Class baiting article in OCR draws attention from Fangraphs

[Ohtaniland]

Why just the poor? Shouldn't non-poor people be allowed to play stickball or whiffleball between the hats too?

Will the class warfare never end?!

All of wealthy whites moved to Colorado, Seattle and Montana to escape the socioeconomic problems of the Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles.

[Spirit]

All of wealthy whites moved to Colorado, Seattle and Montana to escape the socioeconomic problems of the Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles.

 

 

 

 

They sounds smart.

 

 

 

 

And super attractive. 

[disarcina]

yep. saw the article in the LA Times as well with some of the same quotes.

 

Different strategies for Dodgers F/O and Halos --

 

Dodgers put limit on season tickets (30,000) and aggressively sell them to corporate sponsors AND to ticket broker outfits which assure that most ALL tickets are sold.

 

Angels do not sell their season tickets to ticket brokers and re-dissemination by them and that had some impact on the attendance drop.

 

I think a major reason for the Angels attendance drop (and not just on the field performance - after all they won 98 games last season and had the best regular season record in MLB) has to do with the change in policy on making fan re-sale of season tickets less fan friendly...........the Angels have Ticketmaster on some exclusive deal for re-sale and have limited the fans' ability to re-sell tickets. One, by not allowing instant bar graph code ticket availability for ticket broker vendors OTHER than Ticketmaster AND by delaying ticket delivery to fans until shortly before the event.

 

This makes the whole re-sale process less user-friendly and more of a hassle.

 

I used to buy a mini-season ticket package (with the variations of the packages over the years -- I really did not like last year's (or was it the year before?) version of it where you had to pick among about 12 packages of PRE-SELECTED (by the Halos) games........I bought type package ONCE and never again.  I liked the 'pick your own' 20 games package -- and, of course, the pre-'VALUE'  games pricing policies of weekend games and Yankees, Red Sox and Dodger games all being more expensive.

 

back when there was little to no restriction on re-sale policies --- you could buy a mini-season (or even half to full season package) and pretty much pay for a good portion or all of it by re-selling the Boston, Yankees and Dodger games on Stub Hub -- once they cracked down on that --  some folks (like me) simply stopped buying tickets...........

 

if that's what the Halos want, fine..........I now go to Stub Hub if I want to go to a game and, as a result, I buy fewer tickets and attend fewer games.

 

Another factor is this -- in looking at the Angels' schedule this year -- it seemed like they played Houston (who it now turns out is leading the league -- but who knew?) about three of the weekends during the initial months of the season and other match ups were not much better -- I scoured the schedule trying to pick out the game or two or series I wanted to attend and couldn't find any.

 

As a result -- it appears that for the first time in about two decades -- I will not be attending even ONE game in Anaheim this year.

 

I will be seeing Washington v. SF and St. Louis vs. SF up at AT&T instead (with great seats that I was able to obtain in a convenient user-friendly way from vendor/ brokers).

[Guest]

Has nothing to do with that. Can you imagine how freakin' packed it would be in the park if tickets to get in were in the $50-$60 range? You wouldnt even be able to walk around! Any good businessman will say keep raising prices until people aren't willing to pay. Even with prices as they are, attendance still continues to increase!

If people don't like it, don't go! But a business is and should always be allowed to cater to those who continue to make it succesful. If you don't like it, time to find a corner and cry about it until you grow up.

I would have slightly more respect for the Disney corporation if they slightly lowered ticket prices during lower demand periods like midweek during the school year. They could still have the park at optimum capacity rather than their current practice of charging full price then closing half the attractions to save on labor. Edited June 6, 2015 by ScottLux

[Stradling]

I wish Disneyland was more expensive. At least that way when I go every few years it won't be as crowded.

PS. Don't raise the price of the corn dogs

[Slegnaac]

You are allowed to take food into the park so you're down to beer money and plenty of bars charge about the same for lousy beer.

This.

The Angels are making money off of the people that don't have the capability to plan ahead.

Edited June 7, 2015 by Slegnaac

[Vegas Halo Fan]

What a POS story with contradictions. Nowhere does Alvarado state they are not marketing to the lower class. He simply gave an explanation why revenue hasn't dropped with attendance dropping.  Fans in the higher priced seats are spending more $$. That's it. How can the writer say the Angels dismiss "the discount buyer" then in the same breathe reveal the Angels are offering discounted $10 tix? Alvarado gave legitimate reasons that attendance is lower thus far due to colder weather and the big three (Red Sox, Yanks, Dogs) have yet to play in Anaheim. But miraculously the article spins it to the Josh Hamilton debacle. This "journalist" is and idoit!

 

So the Angels are below MLB ticket avg pricing and in the bottom 10 for the total fan cost. I'll anxiously be waiting for the "MLB dismisses the lower class" article.

