Well, if you purchase a suite, do you want somebody in your suite? If you purchase a home, do you want somebody in your home?
Here's the difference, Lonn. Seats at a stadium aren't a home. People can't go there when the Stadium is closed. Purchasing those seats allow for people to sit in them for before, during and after home games. It's a "suite" only because you call it that. Nowhere else is in the world are padded plastic seats without a roof considered a "suite". Actual suites are in hotels and on cruise ships and chalets in the Swiss Alps. The New Stadium is an outdoor sporting event venue, not a vacation destination.
And as PeteAbe has brought up, those seats are almost always empty in the hours leading up to games. If fans from other sections were watching BP from down there and a ticket holder politely informed them that they were in their spot, I'm sure they would move out of the way. Apparently the obscene ticket prices at the New Stadium have spared the wealthy the indignity of interacting with us commoners for even the briefest of moments. Which would be fine, but again, those tickets still aren't totally sold. The Yankees are still screwing their real fans in the name of their make-believe dream customers.
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I am pretty sure I am the only person that half understands where he is coming from. People buy suites at sporting events to feel secluded and have a private atmosphere compared to the rest of the stadium. You can't just walk into a random group's suite unless you are Will.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the Yankees brass considers the "Legend Suites", suites is the real problem since each section is not sold exclusively to one group or company. If that were the case (which I think was their goal when the built the place), I think they would have much more of an argument.
I never tried but were you able to walk right down to the top of the dugout during BP at the old place?
If people want to actually be secluded, they should buy luxury boxes, which are obviously still available. These are seats that they are calling suites; just because they are ridiculously overpriced doesn't mean that they are exclusive.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you could get down do the Field Level for BP at the old place.
Most new stadiums have a similar area, albeit the Yanks is much larger.
ReplyDeletehttp://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/phi/ticketing/premium_dc.jsp
The fact they won’t let people anywhere in the lower level is a problem but I took that statement as Trost talking about just the Legend Suites.
Somebody in the LoHud comments yesterday made a comment about if paupers like us were allowed down there for BP then people would stay there for the entire game. I never thought about that before, but it makes sense.
ReplyDeleteWas this way at the Stadium? No.
Would it be bad for seats to look full? No.
Would it be a bad idea to continue the market corrections and decrease the prices of those seats? No.
Anyways, the interaction with players as a kid during BP made me a baseball fan--you can't get this type of interaction in any other sport. Kids are obviously the future of the Yankees brand. By driving away the common fan and kids, they are making an egregious long-term business mistake. But Trost is too arrogant and short-sighted to notice such.
Is the new stadium an attraction, though? From an outsider's perspective, it seems like the place has garnered more negative reviews and publicity than positive.
ReplyDeleteDespite the bad publicity, there is still at least the novelty factor of seeing and exploring the Stadium for the first time. Even if they've heard negative things about it, I think people still want to experience it for themselves. That aspect is going to wear out at a certain point.
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