Yankees fans are complaining that it is getting too expensive to attend baseball games, and that it is far cheaper to see them on television and pay for drinks in a bar, or stay at home. Field level box seats run $42, while tier box seats cost $33, and upper-deck seats $17. It does not end there: food and drink in the park is expensive. Bottled water is $4, super-pretzels $3.50, peanuts $4, and Crackerjacks $5. According to the Team Marketing Report, a sports business information publisher, it cost a family of four a total of $197.09 to attend a Yankee game, and buy programs, caps and refreshments. Only watching the Boston Red Sox costs more ($214.33).

Many families prefer to make car payments or pay for groceries rather than go to games. Although the average family has a hard time affording trips to baseball games, it is hard to resist the wishes of young children who yearn to have Yankee sweatshirts ($30) or baseball hats ($15) and cannot be bought off with pennants ($3.50) or plastic batting helmets ($6).

The cost has spiraled over the last decade in part because big corporations love to do business at the games. The businesspeople do not complain about the price of parking ($16), for example, because they are reimbursed. Not surprisingly, the fan base has switched from families to large corporations.

(Updated October 10, 2002)