 

That part does seem contradictory. Exactly how are the Angels ignoring the less-well-heeled fan when the article cites a Saturday night ticket available for $5? It seems to me that the author got the team official going down the road of how the team isn't taking as big a hit financially as people would think given the attendance drop, and the author decided to spin it into the team only caring about those who spend a lot at the ballpark.

Edited June 7, 2015 by Vegas Halo Fan

[2112]

Has nothing to do with that. Can you imagine how freakin' packed it would be in the park if tickets to get in were in the $50-$60 range? You wouldnt even be able to walk around! Any good businessman will say keep raising prices until people aren't willing to pay. Even with prices as they are, attendance still continues to increase!

If people don't like it, don't go! But a business is and should always be allowed to cater to those who continue to make it succesful. If you don't like it, time to find a corner and cry about it until you grow up.

Disneyland is a whole different marketing concept. It's like Rolls Royce. If the British Pound slips compared to the dollar, the price of a Rolls goes up, only because sales will suffer if it is at a cheaper price.

In a way that the Angels differ from Disney is at Disneyland all tickets are equal. At the ballpark some seats are better than others. There is always going to be cheap seats.

[AngelsSurfer]

RE: Disney, they can actually be very affordable -- or at least, more affordable than the rate at the ticket booths. They usually have a SoCal deal that is something like $99 or $150 for two days. And if you live in SoCal you can buy an annual pass for like $270 and put it on a payment plan. If you plan on going to the park fairly often -- and they do have a lot of special activities for passholders to keep them coming back -- it pays for itself pretty quickly and provides a year of entertainment. And of course if you know someone who works there, and lots of folks in OC and LA do, they can sign you into the park for free.

 

I'm actually completely in favor of that. It would suck if Disneyland were inaccessible to the people who live around it.

Edited June 7, 2015 by AngelsSurfer

[halobob]

What a POS story with contradictions. Nowhere does Alvarado state they are not marketing to the lower class. He simply gave an explanation why revenue hasn't dropped with attendance dropping.  Fans in the higher priced seats are spending more $$. That's it. How can the writer say the Angels dismiss "the discount buyer" then in the same breathe reveal the Angels are offering discounted $10 tix? Alvarado gave legitimate reasons that attendance is lower thus far due to colder weather and the big three (Red Sox, Yanks, Dogs) have yet to play in Anaheim. But miraculously the article spins it to the Josh Hamilton debacle. This "journalist" is and idoit!

 

So the Angels are below MLB ticket avg pricing and in the bottom 10 for the total fan cost. I'll anxiously be waiting for the "MLB dismisses the lower class" article.

Please find me proof of this because I do not believe this has been the case for a couple years now.

[halobob]

"To review: Alvarado doesn't really want poor people at the Angels Stadium because they don't spend that much money. By trying to attract them, he worsens the experience for wealthier fans. And if he could, he'd segregate the poors from everyone else."

The above might be one of the most ridiculous quotes I've ever seen, especially the bolded part.

 

"This somewhat callous disregard for “discount buyers,” as Alvarado calls them, might work for short-term revenue, but the team has seen one of the bigger drops in attendance in MLB and the plan is a questionable one long-term."

 

The bolded part above couldn't be more spot on, the Angels are really hurting their long term future for this short term revenue gain.  

[halobob]

yep. saw the article in the LA Times as well with some of the same quotes.

 

Different strategies for Dodgers F/O and Halos --

 

Dodgers put limit on season tickets (30,000) and aggressively sell them to corporate sponsors AND to ticket broker outfits which assure that most ALL tickets are sold.

 

Angels do not sell their season tickets to ticket brokers and re-dissemination by them and that had some impact on the attendance drop.

 

I think a major reason for the Angels attendance drop (and not just on the field performance - after all they won 98 games last season and had the best regular season record in MLB) has to do with the change in policy on making fan re-sale of season tickets less fan friendly...........the Angels have Ticketmaster on some exclusive deal for re-sale and have limited the fans' ability to re-sell tickets. One, by not allowing instant bar graph code ticket availability for ticket broker vendors OTHER than Ticketmaster AND by delaying ticket delivery to fans until shortly before the event.

 

This makes the whole re-sale process less user-friendly and more of a hassle.

 

I used to buy a mini-season ticket package (with the variations of the packages over the years -- I really did not like last year's (or was it the year before?) version of it where you had to pick among about 12 packages of PRE-SELECTED (by the Halos) games........I bought type package ONCE and never again.  I liked the 'pick your own' 20 games package -- and, of course, the pre-'VALUE'  games pricing policies of weekend games and Yankees, Red Sox and Dodger games all being more expensive.

 

back when there was little to no restriction on re-sale policies --- you could buy a mini-season (or even half to full season package) and pretty much pay for a good portion or all of it by re-selling the Boston, Yankees and Dodger games on Stub Hub -- once they cracked down on that --  some folks (like me) simply stopped buying tickets...........

 

if that's what the Halos want, fine..........I now go to Stub Hub if I want to go to a game and, as a result, I buy fewer tickets and attend fewer games.

