The Yankees claimed a plethora of empty seats for Thursday’s new Stadium opener against Cleveland were due to sponsors’ tickets not being including in the paid tally. No such excuse was available for Friday’s matinee, and there are estimates of as many as 7000 unsold tickets for yesterday’s 22-4 humiliation. River Avenue Blues‘ Benjamin Kabak tries to make sense of all those vacancies.
According to AP reports from the game, these Legends Suites usually sell for between $500 and $2625. Reporters at the game estimated that around half of those seats remained empty for the 1 p.m. start of the game. Behind that ” in the field seats that go for $375 per game or $325 as part of a package ” seemingly half of the seats remained empty as well.
Meanwhile, those of us watching the game at home are continually struck by the Legends Suite seats. They look like executive desk chairs or Business Class airline seats and less like a ballpark. The fans sitting in them often look like they don™t know what™s happening, and one fan was golf-clapping during Derek Jeter™s home run. The people most noticeable and TV ” those sitting closest to the field ” are somehow transcending a baseball game.
Yankee Stadium is still new. It™s got a lot of nooks and crazy, a Great Hall, some fancy food, and a lot of areas to explore. Right now, the Yankees are banking on the distractions as the cause of this seemingly muted fan outpouring. The empty seats are another matter, but this year, at least, the team is hamstrung by the high prices.