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Once upon a time, you could pack up the family and a cooler full of beer and head down to the park for a day of family fun on a Sunday afternoon. Up until about the 1980's, you could buy unreserved upper deck or bleacher seats for about $.50 a piece and see the likes of such greats as Brooks Robinson, Nolan Ryan, Reggie Jackson, etc. Life was so much simpler then, but I digress.
Nowadays tickets to major league baseball games range anywhere from $12 (for a nosebleed seat) all the way up to about $75 in some parks, to say nothing of the so called "club seats" and "skyboxes" that are integral to any shiny new ballpark with a corporate name. When you add to that $6.50 for domestic beer, $15-20 for parking, $4 for a game program, etc, it can quickly add up to over $100 for an afternoon at the park.
This instructable will detail how to maximize your fun at the ballpark without it costing you an arm and a leg. My own experiences are primarily related to Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, although most MLB franchises and stadiums are remarkably similar, with some exceptions.
Nowadays tickets to major league baseball games range anywhere from $12 (for a nosebleed seat) all the way up to about $75 in some parks, to say nothing of the so called "club seats" and "skyboxes" that are integral to any shiny new ballpark with a corporate name. When you add to that $6.50 for domestic beer, $15-20 for parking, $4 for a game program, etc, it can quickly add up to over $100 for an afternoon at the park.
This instructable will detail how to maximize your fun at the ballpark without it costing you an arm and a leg. My own experiences are primarily related to Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, although most MLB franchises and stadiums are remarkably similar, with some exceptions.
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Signing UpStep 1Get Cheap Tickets
Or go one better and get free tickets. I don't know any tried and true method for securing free tickets at will, unless you work for a company with a season plan, but when you're a fan of a team like the Orioles, throughout the season there are usually people you know wiling to give away tickets. If a team isn't winning much, many people you know will be willing to give away tickets which they acquired at work, rain check tickets, or advance tickets that interfere with their personal plans.
Failing that though, wait for your team to offer ticket promotions. Each MLB team runs several promotions every year. Here are a few that the O's have offered in recent years...
>>MASN $1 upper reserved tickets in September
They're so desperate to put asses in the seats, they're selling tickets for a buck, as long as you order them at least 24 hours in advance. I know that the Milwaukee Brewers (a team that actually wins) offered $1 tickets this season also, except that you had to wait until 30 minutes before game time to get them.
>>Junior Orioles Dugout Club
Many franchises offer special deals for families and kids, but you don't have to drag your kids down to the box office to get them. Go to your team's website and look for the packages (usually select games) for kids, then order those tickets for you and your friends. These usually amount to about a 50% discount.
>>Get in on a Group Outing
Many area (read: suburban) bars and organizations will sponsor bus trips to the ball park, buying a bloc of tickets, then selling them right at the bar. This is a great deal because the tickets are usually upstairs to start with, and by buying in bulk the bar will pass the savings on to you. they'll also bus you down there, which means you can skip the parking hassle and get shitfaced at the game.
>>Student Night
Every Friday is student night, when you get an upper deck seat for $6. Show your student ID. if its expired, who cares? If you don't have one? Who cares? as long as you look like a student (or are getting your tickets online).
>>Online Sites
Like stubhub.com can be hit or miss. People on craigslist are usually willing to deal.
>>The Guys on the Street
Will sometimes give you prices like '2 for 25' on tickets that are $15 apiece face value. Most of them are pricks, thugs and ex cons though. you take your chances. They are more willing to deal after the first pitch is thrown, but they'll screw you on sold out games, so don't even try it.
>>Standing Room Only
There's a whole other step about sneaking into good seats, so go ahead and get the SRO's if they're available.
Failing that though, wait for your team to offer ticket promotions. Each MLB team runs several promotions every year. Here are a few that the O's have offered in recent years...
>>MASN $1 upper reserved tickets in September
They're so desperate to put asses in the seats, they're selling tickets for a buck, as long as you order them at least 24 hours in advance. I know that the Milwaukee Brewers (a team that actually wins) offered $1 tickets this season also, except that you had to wait until 30 minutes before game time to get them.
>>Junior Orioles Dugout Club
Many franchises offer special deals for families and kids, but you don't have to drag your kids down to the box office to get them. Go to your team's website and look for the packages (usually select games) for kids, then order those tickets for you and your friends. These usually amount to about a 50% discount.
>>Get in on a Group Outing
Many area (read: suburban) bars and organizations will sponsor bus trips to the ball park, buying a bloc of tickets, then selling them right at the bar. This is a great deal because the tickets are usually upstairs to start with, and by buying in bulk the bar will pass the savings on to you. they'll also bus you down there, which means you can skip the parking hassle and get shitfaced at the game.
>>Student Night
Every Friday is student night, when you get an upper deck seat for $6. Show your student ID. if its expired, who cares? If you don't have one? Who cares? as long as you look like a student (or are getting your tickets online).
>>Online Sites
Like stubhub.com can be hit or miss. People on craigslist are usually willing to deal.
>>The Guys on the Street
Will sometimes give you prices like '2 for 25' on tickets that are $15 apiece face value. Most of them are pricks, thugs and ex cons though. you take your chances. They are more willing to deal after the first pitch is thrown, but they'll screw you on sold out games, so don't even try it.
>>Standing Room Only
There's a whole other step about sneaking into good seats, so go ahead and get the SRO's if they're available.
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You can't have fun at an MLB game.
Kidding.