 

Another factor is this -- in looking at the Angels' schedule this year -- it seemed like they played Houston (who it now turns out is leading the league -- but who knew?) about three of the weekends during the initial months of the season and other match ups were not much better -- I scoured the schedule trying to pick out the game or two or series I wanted to attend and couldn't find any.

 

As a result -- it appears that for the first time in about two decades -- I will not be attending even ONE game in Anaheim this year.

 

I will be seeing Washington v. SF and St. Louis vs. SF up at AT&T instead (with great seats that I was able to obtain in a convenient user-friendly way from vendor/ brokers).

Great post, spot on in many ways!

[halobob]

I also find it funny that after all of these articles have come out the Angels have started to drop prices pretty drastically for a lot of games.  Quite frankly they need to because everything is overpriced.  

[mancini79]

Please find me proof of this because I do not believe this has been the case for a couple years now.

 

Enjoy and be enlightened.

 

https://www.teammarketing.com/public/uploadedPDFs/2015%20mlb%20fci%20%281%29.pdf

[Stradling]

Enjoy and be enlightened.

https://www.teammarketing.com/public/uploadedPDFs/2015%20mlb%20fci%20%281%29.pdf

Waiting to hear how that isn't accurate.

[Inside Pitch]

Enjoy and be enlightened.

 

https://www.teammarketing.com/public/uploadedPDFs/2015%20mlb%20fci%20%281%29.pdf

 

And just in case you need further proof -- here are the previous two years.  

 

2013 - http://assets.bizjournals.com/baltimore/pdf/2013-Fan-Cost-Index.pdf

2014 - https://www.teammarketing.com/public/uploadedPDFs/2014+mlb+fci.pdf

 

If you look closely you'll see the Angels FCI had dropped.

[BaseballMom]

I got 2 seats to 20 games in the first 6 rows of 529 (yeah, up the escalator) for $500 and they sent me 5 free parking passes.  I got to pick whatever games I wanted (Opening day, Yanks, Sox, Dodgers, giveaways). 

 

That's a great deal.  I really do believe that the attendance is down because it's been colder so far this season, school is still in session, etc.  When school's out and the sun is shining, it will improve.  And Mike Trout!

[Ohtaniland]

As long as people buy the #27 jerseys Arte is all smiles. They're making bank with their rent free stadium with the leaky pipes. I believe that Arte and his wife Carol will sell the team for about $2 billion and walk away from the failing players, coaches and Anaheim politics and live happily ever after.

[Guest]

Please find me proof of this because I do not believe this has been the case for a couple years now.

Based on personal experience the Angels are far more expensive than the DBacks, especially when you consider the price of premium beers, or even ordinary light beers.

Edited June 8, 2015 by ScottLux

[Puget Sound Angel]

Go to the game but don't buy anything, just to p!ss off Arte.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Based on personal experience the Angels are far more expensive than the DBacks, especially when you consider the price of premium beers, or even ordinary light beers.

whats the overhead for the dbacks? I honsestly have no clue, but the angsels have one of the highest payrolls in baseball. Instead of comparing them to the dbacks we should prob compare them to tbe next 3 teams in front and behind payroll wise id think.

[Stradling]

Based on personal experience the Angels are far more expensive than the DBacks, especially when you consider the price of premium beers, or even ordinary light beers.

Yes, again you are comparing the tenth most affordable team with the most affordable team.

[Stradling]

As long as people buy the #27 jerseys Arte is all smiles. They're making bank with their rent free stadium with the leaky pipes. I believe that Arte and his wife Carol will sell the team for about $2 billion and walk away from the failing players, coaches and Anaheim politics and live happily ever after.

Took you awhile.

[Guest]

whats the overhead for the dbacks? I honsestly have no clue, but the angsels have one of the highest payrolls in baseball. Instead of comparing them to the dbacks we should prob compare them to tbe next 3 teams in front and behind payroll wise id think.

 

Angels have the 8th highest payroll at $144M

 

5,6,7 are Giants, Nationals, Rangers, respectively

9,10,11 are Phillies, Jays, Mariners, respectively

 

DBacks are 27th of 30, at $83M

 

 

The Angels Fan Cost Index is 195 (lower is better)

 

for comparison: 

 

Red Sox - Most expensive in MLB - 351

Yankees - second most expensive - 337

 

Phillies - 258

Giants - 240

Nationals - 228

Jays - 218

Rangers - 203

Mariners- 208

 

Padres - 153, second lowest in MLB

DBacks - 127. Lowest in MLB.

 

 

The Angels are the cheapest of the 7 teams that are closest to them in payroll. They are the most expensive of the three teams whose games I personally attend most often. 

Edited June 8, 2015 by ScottLux

[Spirit]

 

 

The bolded part above couldn't be more spot on

 

 

Totally agree with you.  If by "spot on" you mean a complete load of crap.