With a $25 complimentary food voucher, good for at most a cheesesteak, medium soda and some fries. I hope you don’t enjoy your alcoholic beverages, ice-rowers, because that complimentary food voucher just isn’t worth enough to buy both food and a beer.
Perhaps Shawn Tilger, Flyers vice president of business operations ought to read the paper more often. Detroit, the famous “Hockeytown,” has seen serious a serious drop in attendance because of the rising ticket prices and the falling worth of the dollar bill. This has ultimately resulted in a serious disconnect between the Redwings and their fan base. What kind of country is this when even Hockeytown has lost its name!
To make things worse, this news came after a loss and bump back down to eighth place in the conference, holding onto a playoff spot by just one point.
It is a good thing that the Flyers made the playoffs. If they hope to retain their fan base, they better make a worthy run at the Stanley Cup.
Of course, making the playoffs does not justify the raise in price, but at least it eases the pain in my pocket a little bit. But like I said, I can’t speak for those ice-rowers.
Philly fans don’t care much for injustice. And if you don’t believe me, just ask Santa Claus.
